Donald Cortez Cornelius (September 27, 1936 â€" February 1, 2012) was
an American television show host and producer who was best known as
the creator of the nationally syndicated dance and music show Soul
Train, which he hosted from 1971 until 1993. Cornelius sold the show
to MadVision Entertainment in 2008.Cornelius was born on Chicago's
South Side on September 27, 1936, and raised in the Bronzeville
neighborhood. After graduating from DuSable High School in 1954, he
joined the United States Marine Corps and served 18 months in Korea.
He worked at various jobs following his stint in the military,
including selling tires, automobiles, and insurance, and as an officer
with the Chicago Police Department. He quit his day job to take a
three-month broadcasting course in 1966, despite being married with
two sons and having only $400 in his bank account. In 1966, he landed
a job as an announcer, news reporter and disc jockey on Chicago radio
station WVON.Cornelius joined Chicago television station WCIU-TV in
1967 and hosted a news program called A Black's View of the News. In
1970, he launched Soul Train on WCIU-TV as a daily local show. The
program entered national syndication and moved to Los Angeles the
following year. Eddie Kendricks, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Bobby
Hutton and Honey Cone were featured on the national debut
episode.Originally a journalist and inspired by the civil rights
movement, Cornelius recognized that in the late 1960s there were very
few television venues in the United States for soul music (at the
time, only one series, the public television show Soul!, was focused
on the genre). He introduced many African-American musicians to a
larger audience as a result of their appearances on Soul Train, a
program that was both influential among African Americans and popular
with a wider audience. As writer, producer, and host of Soul Train,
Cornelius was instrumental in offering wider exposure to black
musicians such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and
Michael Jackson, as well as creating opportunities for talented
dancers, setting a precedent for popular television dance programs.
Cornelius said, "We had a show that kids gravitated to," and Spike Lee
described the program as an "urban music time capsule".
an American television show host and producer who was best known as
the creator of the nationally syndicated dance and music show Soul
Train, which he hosted from 1971 until 1993. Cornelius sold the show
to MadVision Entertainment in 2008.Cornelius was born on Chicago's
South Side on September 27, 1936, and raised in the Bronzeville
neighborhood. After graduating from DuSable High School in 1954, he
joined the United States Marine Corps and served 18 months in Korea.
He worked at various jobs following his stint in the military,
including selling tires, automobiles, and insurance, and as an officer
with the Chicago Police Department. He quit his day job to take a
three-month broadcasting course in 1966, despite being married with
two sons and having only $400 in his bank account. In 1966, he landed
a job as an announcer, news reporter and disc jockey on Chicago radio
station WVON.Cornelius joined Chicago television station WCIU-TV in
1967 and hosted a news program called A Black's View of the News. In
1970, he launched Soul Train on WCIU-TV as a daily local show. The
program entered national syndication and moved to Los Angeles the
following year. Eddie Kendricks, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Bobby
Hutton and Honey Cone were featured on the national debut
episode.Originally a journalist and inspired by the civil rights
movement, Cornelius recognized that in the late 1960s there were very
few television venues in the United States for soul music (at the
time, only one series, the public television show Soul!, was focused
on the genre). He introduced many African-American musicians to a
larger audience as a result of their appearances on Soul Train, a
program that was both influential among African Americans and popular
with a wider audience. As writer, producer, and host of Soul Train,
Cornelius was instrumental in offering wider exposure to black
musicians such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and
Michael Jackson, as well as creating opportunities for talented
dancers, setting a precedent for popular television dance programs.
Cornelius said, "We had a show that kids gravitated to," and Spike Lee
described the program as an "urban music time capsule".
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