steve3, Sept. 5, 2012
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Edited by Azizi Powell This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube film clip of a 1976 (?) Soul Train line dancing to Stevie Wonder's 1976 song entitled "I Wish". Information about Soul Train is included in this post along with selected comments from that video's discussion thread are included in this pancocojams post. Most of these comments refer to those Soul Train dancers' clothing or hair fashions. A few commenters wrote about how people became dancers on the syndicated Soul Train television series.
Soul Train was the brainchild of Chicago radio announcer Don Cornelius. It initially aired in 1970 on Chicago television station WCIU-TV. The show was produced in hour-long segments five afternoons a week and became a local television hit. It duplicated the environment of a dance club and featured a variety of noted musical performers as well as both professional and amateur dancers.
Soon Soul Train drew the interest of George Johnson, founder and president of Johnson Products Company (a Black-owned hair-product manufacturer), whose support enabled the program to move into national syndication in 1971. The success of Soul Train reflected the rise and popularity of soul music and funk artists on recordings and radio programs.
By presenting an image of Black culture as upbeat, exciting,
and vibrant, Soul Train attracted many viewers of other ethnicities and
contributed to the growing prestige of African Americans and Black culture in
mainstream America. Cornelius maintained control of the Soul Train brand until
his death and produced several successful annual specials, including the
ongoing Soul Train Music Awards.
****
Excerpt #2
From https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/SoulTrain
"Soul Train was a music program in the vein of American
Bandstand that ran in First-Run Syndication from 1971-2006.
Conceived and hosted by Chicago newscaster Don Cornelius, the 60-minute show was both a showcase and a trend setter for black music, fashion and dance for generations of black youth. As such, the show's main focus was on black artists; non-black performers did appear as early as 1972, many of whom (including David Bowie, Tom Tom Club, and a pre-breakthrough Robin Thicke, among others) were strongly influenced by and/or paid homage to black music, but these were comparatively rare.
Along with this were its signature elements, the Soul Train Scrambleboard (where a man and woman had 60 seconds to arrange letters on a magnetic board to spell out the name of a current celebrity) and the Soul Train Line (where dancers show off their best moves while moving down two columns of fellow dancers), the show is a pop cultural icon to this day. Along the way, it spawned its own record label (Soul Train Records ) and its own awards show (which actually survives the show itself)."...
****
Excerpt #3
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Train
..."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.”….
This compilation documents SOME of the comments in this discussion thread about the Soul Train line dancers' clothing and/or hair fashions.
1. Our Lord And Savior George Carlin
"BRING BACK THE AFRO"
**
Reply
2. godiegogo_88, 2019
"Bring back the 70s fashion too"
**
Reply
3. Katie Osborn, 2020
"Got my vote 🗳 👍 💘"
**
Reply
4. naviv wilkins, 2020
"It’s been back though"
**
Reply
5. Enrique Santos,2021
"Ikr I don't understand why they went out
of fashion"
****
1. Curtis McElroy
"I love the way how they dressed back then"
**
Reply
2. Raymond Oflaherty
"Real talk especially the Woman them"
**
Reply
3. J Jones, 2018
"Curtis McElroy The style back then was absolutely better
than today."
**
Reply
4. Derail07, 2018
"@1:38 won't find a clean brother like that these days lol
except Andre 3000"
-snip-
"Clean" here means dressed in a "GQ" (Gentlemen's Quarterly magazine) classy style that Hip Hop/R&B singer Andre 3000 (part of the duo Outkast) is known for.
**
Reply
5 Jem Pros, 2019
"The attire, smooth dance moves, classy and proud."
**
Reply
6. Ray Baca, 2020
"U can get this at goodwill"
**
Reply
7. Dawn Mawhirter, 2020
"Agreed. Pretty cool the men wore shoes.... with heels!"
**
8. Hacked By Bentey
"Not only could these folks dance, they really knew how to
throw an outfit together. Too bad
people don't take pride on how they look, especially on television"
****
2017
9. Big MB
"I’m in love with her at 1:27, love her look, swag, shape,
hair, color. Her dance was so cool and fun!"
**
Reply
10. Aisisha Kennedy
Who?
