Don Cortez Cornelius, popularly known as Don Cornelius, was a television show creator, host, disk jockey and producer. He was widely known for creating the dance and music franchise called Soul Train. Soul Train, a long-running syndicated entertainment program was critical in increasing Black American music and culture to the world and providing exposure to several upcoming artistes at the time. Don Cornelius was the host of Soul Train from 1971 till 1993. He was married twice and raised two sons. The paper will explore the life of Don Cornelius, the growth and impact of the Soul Train show and the role of the media in fuelling success both individually and collectively (McKinley, 2012).
Early Life
Don Cornelius was born on 27th September 1936 in Chicago’s South Side in Chicago, Illinois. He spent his early years in the Bronzeville neighborhood. He attended DuSable High school until his secondary education completion in 1954 after which he joined the United States Marine Corps. During his service with the military, he served for two years in Korea. After his time in the military, he engaged in various jobs such insurance, as a car salesman and as a police officer with the Chicago Police Department. He married Delores Harrison in 1956. The couple had two sons, Antony and Raymond. In 1966, despite being in a financial downtime, he quit working and instead enrolled in a media school where he undertook a broadcasting course. The 3-month course helped him to understand the working of mass media (Bio, 2015).
The Inception of Soul Train
After completing his broadcast studies, he was offered a job by WVON, a Chicago-based radio station. His job responsibilities were as an announcer, substitute disk jockey and news reporter. After his short stint with WVON, he joined WCIU-TV, a Chicago-based television station, in 1967 where he was the host the television show ‘A Black’s View of the News’ and also a sports anchor (Bio, 2015). His time in the media opened up Don Cornelius to the fact that there was little avenue for soul music on television stations. During his time at the station, he pitched the idea of a music television show that was aimed at increasing the popularity and reach of African American music. Don Cornelius was able to secure a sponsorship deal with Sears, Roebuck and Company to start the show. The station’s owners green lit the show and in 1970 the program called Soul Train was launched on the station. The show aired daily on WCIU-TV with Don Cornelius as the host.
Soul Train aired on Saturday mornings with the majority of the audience comprising of teenagers and children from all backgrounds. The show presented performances by artistes in the soul, hip hop and R&B genres. Other performances that were sometimes featured on the show included jazz, gospel music, rock, and funk. Soul Train gained instant success due to its popularity in Chicago city and neighboring areas. The show’s success attracted a huge sponsorship deal from Johnson Products Co. which agreed to co-sponsor the show’s growth into national syndication. The program was purchased by television stations in Houston, Los Angeles, Detroit, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Cleveland and San Francisco. The show expanded into several other territories and was aired on a weekly basis. Due to the exponential growth of the show, Soul Train moved its base from Chicago to Los Angeles. However, Soul Train continued airing in Chicago as a local program. Don Cornelius still acted as the host for both the Los Angeles and Chicago shows but later relinquished his job as the host to focus on the national edition of the show. Don Cornelius acted as a producer for the Chicago show until 1977when it was taken up by WGN-TV (McKinley, 2012).
Don Cornelius was acclaimed as the host of Soul Train with his charisma, stage presence and sense of style endearing him to many fans. His sharp suits, deep baritone voice and aviator glasses were his most recognizable attributes (McKinley, 2012). He hosted many celebrated performers during the entire run of the show. Some of the famous artistes that were featured on the show include Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, James Brown, Duran Duran, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Patti Labelle, and Smokey Robinson. The show also regularly featured up and coming African American artistes who stood to gain much from the exposure to a large television audience across the United States (McKinley, 2012). The show was also iconic as a monolith for urban fashion and black culture. Soul Train was also a venue for while musicians from various artistic genres to reach the African American audience. The show also frequently hosted dances that were very popular at the time. The popularity of the dance showcases on the program led to the emergence of dance competitions in other television stations (Deusner, 2014).
In 1987, Don Cornelius launched the Soul Train Music Awards. The awards were meant to honor top performers in soul, R&B, jazz, hip hop and gospel music. The main competitor of the show, American Bandstand, was put off air in 1989 but Soul Train was still popular and going strong (Bio, 2015). Don Cornelius regularly invented ways to keep the show fresh and exciting. Don Cornelius gave up his duties as the show’s host in 1993. However, he remained on the team as a creative director for the show. The show began using the services of various guest hosts to run the show. In 1995, Don Cornelius inaugurated the lady of Souls award to honor top achieving women in the music industry. In later years, getting performer’s for the show became a difficult task due to the anti-competitive practices of rival stations. By 2005, the show was being watched in over a hundred cities and reaching a majority of African American households. The show’s production of episodes was canceled at the end of the 2005-2006 seasons. For the following two seasons the show aired archived episodes of the program. In December 2007 the show’s primary distributor, Tribune Entertainment, closed the Soul Tsrain division of the company (McKinley, 2012).
