Don Cornelius: Soul Train, Afro Sheen and the Fight With Dick Clark

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Don Cornelius worked as a newsreader and backup DJ at Chicago radio station WVON before joining UHF station WCIU-TV in 1967 as a news and sports reporter. Seeing the station's dance shows featuring Black teenagers, he organized and emceed a touring series of high school concerts called the Soul Train, then pitched the TV version with Sears, Roebuck as sponsor. The show debuted in August 1970 as a live, black and white weekday broadcast with Jerry Butler, the Chi-Lites and the Emotions, with dancer Clinton Ghent assisting on camera and later producing.

With Johnson Products and its Afro Sheen line as co-sponsor, Soul Train entered national syndication in fall 1971. Of 25 markets approached, seven signed, including Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, and 18 more joined by the end of the season. Cornelius moved production to Los Angeles, flying back weekly to host the Chicago edition until Ghent took over. In 1973 Dick Clark launched the rival Soul Unlimited, and Cornelius and Jesse Jackson publicly accused Clark and the network of trying to destroy a Black-owned business; the show was cancelled after a handful of episodes.

Cornelius admitted the Soul Train scramble board was set up so no contestant ever failed.
He told rapper Kurtis Blow on air that he did not understand his music.
He said the aesthetic of Public Enemy frightened him, and Rosie Perez recalled his dislike of East Coast dance styles.
A sketch comedy parody mocked the show as Old Train before Cornelius stopped hosting in 1993 after 22 seasons.
First-run episodes ended in 2006 after 35 seasons, he sold the library in 2008, and he died in 2012.

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