Soul Train

Don Cornelius- Soul Train

Music is an incredibly powerful thing. Every culture has music traditions and, just in my lifetime, I have witnessed the way that music can influence the world around us. Yesterday, we heard that Don Cornelius had died, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. For those of us that grew up during the 60's and 70's, we will forever remember Don Cornelius as the creator of the TV show "Soul Train."

Soul Train was certainly not the first nationwide TV show focused on music. Other shows existed in the earlier days of television. We had shows like "Name that tune", "Sing along with Mitch", and the "Lawrence Welk Show" but they catered mainly to the over-40 crowd. Shows like "American Bandstand", "Shindig!", and "Hullabaloo" were geared more towards the younger folks and, in addition to musical acts, featured dancers showing off the latest dance steps. Later we had MTV and VH1. Now we have Glee, American Idol and several others. Music in America is a big deal.

But Soul Train was the first prime-time TV show that featured, almost exclusively, African-American musical artists. Modeled after the very popular "American Bandstand", which featured predominantly white artists and dancers, Soul Train became a favorite of many young Americans, black and white.

The segregated American society that made up a large part of the 20th century is an historical fact, painful though it is to be reminded of. But there has been one thing that seems to have transcended the racial divide that existed and, in some ways, still exists today...and that is music. From the white, Celtic-influenced Appalachian music that birthed bluegrass, rockabilly, and country music....to the gospel music sung in rural churches, to the black, rhythm and blues music from the Delta, Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago and Detroit...the combination of all which birthed what we call Rock and Roll music. The soul music sound of African-American Detroit artists, on Barry Gordy's Motown Records kept the dance halls rocking and swaying to some incredible music and vocal harmonies.

The older, white generation didn't embrace much of this music...sometimes because it was just so different from the music they enjoyed but also because of racial prejudice. Sadly, many included the "N-word" in describing this new music. But for the younger Baby Boomer generation, I believe the blending of these musical genres and the appreciation for and enjoyment of these new musical sounds went a long way in bridging the racial divide.

As a white kid that loved the likes of Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and the Everly Brothers; I also loved the sounds of the Coasters, the Drifters, Sam and Dave, Ray Charles, James Brown, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Supremes, Wilson Pickett, and Marvin Gaye. And just when rock and roll seemed to be losing its way, along came the mid-60's British invasion of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dave Clark Five, The Animals, The Kinks and dozens of others that had listened to all that America had blended together musically, and reintroduced it to us.

Then in 1971, Don Cornelius' Soul Train was syndicated and white (and black) teenagers not only heard some great music but also were able to see some of the dance moves that were sometimes only popular in the cities where it was filmed. Soon enough, those dance moves went viral across the country (at least in the areas where it was broadcast.)

In many ways, Don Cornelius did as much to bring folks of all colors together as anyone in those decades. And it was done through the power of music.

In the words of the New Seeker's song popularized by Coca-Cola's famous 1971 commercial:

"I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony...." I think Don Cornelius helped us do that.