In 2008, Don Cornelius sold the rights to the Soul Train show library to MadVision Entertainment. Following the acquisition of Soul Train footage was made available to new forms of distribution. By the end of 2008, several stations that had syndicated the program ceased airing further episodes and the show finally discontinued distribution in 2008 (Bio, 2015). MadVision Entertainment opened a YouTube Channel for the Soul Train show in 2009. The channel became a popular hit on the video-sharing site, an indicator that the show still held some popularity despite its cancelation a year earlier. MadVision entered into a licensing deal with Time-Life Company to distribute the show’s episodes on DVD. The company reached an agreement with Black Entertainment Television (BET) to relaunch the then defunct Soul Train awards. Centric, a spin-off channel of BET, began airing archived footage of the Soul Train show. Centric along with Bounce TV are still airing episodes of the show. The program is reconized as one of the longest-running shows in American TV history (McKinley, 2012).
Later Years
Don Cornelius’ life took a down turn in 2008 when he was apprehended and charged with spousal battery. Other charges included trying to dissuade a witness from making a report with and assaulting someone with a deadly weapon. He pleaded no-contest to the assault charge and was sentenced to a three years’ probation and a restraining order. The spousal violence incident led to a divorce battle with his wife, Viktoria Chapman. In 2010, Viktoria was granted a divorce from Don Cornelius. During that period, his health was on a gradual decline and it was diagnosed that he was in the early phases of dementia. On February 1st 2012 he was found dead in his home. Hiss death was caused by a self-inflicted wound to the head. The autopsy revealed that Don Cornelius had suffered from seizures in the last 15 years of his life (Bio, 2015).
Impact of Soul Train
Don Cornelius and Soul Train had a enormous impact on the development of mass media in the United States. The show’s growth from a local television program to a nationally syndicated show manifested the impact that Don Cornelius had on the media. The show was a stepping stone for launching the careers of budding artistes and exposing them to the world. During the 70s and 80s, musicians did not have access to the many media distribution channels like are present today (Deggans, 2012). During this period, the show’s popularity was instrumental in developing artistes and displaying their talent to the country and worldwide. The show introduced the world to the African American culture, fashion, and music (McCombs, 38). Don Cornelius was the most important non-political figure to emerge in the post-civil rights era. Soul Train influenced the growth of such music genres as hip hop, jazz, and funk. Soul Train is heralded as a great example of niche marketing. The show’s ability to target an audience and cater to its needs for such a long time is a model for the mass media. The popularity of the show and its flexibility attracted many sponsors over its run thereby displaying the attributes of a successful broadcast outlet. The growth of the show led to the growth of the media as a powerful force to promote culture, fashion and art (Deusner, 2014).
The media is an essential tool in the achievement of success of various individuals and groups. The media is the primary source of information for the public. The media is an excellent tool for advertising and marketing. Every single day all over the world, billions of people access on or more forms of mass communication (Biagi, 42). A media avenue that has a extensive reaching coverage can help to expose individuals to a large audience. On receiving the widespread coverage, an individual can thereby display their opinion and talent to the world. The media is an effective public relations tool. Using the media, people are able to show the kind of image that they want the public to view (McCombs, 39). The media is crucial in gathering information about changing trends and preferences. Using the data collected, organizations are able to effectively target a market niche. The media is also an avenue for political and social campaigns. Through the media, people can know and understand what other people think and, therefore tailor their success accordingly (Biagi, 41).
Conclusion
Don Cornelius was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. After brief military service after high school, he did several jobs before joining a media school. He worked for WVON as an announcer, substitute disk jockey, and news reporter. Don Cornelius began the Soul Train show on WCIU-TV. Soul Train featured performances by various acclaimed singers and dancers during its run. The show grew in popularity and was nationally syndicated. Soul Train had an impact on the way African American culture, music and fashion was portrayed in the media. The show also developed and promoted the talent of upcoming artistes. The media is an important marketing and advertising tool for individuals and organizations.
Works Cited
Biagi, Shirley. Media Impact: An Introduction to Mass Media. Cengage Learning, 2011.
Bio. Don Cornelius Biography. 29 April 2015. 2015 <http://www.biography.com/people/don-cornelius-273681>.
Deggans, Eric. "Soul Train Creator Don Cornelius made an Impact far Beyond Black America." Tampa Bay Times 1 February 2012.
Deusner, Stephen. "Black Joy on Television: The Cultural Legacy of Soul Train." Pitchfork (2014).
McCombs, Maxwell. Setting the Agenda: The Mass Media and Public Opinion. John Wiley & Sons, 2013.
McKinley, James C. "Don Cornelius, ‘Soul Train’ Creator, Is Dead at 75." 1 February 2012. The New york Times. 2015 <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/arts/music/don-cornelius-soul-train-creator-is-dead-at-75.html>.
