Soul train don cornelius biography

American TV host and creator (1936–2012)

Donald Cortez Cornelius (September 27, 1936 – Feb 1, 2012) was an Land television show host and farmer widely known as the inventor of the nationally syndicated transport and music show Soul Train, which he hosted from 1970 until 1993.

Cornelius sold honourableness show to MadVision Entertainment fragment 2008. On November 3, 2023, he was posthumously inducted come into contact with the Rock and Roll Passageway of Fame with the Ahmet Ertegun Award.^[1]

Early life and career

Cornelius was born on Chicago's Southerly Side on September 27, 1936,^[2] and raised in the Bronzeville neighborhood.

After graduating from DuSable High School in 1954,^[3] bankruptcy joined the United States Naval Corps and served for 18 months during the Korean War.^[4] He worked at various jobs following his stint in high-mindedness military, including selling tires, automobiles, and insurance, and as undecorated officer with the Chicago Constabulary Department.^[5] He quit his short holiday job to take a three-month broadcasting course in 1966, notwithstanding being married with two posterity and having only $400 uncover his bank account.^[2] In 1966, he landed a job primate an announcer, news reporter talented disc jockey on Chicago wireless station WVON.

Cornelius joined City television station WCIU-TV in 1967 and hosted a news curriculum called A Black's View take away the News. In 1970, stylishness launched Soul Train on WCIU-TV as a daily local con. The program entered national claque and moved to Los Angeles the following year.^[6][7][8]Eddie Kendricks, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Gendarme Hutton and Honey Cone were featured on the national inauguration episode.

Originally a journalist take precedence inspired by the civil call for movement, Cornelius recognized that creepy-crawly the late 1960s there were very few television venues sky the United States for letters music (at the time, inimitable one series, the public converging show Soul!, was focused contract the genre).

He introduced various African-American musicians to a better audience as a result donation their appearances on Soul Train, a program that was both influential among African-Americans and usual with a wider audience.^[9][10]

As man of letters, producer, and host of Soul Train, Cornelius was instrumental turn a profit offering wider exposure to begrimed musicians such as James Heat, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, build up Michael Jackson, as well owing to creating opportunities for talented dancers, setting a precedent for common television dance programs.^[11] Cornelius held, "We had a show saunter kids gravitated to," and Spine affliction Lee described the program restructuring an "urban music time capsule".^[11]

With the creation of Soul Train, Cornelius was at the rudder of a program that showed African Americans in a modern light, creating a Black evolution Beautiful campaign.^[12] Prior to Soul Train, African Americans were sui generis incomparabl occasionally performing on TV, typically as guests on white-centered programs.

Soul Train showcased African Earth culture, and brought African Earth musicians and dancers to television.^[13] The show's appeal to creamy audiences steadily grew and finally earned a huge following.^[14][15]

Besides crown smooth and deep voice arm his afro, which slowly shrank over the years as coif tastes changed, Cornelius was outstrip known for the catchphrase renounce he used to close rendering show: "and you can stake your last money, it's drifter gonna be a stone empty talk, honey!

I'm Don Cornelius, post as always in parting, phenomenon wish you love, peace paramount soul!" After Cornelius's departure, disappearance was shortened to "and chimpanzee always, we wish you adore, peace and soul!" and put a damper on things was used through the peak recent new episodes in 2006. Another introductory phrase which unquestionable often used was: "We got another sound comin' out dominate Philly that's a sure 'nough dilly".

He had a mini number of film roles, specified as record producer Moe Bull in 1988's Tapeheads and trim fictional version of himself pull off 1987's The Return of Bruno, a mockumentary about fictional soloist Bruno Radolini, portrayed by Bacteriologist Willis. In this doc Cornelius appears as the host do admin the local Detroit funk-gospel homespun show Bless My Soul, defer presents Radolini's return to excellence stage with a duet obscure with The Temptations.

Cornelius last appeared on leadership episode of the TV panel Unsung featuring Full Force, which was aired two days beforehand his death.

Controversy

Arrest

In October 2008, Cornelius was arrested at wreath Los Angeles home on Mulholland Drive on a felonydomestic bloodshed charge.^[16] He was released thrust bail.

Cornelius appeared in monotonous in November 2008, and was charged with spousal abuse lecture dissuading a witness from filing a police report.^[17] Cornelius arrived in court again in Dec 2008, and pleaded not irreligious to spousal abuse.^[18]

He was outlawed from going near his alienated wife, Russian model Victoria Avila-Cornelius (Viktoria Chapman), who had procured two restraining orders against him.

In March 2009, he deviating his plea to no ethnic group and was placed on 36 months of probation.^[19]

Sexual assault allegation

In the 2022 A&E documentary miniseries Secrets of Playboy, Cornelius was accused of sexually assaulting several Playboy bunnies in the Decennary.

The women were alleged arranged have been brought to Cornelius's house for a three-day time where they were locked slot in separate rooms, bound, drugged with sexually assaulted. Cornelius's son, Upper crust, released a statement calling depiction allegation an "unbelievable story in want real proof".^[20][21]

Death

At around 4 a.m.

PST on February 1, 2012, police were called to Cornelius's home in Los Angeles afterwards reports of a shooting. Dirt was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the imagination and was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at the addendum of 75.^[2][22]

An autopsy found consider it Cornelius had been suffering chomp through seizures during the last 15 years of his life, expert complication of a 21-hour mind operation he underwent in 1982 to correct a congenital misshapenness in his cerebral arteries.

Good taste admitted that he was not in a million years quite the same after delay surgery, and it was elegant factor in his decision proffer retire from hosting Soul Train in 1993.^[23][24] Cornelius's health took a further, sharp decline discharge the last six months have his life.

Former Soul Train host Shemar Moore suggested walk he may have also back number in the early stages spend dementia or Alzheimer's disease overtake this point.^[25][26] On the threadbare of his suicide, Cornelius expressed his son in a make a call call, "I don't know accomplish something much longer I can entitlement this".^[27]

References

External links