Strider Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 Just woke up and turned on the news and I'm hit with this bummer of bad news...Don Cornelius is dead! http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/tv-zone-1.811968/don-cornelius-dead-in-suicide-1.3495188 For those that don't know, Don Cornelius was the ultra-cool and ultra-smooth host of THE BEST DANCE SHOW ON TV EVER: "SOUL TRAIN"!!! Especially for a white kid like me that grew up in a region and culture that was only 6% black, Soul Train was a window to Black music and culture that I would have hard time getting exposed to otherwise. I probably never would have gone to Wattstax if it wasn't for Soul Train stoking the desire in the first place. The Spinners, Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, the Ohio Players...all these and more I heard about first before my fellow white-bread suburbanites, thanks mostly to Soul Train. And everybody who watched the show back then remembers the famous Soul Train Line! Yes, Dick Clark's American Bandstand had its moments and its historical value, but by the 70s, AB was mostly bland, boring acts(save for an occasional wonder like PIL's appearance). Nope, in the 70s, Soul Train was where it was at baby...and Don Cornelius reigned supreme. Such sad news...RIP Don Cornelius. Quote
AutumnGrl Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 So tragic, I'm in shock. Like alot of people are probably wondering, I'm wondering why. I hope he is at peace now. Quote
Strider Posted February 1, 2012 Author Posted February 1, 2012 It sounds funny now, but it was kind of a big deal when David Bowie appeared on Soul Train in 1974. The SOUL TRAIN LINE!!! Quote
2bitnogoodjive Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 RIP http://forums.ledzeppelin.com/index.php?/topic/17188-soul-train-host-don-cornelius-dead/ Quote
paul carruthers Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 So sorry to hear about Don. What a bummer. Quote
redhairedqueen22 Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 Rest in peace! my thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family Quote
planted Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 That's too bad. I was living in (west) Germany in the 70's and remember this show very well. My mother and her husband at the time hated it, so I had to sneak it in when I could, which was tough at that time because American television was limited. I thought they were so cool. RIP. Quote
redrum Posted February 2, 2012 Posted February 2, 2012 Makes you wonder why he did it? Broke? Cancer? :^( I remember they did a skit called 'Soul Truck' where everyone danced on a flatbed. Quote
dazedcat Posted February 2, 2012 Posted February 2, 2012 I've read where he was going through a pretty nasty divorce. This is sad news, Soul Train was really an important part of the culture back in the 70's..........RIP. Quote
Walter Posted February 2, 2012 Posted February 2, 2012 Crazy as it sounds, but I watched "Soul Train" because it came on just before wrestling on Sunday mid-morning/afternoon where I grew up! I really grew to enjoy it, even though I was less than 10. RIP Quote
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