And none of them stayed long enough to entrench themselves. The biggest names in Black Hollywood made sure to appear at the award show. [citation needed] Beginning in Season 15 (1985-1986), Tribune Entertainment acquired the syndication contract; Tribune Entertainment continued producing Soul Train until the end of the show's run on March 25, 2006. And Stephanie Mills won amateur night at the Apollo at age 11 six times in a row, before becoming the Grammy-winning international R&B icon that she is., Of the Gap Band singer, Cassidy says, Since I started filming Pass the Mic a year and a half ago, I have always dreamed of having Charlie Wilson on the show. When that arrangement proved too stressful, Rosie began working part-time jobs while attending classes in three different LA-area universities as a biochemistry major. He said, Will you come, will you show up on Saturday? Soul Train was a platform for performances by iconic artists over the years. The future of Soul Train was uncertain with the announced closing of Tribune Entertainment in December 2007, which left Don Cornelius Productions to seek a new distributor for the program. Blake Cale for NPR It was a time when dance music was spawned from almost every musical genre. That's the other thing I loved. It was a program that probably would not be able to survive the pre-Civil Rights Movementof the United States. I would have to say that I thought I was hot stuff, too, but when I saw Rosie, I was like, Oh, my goodness. Sometimes, new dance styles or moves were featured or introduced by particular dancers. It's Been 5 Decades Since 'Soul Train' Was First Nationally - NPR According to BET, it was on Soul Train where the popular dance move, "The Robot," was first performed to a wide audience by (who else) Michael Jackson in 1973 when performing The Jackson 5's single, "Dancing Machine." They only knew about popping and locking, so they were not keen on hip-hop dancing. Upon news of his passing, people all over the world paid tribute to who they called "The Black Dick Clark." Hey, look at this thing. That sense of fellowship didn't always translate to the studio. That wasn't part of any plan. If I could go back in time to live through another era, this would be the time that Id put on my DeLoreans flux capacitor.. Soul Train The show featured iconic performances from some of the greatest musiciansof the era, such as Aretha Franklin, Barry White, and Marvin Gaye. WebSoul Train. Monique "Mo'Que" Chambers (Soul Train dancer): He's a businessman. The first years of the show were hosted by popular musicians such as Dionne Warwick, Luther Vandross, and Patti LaBelle, and unlike the Grammys, the Soul Train As usual with Pass the Mic, the stars will come on camera to sing or rap a verse or two of their prominent hits over the hosts beats in a continual medley (interrupted only for commercials, of course, since the show made the transition to television). In April 2008, Don Cornelius announced that year's Soul Train Music Awards ceremony had been canceled. At this point, once all of the 56 episodes of The Best of Soul Train had been aired, a select few out of the 56 were reaired again for this season. WCIU-TV took notice of Cornelius's outside work and in 1970, allowed him the opportunity to bring his road show to television. Every time I watch it, whatever I'm doing, I have to stop and [be] like, you are taken in by him. I was like, 'Oh, we're outta here.' As Nelson George explained to NPR when discussing his 2014 book, The Hippest Trip in America,"What Soul Train did was take black joy the excitement, the vitality, the spirit of soul music, of black music, of funk, of the beginnings of disco and put it here in a format for everyone could enjoy in their living room.". Rosie was aggressive and sexy and a little street, like a machine gun. The show didn't take on their identity because they weren't there long enough. They're catty. We would clown and just have a good time. Train What are you doing right there?' This show has now spanned four decades of music. On the show, which debuted in April 1990, the four dancers under Rosie's guidance became the new cutting edge of urban dance. Soul Train's website acknowledged that the program had ceased distribution on September 22, 2008. Ive always been fascinated by this widely influential intersection. People really wanted to see it. Rap pioneers Kurtis Blow and Melle Mel will be among the verse-trading guests. hide caption. [25] Subsequent owners of the franchise have followed their own agenda for the program, which included a revival of the Soul Train Music Awards in 2009. This content is imported from youTube. You know, females will be females. It started from Soul Train.". From time to time, stand-up comedians, such as Tom Dreesen (whom Don Cornelius knew from his time in Chicago) and Franklyn Ajaye (known in the 1970s for being a star of the hit movie Car Wash), would be featured on the program to perform a brief comedy routine. But I'd look stupid.". Bowlegged Lou (member of music group Full Force): It's so crazy because I [was] like, wow, the set is not as big as I thought it was. She could move. She was doing her thing, and I was doing my thing. [1], After securing a sponsorship deal with the Chicago-based retailer Sears, Roebuck and Company, Soul Train premiered on WCIU-TV on August 17, 1970, as a live show airing weekday afternoons. His deep voice distinguished him, as well as his ambition and desire to spread Black culture worldwide. In 2016, USA Today reported that the BET Network acquired Soul Train.