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Soul Train: R&B's Home

© Paula Chase-Hyman

Don't anyone go thinking that this is a mea culpa on my end - but I watched the Soul Train Lady of Soul Music Awards last weekend and enjoyed them. After my rant against award shows this probably sounds strange, but they were what award shows should be. No scripts for presenters, very little chatter by the hosts, chock full of performances and no antics by guests and performers alike.

But you know, I should expect that kind of class from Soul Train, after all, they are R&B's home. I grew up with Soul Train,literally. Born the same year as me, the show has been host to both up and coming and veteran performers alike since 1970. Saturdays weren't complete without watching the full hour of dancers, performers and outrageous outfits.

The show and its creator, Don Cornelius, are not only responsible for helping to boost the careers of many of today's hottest R&B sensations, but also for giving us the infamous Soul Train line. You haven't been to a real party until someone busts out with the "soul" line complete with all the crazy characters seen on the show. If you're a fan than you know them: the guy who just strikes a pose, the girl who can lift her leg almost past her head, the brothers who go down the line together, the girl who does a split during her dance, and of course the brother who ends up breakdancing.

The show is without a doubt a R&B institution. Almost single-handedly the show put African American singers and our dance styles into the homes of mainstream America. Sure, black people were on American Bandstand and shows like it, but Soul Train was our show, one where blacks really did their thing without the polite, toned down consciousness exhibited on other dance shows.

And the dancers definitely made the show amusing. I watched it for the music, but the dancers have always added just the right element of glitz and posturing. I tuned in to watch their antics as much as I did to see the guest artist.

Though targeted towards a young demographic - Soul Train often appealed to a wide audience because of the range of artists performing every week. From a slim, healthy-looking Luther Vandross one week to a young, babyfaced Janet Jackson the next.

Founder and Executive Producer, Don Cornelius was a show constant up until a few years ago when they began "guest" hosting. Today, handsome soap star Shemar Moore hosts and while I like Shemar, I'm not really feeling him for Soul Train. But Don Corneilius is a tough act to follow - he of the big afro and deep voice. I mean no matter the style he has kept that 'fro, it's just not as big.