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Monday, October 11, 2021

Comments About Fred "Rerun" Berry Dancing In The Soul Train Line To The O Jays' Song "Love Train" (1973)



MultiMaestro77, Nov 30, 2010

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcase a 1973 video clip of  the Soul Train television series and the Soul train line to the O Jays' R&B song "Love Train". That Soul Train video clip features Fred Berry, who later starred in the television series What's Happening.      

Wikipedia excerpts about Don Cornelius, Fred Berry,  the O Jays,  Soul Train & the Soul Train line, and What's Happening are included in this post.

This post also includes a YouTube video compilation of clips of "Rerun" in the What's Happening television series. The YouTube video is entitled "The Best Of Rerun".

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in this television clip and special props to Don Conelius and Fred Berry RIP. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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EXCERPTS ABOUT DON CORNELIUS, THE O JAYS, FRED BERRY, SOUL TRAIN, AND WHAT'S HAPPENING 
 Excerpt #1
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Cornelius
"Donald Cortez Cornelius (September 27, 1936 – February 1, 2012) was an American 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. Cornelius sold the show to MadVision Entertainment in 2008.

Early life and career

Cornelius was born on Chicago's South Side on September 27, 1936,[1] and raised in the Bronzeville neighborhood. After graduating from DuSable High School in 1954,[2] he joined the United States Marine Corps and served 18 months in Korea. He worked at various jobs following his stint in the military, including selling tires, automobiles, and insurance, and as an officer with the Chicago Police Department.[3] He quit his day job to take a three-month broadcasting course in 1966, despite being married with two sons and having only $400 in his bank account.[1] In 1966, he landed a job as an announcer, news reporter and disc jockey on Chicago radio station WVON.

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.[4][5][6] Eddie Kendricks, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Bobby Hutton and Honey Cone were featured on the national debut episode.

Originally a journalist and inspired by the civil rights movement, Cornelius recognized that in the late 1960s there were very few television venues in the United States for soul music (at the time, only one series, the public television show Soul!, was focused on the genre). He 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.[7][8] As writer, producer, and host of Soul Train, Cornelius was instrumental 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.[9] Cornelius said, "We had a show that kids gravitated to," and Spike Lee described the program as an "urban music time capsule".[9]"...

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Excerpt #2
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_O%27Jays
"The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert (born June 16, 1942), Walter Lee Williams (born August 25, 1943), William Powell (January 20, 1942 – May 26, 1977), Bobby Massey (born 1942, Canton) and Bill Isles (January 4, 1941 – March 28, 2019).[3] The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor hit "Lonely Drifter" in 1963, but reached their greatest level of success once Gamble & Huff, a team of producers and songwriters, signed them to their Philadelphia International label in 1972. With Gamble & Huff, the O'Jays (now a trio after the departure of Isles and Massey) emerged at the forefront of Philadelphia soul with "Back Stabbers" (1972), and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 the following year with "Love Train." Several other US R&B hits followed, and The O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, and in 2013 they were inducted into National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame."...

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Excerpt #3
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Berry
"Fred Allen Berry (March 19, 1951 – October 21, 2003) was an American actor and street dancer. He was best known for his role as Freddie "Rerun" Stubbs on the 1970s television show What's Happening!![1][2

Career

Berry was born on March 19, 1951, in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in an inner-city housing estate. He had aspirations of becoming a successful dancer and actor as a child. Early in his career, Berry was a member of the Los Angeles-based dance troupe The Lockers, with whom he appeared on the third episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. He additionally appeared on the dance music show Soul Train, and was featured in the program's signature line dance segment doing the memorable early 1970s dance step "the slo-mo".[3]

Berry achieved more widespread fame playing the character Freddie "Rerun" Stubbs on the ABC sitcom What's Happening!!, which aired from 1976 to 1979 as he was in his mid 20s. The role was originally going to be given by that of a skinny and white actor. His earned Rerun sobriquet was chosen because the character had to continuously repeat all of his classes during summer school. He became one of the show's top characters with a trademark red beret, suspenders, and the dance moves he previously used during his time with The Lockers. In 1985, Berry returned to reprise his role as Rerun in the series What's Happening Now!!. He was fired before the first season ended due to a salary dispute…

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Excerpt #4
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Train
Soul Train is an American music-dance television program which aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 27, 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, dance/pop, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists also appeared. The series was created by Don Cornelius, who also served as its first host and executive producer.[1]

Production was suspended following the 2005–2006 season, with a rerun package (known as The Best of Soul Train) airing for two years subsequently. As a nod to Soul Train's longevity, the show's opening sequence during later seasons contained a claim that it was the "longest-running first-run, nationally syndicated program in American television history," with over 1,100 episodes produced from the show's debut through the 2005–2006 season. Despite the production hiatus, Soul Train held that superlative until 2016,"...

