Did you get a chance to view VH1’s “Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America” the documentary last night? I sure hope so. Featuring footage from the long running hit series, this doc teases you with the promise of “more to come”, and archival footage would confirm it.
As a native of Los Angeles, it was impossible not to watch the program. You went to school, lived next door to, and often times, rode the bus with local Soul Train dancers. They were at the time, the “insiders inside”, and as stated in the film, you were indeed proud of them. Each weekend, we settled in to watch, my two older brothers and I, laughing and yes, dancing along as we watched. Now that I think about it, we didn’t often sit and watch Soul Train. We usually danced through it, as if we were dancers too, and only sat during the guest performances.
At 90 minutes long, Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America, is a priceless collection of r&b, soul, funk, rap, and dance performances, interviews and music. The featured clips, from the program archives, celebrate historical Black culture, community, and art. It’s only agenda: informative entertainment. It overwhelmingly succeeds.
Celebrating 40 years of Soul Train during Black History Month 2010 is appropriate, but anytime is a good time With its narration by Terrence Howard and special appearances by Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Antonio "L.A." Reid, Smokey Robinson, and songwriters extraordinaire, Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff, it reassuringly shares the importance of this cultural phenomenon. From one generation to the next, Soul Train continued to define accomplishment, and encourage greatness. The center of the overall piece is subtly woven in the fabric of each shot: the vision of Don Cornelius, was formed by his pride as an African-American.
Soul Train was our all access pass to what was cool and hip, in music, in ads, in fashion, and in people.
An overdue thanks, to Don Cornelius, who dared to dream, despite the political and commercial hurdles of the time. He identified what television executives continue to seek: audience. Before MTV, BET, and even VH1, Soul Train and Don Cornelius had already proven the profitability, and popularity, of urban artists with the Soul Train Music Awards, and later, the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. Many artists received their first industry recognition with these awards, before the American Music, and the GRAMMY awards that would come later.
In 2008, Cornelius sold the Soul Train rights to Mad Vision Entertainment, a Los Angeles based production company. Note to Mad Vision: The greatest lesson Don teaches is that it isn’t the television or music business…. the audience is the business. Now come find us!
