February 11th, 2010 by soullldiva

MOMO, a writer colleague of mine on the So You Think You Can Dance Social found this gem and I couldn’t help but pass it on.

Soul Train used to be some strange show to me that used to come on after all the cartoons were over on Saturday morning/early afternoon. Strange and…intriguing…as the intro started with that psychedelic cartoon of a train running on the tracks (and turning into the “Soul Train” logo), and the voice calling out “It’s the Sooooooooooul Train!”

I would watch young people in outrageous clothing shake their hips and wave their arms. It was odd to me and not odd. I can’t explain it. All I know is that years later I would learn to sing by attempting to imitate Aretha Franklin (not truly succeeding but not unsuccessful either, as I am from Kansas and severely Caucasian), I would be fronting my own 8 piece soul/R&B/Blues band and singing the very song in this video (Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady” is one of the best soul songs out there). Oh, and also shaking my hips (pretty nicely, I might add). If I ever scan in the pictures and convert the VHS tape to DVD I’ll show it to you sometime. Me, in leopard skin pants!

Soul Train is a jewel of American culture, created in 1965 on a UHF channel in Chicago, and Don Cornelius (and his fab hexagon spectacles) pretty much invented the line dance–and I don’t mean country dancing. I mean everyone lines up in two lines facing each other, then take turns in twos going down the row and struttin’ your stuff. Plus they had amazing soul acts on the show: The O Jays, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Tower of Power and Gladys Knight and the Pips.

Anyway, enough nostalgic-ness, enjoy the video!