Soul Train line

There was also the popular "Soul Train Line" (a variant of the 1950s fad then known as The Stroll), in which all the dancers form two lines with a space in the middle for dancers to strut down and dance in consecutive order. Originally, this consisted of a couple—with men on one side and women on the other. In later years, men and women had their own individual lineups. Sometimes, new dance styles or moves were featured or introduced by particular dancers. In addition, there was an in-studio group of dancers who danced along to the music as it was being performed. Rosie Perez, Damita Jo Freeman, Darnell Williams, Cheryl Song, Louie "Ski" Carr, Alfie Lewis, Pat Davis ("Madam Butterfly"), Alise Mekhail, Andrea N. Miles, Carmen Electra, Nick Cannon, Vivica A. Fox, MC Hammer, Jermaine Stewart, Heather Hunter, Fred Berry, Laurieann Gibson, Pebbles, and NFL legend Walter Payton were among those who got noticed dancing on the program over the years.[20] Two former dancers, Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel, enjoyed years of success as members of the R&B group Shalamar after they were chosen by Soul Train talent booker/record promoter Dick Griffey and Cornelius to replace the group's original session singers in 1978.[21

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Excerpt #5
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What%27s_Happening!!
" "What's Happening!! is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976, to April 28, 1979, premiering as a summer series. With good ratings and reviews, and after the failure of several other series on the network, What's Happening!! returned as a weekly series from November 1976 until its April 1979 conclusion; ratings were modest. What's Happening!! was loosely based on the Eric Monte-penned film Cooley High.[2] From 1985 to 1988, a sequel series titled What's Happening Now!! aired in first-run syndication, with most of the major cast members reprising their roles."

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2: Best of Rerun!



DBow2011, Mar 10, 2011


This is the best of Rerun's dancing...truly a legend.
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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS SOUL TRAIN VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

1. Orlando Henry, 2014
"REST IN PEACE FRED "MR.PENGUIN/RERUN" BERRY & GREG "CAMPBELLOCK JR" POPE.... LOCKIN' PIONEERS AND LEGENDS WHICH GOT THEIR START ON SOUL TRAIN AND ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF THE LOCKERS!!!!!"

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2. Valentino Icon, 2014
"I cant even front , seeing RERUn dance made me tear up..he may not mean much to others , but he do too me...This is the first time im seeing this . Didn't know he was on soul train , and still had those dope moves ..RIP FRED STUBS"

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3. LaSweetable, 2015
"IKR?  I had to say it outloud ..."There go Rerun!!"  RIP"

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4. Adam B. Smith, 2015
"Fred Berry from "What's Happening" is seen at 1:08 doing a slow motion dance."

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5. Yoga With Dee, 2014
"I hate the fashion and dancing that was the 70s but the music was so tight. :)"

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6. mario toyplay duncan, 2014
"@Dede Broussard  See told ya , ur just a baby, awww only 21, when u grow up we can talk, hehe"

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7. Nick Perez, 2014
"MAN.... WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT SOUL TRAIN!?!"

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8. jrmetmoi, 2015
"What? The clothes, the hair and the dancing were good. They were the best!"

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7. Yoga With Dee, 2015
"@mario toyplay duncan  I'm not really a baby anymore but ok."

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9. 
Yoga With Dee, 2015
" @Nick Perez  I watched it when I was a kid in the late 90s. They played alot of reruns."

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10. shortstackJMD96, 2015
"I
s that Thelma from Good Times, and ReRun from What's Happening? 1:08"

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11. Meela234, 2016
"That's Rerun, but not Thelma."

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12. Lisa A., 2018
"The lady was ReRun's wife and she also appeared on What's Happening at Roger's  birthday party at the time they was dance partners from Soul Train....."

