From our living rooms, the latest hairstyles and fashions were on display -- not to mention dances that we wanted to try -- every Saturday morning. This was before BET and TVOne. There were few other places for us to see such a positive image of Black folks on TV.
Not only did Cornelius influence Black culture, he left his mark on American culture -- period. It didn't matter if you were in Omaha, Nebraska or Roanoke, Virginia, Soul Train was the indelible link to Black culture.
I watched the old reruns in awe: hip dancers, with huge, shoulder length fros and decked out in bell bottoms and platform shoes, shimmying, twirling and bumping their way down the Soul Train line. They looked so fly, so confident.
Cornelius was our Dick Clark, our baritone Casey Kasem. Things were just never the same after he left the show, with guest hosts like Shemar Moore and others filling in, but never able to replace the magic that Cornelius brought every Saturday morning.
Cornelius Will Be Missed
Cornelius was an icon, and his footprint will forever be imprinted on Black culture. 40 years later, get more than five Black folks together at a family reunion, wedding or gathering and I promise you we will break out a Soul Train line, LOL.
Cornelius' death was ruled a suicide. I don't know what his demons were. He was recently honored for his achievements at the Soul Train Awards and had gone through a very nasty, public divorce in recent years. I just wished he could have sought help.
RIP.
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