**
Reply
11, Big MB
"The redbone with the Beige pants and reddish
brown boots"
-snip-
"Redbone" = informal referent for a person with some Black ancestry whose skin tone has reddish hues.
2019
12. mssolo78
"I promise the fashions were EVERYTHING❤❤...I
still get my fashion inspiration from old Soul Train shows..."
**
13. behindthethrone
"Back then lingerie was worn BENEATH your clothing, and belts
kept slacks snug at the waistline."
**
Reply
14. Valerie Vanden Bosch, 2020
"Everyones replies are so jaded, I honestly just think it's a
lack of fashion sense nowadays. Not all 70s
clothes, but I feel for men especially, it was form fitting and
accentuated the better qualities of your body...plus people were more fit lol."
"0:30 Aww! I can't describe how cute her outfit is to me!"
Reply
16. Pamela Johnson, 2021
"GAUCHOS AND 👢"
**
17. rebecca | レベッカ
"So much natural beauty and charm... I'd wear any of these
ladies' outfits today (though I doubt I could pull it off with the same
finesse)"
"I so amazed how young people back in the day use to dress classy"
**
19. David B
"People in these comments don't seem to
understand that Soul Train had an ensemble cast. Meaning, this isn't
some random sample of the population at the time; it's a group of people who
have taken up dance as a profession. Of course they are fit!
And their look/dance was regulated. Don
Cornelius meticulously controlled every aspect of Soul Train and he did his
best to exclude Hip Hop on the show despite its rising popularity from the late
70's to the 80's and 90's."
-snip-
That word was written in bold font in that discussion thread.
**
20. Jeffrey Hancock
"Brothers dressed to the nines! Fros'
looking primped and good....and what is most amazing is the fact that not one
is wearing sagging pants! Those WERE the GOOD days!"
**
21. Kymberlyn Reed
"I loved the clothes and the music back
then, but let's not put on rose-tinted glasses and act like everything was
hunky dory while shaming other Black folks. Respectability politics never saved
us then or now. Nixon was in still in office with his "law and order"
crackdowns on protests, a lot of young Black men back from Vietnam were hooked
on heroin and we still had ghettoes. What we need to remember is no matter the
era, Black people were and are resilient and have always created art and have been
cultural touchstones for ages. By the way, I'm 53 years old so I know what I'm
talking about."
"I love how each couple is so co-ordinated in clothing style, dance style, while still having mad rhythm. Each couple shown are meant to be in every sense."
**
23. R. Frolic
"Their outfits are INSPIRATIONAL! I love how well their
clothes complement their moves."
**
24. Katie Osborn
"I love their hair!! No fake wigs and extensions. No braids
and fancy barbershop artistry. Just natural and beautiful!! 💘
Reply
25. dreamweaver1603
"
**
Reply
26. Ice Bird, 2021
" @YM Troncoso 100% agree! Style in those decades was
impeccable and so sharp. Everyone looked great.
Reply
27. SBella, 2021
"
Reply
28. 8luvbug, 2021
"
29. Beth Bartlett
"🏆 @ 1:11 Stellar Outfit she has on, Timeless!"
-snip-
This comment is written in bold font in that discussion thread.
30. Katie Brown
"Love the guy with the sweater tied around his neck with the black pants and white shirt he was getting down. Reminds me of my Uncle Leroy during family functions. He was always up dancing."
**
"Our clothes were the bomb back then!
We had it goin on for sure! Glad to be a
Babyboomer"
"Wow! back then everyone was dressed so nice!! look at the guys Fros!. The ladies didn't wear all those long fake weaves, some wore their Beautiful Naturals too! Yaaassss!! thanks for sharing Steve"
**
33. 𝓓𝓲𝓷𝓪 𝓓𝓪𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰
"So nice to see the pants all pulled up. The good old days."
34. C A
"Wow! Decked out and
looking sharp! 👍🏻😊.
And fros!"
**
35. sarahdown4JC
"Love the outfits!!! Both men and women👏🏻"
**
36. michael byrne
"Not only did Soul Train, hip you to the new steps! It also educated you
to the new look! A body shirt, baggies and a pair of nice kicks! Gave you the
Lenny the hip dude look! Loved Soul Train! Don, the Artist and all the dancers!