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13. Last Days, 2018
"No Thelma wanted to Dance on Soul Train,but the Producers from Goodtimes said no. Because she had a Contract with that show from 74-79. No that is not RERUN wife his wife was a darker skinned woman. The lady dancer was probably just a dancer to go down that line with him at that time. RIP to RERUN Berry, Don Cornelius and Soul Train they are truly missed."

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14. 
kaycinoriko, 2020
" @Lisa A.  That actually was not ReRun's wife, but was his dance partner and best friend. Together, they came up with the Slow Motion dance. Her name is Sheila K. and she is my lovely mother :)"

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15. 
alkebulan anthos, 2015
"Valo smoke I grow up watching Whats Happening? that was good wholesome fun, bother Re Run was my favorite from that show"

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16. Ito Roots, 2016
"Looks like Rerun.. If I'm mistaken he was discovered during his soul train dancing"

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17. Be Gi, 2016
"Re run !! Thought he Would dance more , they cut him off "

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18. 
 Laurylie Polito, 2016
"At 1:15 this guy is incredibly smooth in slo-mo... Wow He is so cool!"

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19. Shawn Mulberry, 2017
"This guy is none other than Freddy "Rerun" Berry. 

You might remember him as Rerun on the show "What's Happening"."

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20. 
Mr. CJ, 2017
"There's Fred "Rerun" Berry @1:07...St. Louis boy!!!"

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21. Supa Kent, 2017
"Rerunnnnnnnn!"

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22. Ceiling Fan, 2017
"at 1:10 if u read Rerun's lips he say "slowmoshuuun" "

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23. Captain Knapton Vlogs, 2017
"Ceiling Fan oh wow he is"

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24. Junkman2000, 2016
"The AFROS! Ahhh... those were the times!"

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25. Jim Coleman, 2016
"Just wish I had some stock in "Afro Sheen" back then!"

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26. Rex Spencer, 2016
"Hey, was that rerun?"

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27. 
Sutelc, 2016
"Yes that was him, RIP."

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28. Snoopdoggydog, 2016
"yep he had to be different so funny!"

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29. Brittney Douglas, 2016
"So did I just seen Rerun from Whats Happening?"

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30. Crabby Old Gamer, 2016
"Hey hey hey!"

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31. M Schwab, 2017
"How funny! I was wondering the exact same thing! I think it really was him! Where's Dee?!"

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32. Lavern Merriweather, 2017
"he used to dance on the show"

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33. A.K.A. The Rugged Manchild, 2017
"what's happening!!"

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34. brayshay, 2016
"1:18 Big guy couldn't fight gravity no more!"

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35. Snoopdoggydog, 2016
"You leave rerun alone! That was his style"

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36. Mark France, 2017
"IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY You can see that Mr Cornelius amazing polka dot shirt is the same lining as his jacket...That is Style!"

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37. gbkny1, 2017
"i swear this is my fav ST video. Especially the couple at :18 to :24. Rerun killin it! And the girl from 1:28 to 1:38.!"

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38. myeyesinside out, 2017
"rerun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

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39. jd ps, 2017
"My favorite Soul Train Line Dance vid. Everyone looks like they're having fun. Great music for it. The woman at 0:25 is just FIERCE. Stalking that line. Rerun was so smooth and got a joke in too. Ahh, the Saturday afternoons of Soul Train and Kaijū. Fond memories. Thanks for posting MulitMaestro77"

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40. AYNAMAOK, 2017
"Always brings  a smile to my face!!!!!!"

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41. Carlos Jones, 2017
"Brings back such good memories and feelings... Saturdays glued to the TV, trying to cop the latest moves and style and get my 'fro together - lol! Can I get a witness?

Somebody get on this Soul Train line with me!

:-D"

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42. fivefivevirgo, 2017
"Rerun  had to get smooth with it huh, Lol."

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43. old mike, 2017
"Style awhile. So many great moments here. Rerun gets all the attention but his partner's slow-mo is even better. The greatest is the couple at 1:56 - they aren't really even dancing and I am mezmerized."

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44. micjakes1, 2018
"RERUN IN DA HOUSE!!!"

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45. joseph reese, 2018
"Unfortunately the piece of technology that we need is the one we can't have......a TIME MACHINE."

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46. Donita Jones, 2018
"Rerun killed that slow-motion move... #What's Happening..."

