Though I possess a vague knowledge of Soul Train and Don Cornelius, I had never quite realized the massive impact that both had on soul music, music television, and on soul music, music, and television. My knowledge of Soul Train was largely dependent on clumps of images, which appeared on MTV and VH1 in the 90s, a time when nostalgia for the 70s and its imagery seemed to be at its apex. Thankfully, the volume of writing on Cornelius and his impact, particularly in relation to Chicago, has made me realize just how significant a figure he was.
I’ve spent the past few days trawling YouTube for clips from Soul Train, and I’ve been floored by many of the performances from the show’s 70s heyday, but one performance in particular stood out from the rest.