About Me
Soul Train is a long-running, music-related, syndicated television program. Soul Train has primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although jazz musicians and gospel singers have also appeared. The program was created by Don Cornelius, who also served as its first host and continues to serve as its executive producer.
History:Soul Train premiered on WCIU-TV in Chicago on August 17, 1970 as a daily program. Its success attracted the attention of two Chicago-based companies -- the Johnson Products Company (manufacturers of the Afro Sheen line of hair-care products), and Sears, Roebuck and Co. -- who agreed to sponsor the program's expansion into syndication. Soul Train began airing in selected cities across the United States, on a weekly basis, on October 2, 1971. When it moved into syndication, the program's home base was also shifted to Los Angeles, where it remains to the present day. Syndication of the program was initially handled by Syndicast Services until 1985, when Tribune Entertainment took over those responsibilities.Don Cornelius ended his run as host in 1996, and guest hosts were used from that time until 1997, when comedian Mystro Clark began a two-year stint as host. Clark was replaced by actor Shemar Moore in 1999. In 2003, Moore was succeeded by actor Dorian Gregory, who hosted through 2006.The show is known for its animated opening title featuring the popular cartoon train.As a nod to Soul Train's longevity, the show's opening sequence (during later seasons) contains a claim that it is the "longest-running, first-run, nationally-syndicated program in television history," with over 1,100 episodes produced from the show's debut through the 2005-06 season.Production of first-run episodes was suspended at the conclusion of the 2005-06 season, the show's thirty-fifth. However, Soul Train has not been officially cancelled. Since the 2006-07 season, the program has been airing archived episodes from the 1970s through mid-1980s under the title "The Best of Soul Train", in lieu of new installments. The future of Soul Train was placed in further uncertainty with the announced closing of Tribune Entertainment's syndication division on December 18, 2007, leaving Don Cornelius Productions to seek a new distributor for the program. DCP then secured a deal with Trifecta Entertainment & Media, which also distributes another former Tribune Entertainment series, American Idol Rewind.In May 2008, the rights to the Soul Train library were purchased by MadVision Entertainment, whose principal partners come from the entertainment and publishing fields. The price and terms of the deal were not disclosed.Influence:During the heyday of Soul Train in the 1970s and 1980s, the program was widely influential among younger black Americans, many of whom turned to it not only to hear the latest songs by well-known black artists but also for clues about the latest fashions and dance trends. Moreover, for many white Americans in that era who were not living in areas that were racially diverse, Soul Train provided a unique window into black culture. Some commentators have called Soul Train a "black American Bandstand", another long-running program with which Soul Train shares some similarities.
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