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47. Lisa Anderson, 2018
"There was a lot of soul train dancers that I notice was back ground actors from  the what's happening show like the dancer of  0:33-he was the school news paper writer."

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48. 820SOUTH, 2018
"They're all baby sitting their grandkids now...sigh......"

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49. Sunny Island, 2018
"820SOUTH

And jammin all da while doin dat, Yay

Cause We all da Perpetually Young Generation

YAY"

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50. 820SOUTH, 2018
"Amen to that!"

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51. Sunny Island, 2018
"Reruns partner, She so doin it!!"

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52. kaycinoriko, 2020
"Yes she is! And that's my mama ;)"

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53. Sunny Island, 2020
"@kaycinoriko 

 She is COOL!"

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54. 
LuvTadnDixie, 2019
"I LOVE THIS SLO-MO DANCE!!"

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55. winebox, 2019
"Omg, was that really him. I was just kinda joking to myself, "Rerun is really getting into it." I watch this stuff not too often cause it seems you just get a lonesome sad feeling for all those times past when we were young and family was still alive. But damn, the music was awesome."

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56. Bernardine Carter, 2020
"I was finna Google rerun on soul train thanks I know it's him now...I love him too"

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57. 
Matt McCoy, 2019
"Re 🏃 getting down"

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58. Adolfo Hernandez, 2019
"Go Rerun!"

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59. Sharon Harden, 2019
"Look at Rerun do his thang!"

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60. Sara Heart, 2019
"Rerun being cool."

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61. Sara Heart, 2019
"Love this song and the 70s fashion."

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62. Stanley Wright, 2020
"The Soul Train Line was 1 of the best part of the Show.R.I.P Rerun😥"

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63. 
Ms V, 2020
"Miss Don Cornelius & this Saturday mornin show ! Lovin the memories of wearin the Afro & the Afropuffs 😍"

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64. 
Coach D, 2020
"Just when I thought the ‘fros were going to carry this vid, Rerun shows up in slo mo!!!  Righteous man."

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65. Black, 2020
"1:14 😂  ReRun?

Breaking it all the way dooown.."

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66. kaycinoriko, 2020
"SHOUT OUT to my beautiful Mama at 1:07, with her dance partner Re Run! Her name is Sheila K. and she let Fred stay with her when he was homeless, made sure that he had enough food to eat so he could maintain his signature "image" and helped him through the times he was too strung out to function. Just clarifying that it was people like Sheila that helped him attain his fame.  FYI- at almost 69, she's still smoother than butter when she dances and can still make her elbows touch!"

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67. Low Level Content, 2020
"That scene was used in Crooklyn too, if I recall.. this whole Soul Train line was used in it.

That’s you’re mother? Wow! Beautiful piece of history.

She’s forever gonna be known.."

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68. 
kaycinoriko, 2020
"@Low Level Content  Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your knowledge!!!"

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69. bigdaddyshane, 2019
"That is so dope! You’re mother is gorgeous."

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70. Rebecca Hopkins, 2021
"Rerun!!!!! I loved him and that show so much."

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71. Doobie Woman, 2021
"Damn! I forgot about my man Rerun until just now."

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72. 
Lindsey Baker, 2021
"Omg the memories just come flooding back! What a wonderful video. I can't stop watching it. It makes you want to dance, dance, dance!!! Loved it. 🤩"

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73. 
LovingAtlanta, 2021
"👍😂The way they are poppin it and bending their backs is cracking me up...they are truly having a good time. 💝😂"

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74. 
Russ S, 2021
"1:10  Rerun getting his groove on.  Awesome!!"

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75. DeuceB 2, 2021
"Fred Rerun Berry!!! That also looks like the same girl who was dancing with him at the Wattstax concert when Rufus Thomas was playing."

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76.  j.denino57, 2021
"Fred Berry died young, RIP."

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77. Fanny Price, 2021
"Best dancing in the world - no one has ever surpassed 70s Soul Train dancers!  No one knows how to dance today - twerking is not dancing.  I was a little white girl who wanted to be on Soul Train - I could dance too."

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78. Kamron Rowe, 2021
"Rerun did that"

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79. MunkyBiz, 2021
"Rerun 😂"

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80. 
lonewolffullmoon, 2021
"Ohhhh Classic!!!!

💕😎💥💯🎯💋💋💋👍👈"

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