Don Cornelius, R.I.P.
- Thread starter Steve Sidoruk
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I could not believe it when I heard the news of Don's passing. And suicide,yet! In this day and age, it's easy to take for granted networks like BET, and all the R&B/hip-hop video shows, but Don was there FIRST, bringing black music to America's living rooms, and in the process, introducing new,up and coming artists who would have never gotten exposure anywhere else, and keeping veteran artists in the limelight as well. If the music was well received by young black people, he brought the artist on,no matter what color. He brought on a young Canadian pop/soul/jazz singer(whom by the way, got his first exposure on SOUL TRAIN) who was on A&M Records, by the name of(you all know who I'm talking about!) Gino Vannelli. He was also, reportedly the first white artist to grace the show.
Marvin Gaye,Gladys Knight, The Jackson 5/Jacksons, Stevie Wonder,David Bowie,Elton John, Quincy Jones,Smokey Robinson,Wham,Diana Ross,Teddy Pendergrass, and also a certain trumpet player by the name of Herb Alpert, and others too numerous to mention, graced the stage of SOUL TRAIN.(Speaking of, ST was made in the 80s, on the lot of A&M itself! At the Chaplin Stage!) And the dancers! Don introduced us to some of the sexiest ladies to ever grace the television screen. I, in particular had something of a crush on the sexy Asian young lady with the long flowing hair; her name was/is Cheryl Song, and also another dancer who wore her hair in ponytails alot, and seemed to be one of the "star" dancers, a light skinned black young lady;her name was/is Crystal McCrary.
Anyway, my condolences to his family and friends, and please all of you out there in A&M land, and beyond, suicide is definitely not the way "out", or an alternative to dealing with your problems. You leave behind a lot of heartache from family, friends, and guilt feelings, on the previously mentioned people, asking if they really did enough to alleviate your pain, and also people who didn't know you very well, such as Don's fans, are left with hurt feelings and unanswered questions. Life may get rough and troubled,especially these days, but God has given the true way "out":His Love for us, and His Son, Jesus Christ. Turn to God and His Son when life gets really bad, and little by little, the dark clouds will dissapate. Or as a line in of the 80s English pop group Dream Academy songs goes: "things will work out fine/they just take a little time".
I'm sorry if I was preaching, folks;didn't mean to, and I'm sorry if I've offended anybody's religious beliefs that are different than mine, but Don's sudden,tragic passing affected me more powerfully than I expected, and I just don't want to see anybody leaving the way of suicide; a horrible way to go.
Again, my condolences/prayers to Don's loved ones, and Don: you really will be missed, and thank you for bringing pride to African Americans such as myself, and also, thank you for making my adolescence a lot more bearable, and enriching us with a lot of great music.
Marvin Gaye,Gladys Knight, The Jackson 5/Jacksons, Stevie Wonder,David Bowie,Elton John, Quincy Jones,Smokey Robinson,Wham,Diana Ross,Teddy Pendergrass, and also a certain trumpet player by the name of Herb Alpert, and others too numerous to mention, graced the stage of SOUL TRAIN.(Speaking of, ST was made in the 80s, on the lot of A&M itself! At the Chaplin Stage!) And the dancers! Don introduced us to some of the sexiest ladies to ever grace the television screen. I, in particular had something of a crush on the sexy Asian young lady with the long flowing hair; her name was/is Cheryl Song, and also another dancer who wore her hair in ponytails alot, and seemed to be one of the "star" dancers, a light skinned black young lady;her name was/is Crystal McCrary.
Anyway, my condolences to his family and friends, and please all of you out there in A&M land, and beyond, suicide is definitely not the way "out", or an alternative to dealing with your problems. You leave behind a lot of heartache from family, friends, and guilt feelings, on the previously mentioned people, asking if they really did enough to alleviate your pain, and also people who didn't know you very well, such as Don's fans, are left with hurt feelings and unanswered questions. Life may get rough and troubled,especially these days, but God has given the true way "out":His Love for us, and His Son, Jesus Christ. Turn to God and His Son when life gets really bad, and little by little, the dark clouds will dissapate. Or as a line in of the 80s English pop group Dream Academy songs goes: "things will work out fine/they just take a little time".
I'm sorry if I was preaching, folks;didn't mean to, and I'm sorry if I've offended anybody's religious beliefs that are different than mine, but Don's sudden,tragic passing affected me more powerfully than I expected, and I just don't want to see anybody leaving the way of suicide; a horrible way to go.
Again, my condolences/prayers to Don's loved ones, and Don: you really will be missed, and thank you for bringing pride to African Americans such as myself, and also, thank you for making my adolescence a lot more bearable, and enriching us with a lot of great music.
Captain Bacardi
Well-Known Member
Growing up outside of Chicago (where "Soul Train" originated) this was one of the staple shows to watch on Saturday afternoons, right after "American Bandstand". Cornelius had this deep voice that just grabbed you. There was one episode where Chicago Bears great Walter Payton was part of that line dance thing. I used to get a kick out of watching these people dance. The first show that I remember had the Hues Corporation on it, performing - or lip-syching - "Rock The Boat".
Captain Bacardi
Well-Known Member
Captain Bacardi
Well-Known Member
Dave
Well-Known Member
I'll admit, I really got my "Cornelius's" mixed-up!!!! I really thought maybe in addition to him hosting SOUL TRAIN, that he was of Cornelius Bros. & Sister Rose ("Too Late To Turn Back Now")...
But SOUL TRAIN was something else my father was always into watching, too... As long as I could remember & my dad being into as many different genres of music as I was had it on each week (Saturday Morning/Afternoon) and I always watched it with him...
A shame both this individual as well as the show are equally great cornerstones of the past century & are both no longer with us...
-- Dave
But SOUL TRAIN was something else my father was always into watching, too... As long as I could remember & my dad being into as many different genres of music as I was had it on each week (Saturday Morning/Afternoon) and I always watched it with him...
A shame both this individual as well as the show are equally great cornerstones of the past century & are both no longer with us...
-- Dave
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