Don Cornelius: Pope of soul and the Nigerian music industry

After 23 years on the tube as host of arguably the most popular music show in the world, baritone voiced DJ and founder of the 1970’s TV musical show, “Soul Train,” Don Cornelius, disappeared from the radar. To many, his life ended in 1993 when after hosting  “Soul Train” for 23 years, he allowed ex […]

After 23 years on the tube as host of arguably the most popular music show in the world, baritone voiced DJ and founder of the 1970’s TV musical show, “Soul Train,” Don Cornelius, disappeared from the radar.

To many, his life ended in 1993 when after hosting  “Soul Train” for 23 years, he allowed ex Shalamar star, Jeffery Daniels to take over the mic and superintend the gig that showcased the black American pop culture for decades.

But the curtain actually fell on Cornelius only last week. He was found dead in his Sherman Oaks residence in California after a shot was heard in the perimeters of the building in what is now suspected to be suicide. He was aged 75.

The news of his death has shocked the vibrant entertainment industry in America, which had almost forgotten about him, regurgitating old memories of the icon in his early 30’s when he created a platform that expressed the sustained determination, hope and zeal of blacks to prove their ingenuity and transformed the image of black entertainers the world over.

As the world prepares for his interment, his it appears would be the first time, a non singing artist would be celebrated on a canvass reserved for extremely successful musical icons like Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye but more than that, in the case of Cornelius,  his influence which spans into acting will also see Hollywood standing still.

Today artiste like Kanye West, Rihanna and Beyonce may project a larger than life image assuming a cross cultural acceptability that comes with little extra effort and may even not spare a thought for the contributions of early showbiz personalities like Cornelius but it was indeed the foundation laid by his likes that saw to the complete acceptance if not surrender of the pop genre to black Americans.

Soul Train” was said to have begun in 1970 in Chicago as a local program on WCIU-TV, but gained immediate recognition and came to be aired nationally from 1971 and did not stop running till around 2006. Creating other arms like the “Soul Train Music Awards,” “the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards” and “the Soul Train Christmas Starfest.”

But to many, Soul Train was more than a TV show. It was a statement in black liberation, an expression of faith in self determination to succeed and a platform for self actualization.

It used to be the clearing house for nascent artistes to hone their skills and served as a sign post for acceptability for upcoming artistes.

Two things made Soul Train stand out. One was the uncommon grit to beam a dance culture to people’s living rooms in the early 70’s as opposed to disco pubs and their nuances which thrives on an enactment under the cover of darkness. The second major selling point for Soul Train was the opportunity it gave artistes to mingle freely with fans and express themselves in a no holds barred interview with the host, whose avuncular personality, witty questions and homeliness made the show even more interesting.

In one of the early episodes of Soul train, Cornelius, after a performance by the duo of  Yarbrough and People, made straight to Yabrough and asked her if she was People. The diva smiled and pointed at the male colleague saying “he’s People, ‘am Yarbrough.” Such humor make the artiste drop their guards.

The high point for Soul Train however came in the early 80’s when the pop music scene became so charged with works from different artistes that it seemed as if the whole of America was going to exhaust its musical talents.

It was in that period that groups like Gap Band, Temptations, Sky, Lake Side, Midnight Stars, Whispers etc worked round the clock to bring out their bests and were also supported by solo efforts of the likes of Rick James, Marvin Gaye and the unforgettable outings of Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson.

But it was not in the melody of the music makers that Soul Train found its groove. Much as the rhythms kept the tempo, it was at the feet of the Soul Train dancers that the whole world literally caught fire as Soul Train became synonymous with new creative dance steps that were beyond human comprehension.

Soul Train it was that invented what was later known as the group dance, a simple party choreography that is today the toast in weddings and other gatherings.

But it was the platform that it offered the group of dancers known as the “The Eclipse” from a town called Long Bridge to showcase the “electric bugalooo,” that did the magic.

Jeffery Daniel with two other youngsters decked in black t-shirts and baggy trousers set the world on fire when dancing to the racy beat of Michael Jackson’s “Working Day and Night” unleashed a potpourri of choreographed steps that fused the earlier version of the dance called “robot” and the precursor of what was later known as “moon walk” to the world.

In the about four minute cantata, the world saw men move and act with electrified gait like pure robots, waffling through space like some creatures from outer space and gliding both backward and forward as if on skates.

It was on that occasion that the dance step known as “backslid” which has remained a constant feature of evolving dance steps materialized without mutation.

It is not for nothing that latter day pop icons like Howard Hewitt, Jody Watley and a host of others trace their origins to their days as Soul Train dancers.

Here in Nigeria, the Soul Train culture caught on with the blossoming TV culture. Many of the then emerging TV stations in Nigeria had programmes that  mimicked  or took the pattern of Soul Train. On NTA Lagos, there was the “Art Alade Show” on NTA Enugu, there was “Boogie Time” while on NTA Maiduguri there was “Musical Conexxion.”

Don Cornelius however became the toast of many youngsters with the way he drilled every artiste that stepped on the show.

His dress sense also brought what was later known as corporate outlook to the world of entertainment. Whereas other show presenters of his time would appear clad in similar Bohemian outfits like the artistes, Cornelius maintained a neat formal appearance with corporate suits, a tie, clean shave and chico hair do.

It is not likely that his life would be celebrated in Nigeria, due to the long time he had been off stage before his eventual demise last week, but his influence on pop culture the world over cannot be underplayed.