# @unapologeticallymemphis on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/C3u6wteOh-A
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/11268512-unapologeticallymemphis-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/55324c7364.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-02-24T14:11:45.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Unapologetically Memphis (@unapologeticallymemphis) — https://gondola.cc/unapologeticallymemphis

## Caption

🤎 ‘BLACK STORIES  We Should All Know’

❤️ In 1970 Don Cornelius gave us SOUL TRAIN

🕺🏾💃🏿drop a DANCE EMOJI if you watched on Saturdays

✊🏿Don Cornelius served in the Marines, got out and had many different jobs.

👉🏿He left his insurance job with $400 in the bank to STUDY BROADCASTING for 3 months

🗣️That landed him a job as an ANNOUNCER & DJ in 1966

👉🏿 He started SOUL TRAIN in 1970 and shortly after it began NATIONAL SYNDICATION

✊🏿 He was one of the FIRST BLACK MEN to own & produce a NATIONALLY SYNDICATED FRANCHISE

👉🏿He modeled after American Bandstand (Dick Clark) and wanted to bring on talent that they overlooked 

❤️The ‘overlooked’ included: Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, on and on

🎵🎶Stevie Wonder & Smokey Robinson said sales EXPLODED after being on the show

✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿Don Cornelius wanted a positive image of Black people to be seen on TV

💰💰💰It was important to him that Soul Train remain BLACK OWNED

🗣️”Most of what we get credit for is people sayin, ‘I learned how to dance from watching Soul Train back in the day’ - “But what I take credit for is that there were NO BLACK TELEVISION COMMERCIALS to speak of before Soul Train. There were few Black faces in those ads before Soul Train.” - Don Cornelius

✍🏿💰🎥 He WROTE, PRODUCED, HOSTED, and FINANCED the entire show

🙏🏿Don Cortez Cornelius September 27, 1936 - February 1, 2012

❤️🎶🎵He was inducted into the ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME in 2023❤️❤️❤️

👉🏾sources: NPR + Wikipedia + Vibe + The New York Times

📸 Madvision Entertainment + Damian Dovarganes / AP. + Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

Via sallymcmullin 

#BlackHistory #BlackStories #BlackCulture #BlackArtists #SoulTrain #DonCornelius

## Stats

- **Views:** 759
- **Likes:** 229
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 22

## Tags

soultrain, blackhistory, doncornelius, blackculture, blackartists, blackstories

---
Copyright (c) Gondola