Fans Mourn 'Soul Train' Host, Don Cornelius Was 75

by Karen Grigsby Bates, NPR

Don Cornelius dismissed the description that Soul Train was the "black" American Bandstand. He said the show was for everybody, and he showcased white acts as well as black — as long as they were funky. The show was an important cultural barometer and a touch-point for young African Americans who saw few reflections of their lives on TV or in the movies in the 1970s and eighties.

Broadcast Dates

• Morning Edition, February 2, 2012