DON CORNELIUS

Don Cornelius was a radio on-air personality and a television show host and producer who was best known as the creator of the nationally syndicated dance and music show, Soul Train, which he hosted from 1971 until 1993.

His radio career started in 1966, when e landed a job as an announcer, news reporter and disc jockey on WVON-AM in Chicago. Cornelius joined Chicago television station WCIU-TV in 1967 and hosted a news program called A Black's View of the News. In 1970, he launched Soul Train on WCIU-TV as a daily local show. The program entered national syndication and moved to Los Angeles the following year. 

Cornelius introduced many African American musicians to a larger audience as a result of their appearances on Soul Train, a program that was both influential among African Americans and popular with a wider audience. As writer, producer, and host of Soul Train, Cornelius was successful in offering wider exposure to black musicians such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and Michael Jackson, as well as creating opportunities for talented dancers, setting a precedent for popular television dance programs.