DON CORNELIUS: “I had a burning desire to see black people presented on television in a positive light.”

Don Cornelius in 2006

Don Cornelius wrote, produced and hosted “Soul Train” for more than twenty years. It was the show people tuned in to every week for the hottest new music, the best new dance moves and the latest look in hair and clothing.

Watching “Soul Train” on Saturday became a family tradition for millions of African Americans across the United States. Ralph Herndon is a pianist with the Choral Arts Society of Washington. He says the show was especially important to African American youth.

RALPH HERNDON: “Soul Train was like having a party at your house every Saturday. Something that our black youth had to look forward to, something they could identify with.”

“Soul Train” helped establish the careers of many African American artists. The Jackson Five, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye are just a few of them. One appearance on the show could help an artist gain national attention, and greatly improve their record sales and concert attendance.

(MUSIC: “Reasons” – Earth Wind and Fire)

Don Cornelius hosted “Soul Train” from nineteen seventy until nineteen ninety three. By the time the show went off the air in two thousand three, it had become one the longest running syndicated shows in American television history.

Robert Johnson is chairman of Black Entertainment Television. He says Don Cornelius was a powerful influence on African Americans, the United States and the world.