TVobit: Don Cornelius

Don Cornelius, who created Soul Train and hosted it for decades, has died.

Cornelius created Soul Train as a black answer to American Bandstand in 1970; within a year it had outgrown its Chicago audience and went into national syndication. It remained syndicated for 35 years, which is a record.

Don remained as host until 1993; the programme continued with out him until 2006.

Given that Soul Train was, perhaps, the highest-profile regular slot for African Americans to appear on prime time television, who better to illustrate it than, erm, David Bowie?



Here's Cornelius interviewing Janet Jackson - he owned the interview. Or at least Soul Train Holdings did:



And here, with Korean subtitles, is Don introducing Betty Wright:



Don Cornelius, who was 75, was taken to hospital with head wounds. Unconfirmed reports in the LA Times suggest these may have been self-inflicted.