Don Cornelius – The Soul Train Derailed
The death of the legendary Don Cornelius hit many generations quite hard. For over forty years, Mr. Cornelius introduced the world, namely African Americans, to countless African American artists via his show Soul Train, which aired following American Bandstand on Saturday afternoons. Soul Train gave young blacks a sense of pride and introduced the “Soul Train line” which still shows up in parties all over America.
Don Cornelius was a native of Chicago, born September 27, 1936. After his military career ended, Don took on several jobs in Chicago, including insurance and law enforcement. In 1966, he landed a job as a DJ and news reporter on station WVON. His smooth and deep voice got him another job a year later on Chicago television WCIU-TV, where he was employed when he plugged Soul Train as a music show for the African American audience. The show began in 1971 and exploded. It started off being shown in only a handful of cities, including Philadelphia, and when the show aired in its 40th year, it could be seen in over 105 cities. Even after American Bandstand went off the air, Soul Train continued.
Don became known, among other things, for ending each show with the infamous phrase, “…and you can bet your last money, it’s all gonna be a stone gas, honey! I’m Don Cornelius, and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace and soul!” Even after leaving the show and having guest host appear, the phrase “we wish you love, peace and soul” continued to conclude Soul Train.
In 2008, Don’s troubles began. He was arrested for domestic violence and found himself in a messy divorce with wife, Russian model Viktoria Avila-Cornelius. During his legal battle, Don suffered a stroke and other health issues which led to him having brain surgery. Don suffered in silence. The silent pain he experienced with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and failing health are what may have contributed to the self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head, which resulted in officers finding his body in his Los Angeles home on February 1, 2012. Don Cornelius will be missed by many!
- Michele Bell, Shell Bell’s Urban Mix (Thursdays from 10pm-midnight @ WQHS.org)