Beside what other show could you see Al Green sing Stay in a Maroon pimp hat
fedora, wife beater t shirt, hot pants, purse and a pair of kicks! And Don
coming out after song and telling Al only you Brother could wear that outfit!
SOUL TRAIN WAS THE BOMB!"
**
37. Walter Pewen
"This is really how people looked and
dressed in Los Angeles, 1976. Not just
for the show. To work, everywhere."
**
38. Marcos Ricardo Santos
"70s new York fashion Club. Pure people
happy. No stress no coronavirus. I was there. Time to think about Friends and
be happy."
**
39. The-Dark-Lord-Hussie
"Just bought a 70s parasuit from a thrift shop, you can find some good vintage stuff if you look. Start dressing like you just stepped out of time machine man live your best life"
-snip-
"parasuit" = typo for "pantsuit"
**
40. IMBwildrd
"Wow, even the men are wearing wedge
heeled shoes! Gotta love the fashion of
the early 70's."
Reply
41. Stormy Hayes, 2021
"
**
42. elsa blue
"I know bell bottom jumpsuits I had a few!"
43. Stiff Peeter
"BEAUTIFUL women! No weaves, wigs or
those ridiculous looking eye lashes. The guys wore their pants on their
waistline. Why did those days have to go, cause I loved them so."
**
Reply
44. Dena Alabama-girl,2021
"Eyelashes was very popular in the 70s
with the fro"
**
Reply
45. Stiff Peeter, 2021
"@Dena Alabama-girl Do you see that on this video?"
**
Reply
46. Fortuna Major, 2021
"@Stiff Peeter
this video doesn't represent the entire 1970s though which is what you
were implying lol. it's great to look back on the unique parts of the past but
it's silly to act like weaves wigs and heavy makeup weren't popular until the
21st century. diana ross and all the greats wore dramatic makeup and wigs."
"Fake eyelashes were very popular in the 1970s fool."
** 48. eering Kendrick
"I wish I had a pair of those silver platform shoes that brother is sporting at 1:23."
**
49. Dano Noveh
"You gotta love dem big naturals 👍😊"
-snip-
"naturals"= afros ('fros")
**
50. wolverine Baller
"Everyone asking why everyone was so fit. However it was known if you didn’t wear a size 1 men and women you didn’t get in the show PERIOD."
**
51. futureisyours
"Only the good looking were allowed in such dance 💃 groups. These were the few selected individuals. The ugly, fat and poor were kept out. One can't just have a linear perception"
**
52. curli-lettey
"I want some of those outfits, they dont make them like that anymore and if they do it's cheaper quality."
**
53. Ify M
"The women's dressing is on point. You can wear most if not all the outfits that they are wearing now. They did not come to play."
**
54. Traslen Patterson
"When you take in the style of dress, the fashion, the bell bottoms, along with the dance moves, that's made soul train what it was. PURE GOLD!"
55. ozbdguy
"
"Look at the grooves on those Soul Sistas when wearing flammable polyester was all the rage."
****
"This is my favorite Soul Train line video. Between the outfits and the dance steps—it’s awesome 😃"
58.
"You could wear every one of those outfits...even
today...timeless. Love watching these
old ST clips...reminds me of how wonderfully alive this world used to be."
**
59. John Nix
"Aah yes,... The mid 70s! Huge afros, and platform
shoes. Everything said in comments
are right. I was 17
when this cut ( album ) came out, and we couldn't stop having fun!!
I wish those things would come back once more! 😎"
**
60. Oualid Trabelsi
"So much style, so much swag, so much
fun..."
**
61. carolyn thompson
"Watching this, you notice the fashion of the 70s. The ladies are wearing "gaucho"
pants and boots and rocking the look.
The gentlemen are wearing coordinating slacks and dress shirts. It's a classy and dressy look. Also, I love how these Soul Train dancers had
their own unique choreographed style of dance.
This is special."
"Elegance, grace and class personified!"
"Everyone was slim and well dressed. Great to watch!"
**
64. Babe van
"I watched American bandstand but I switch to see best
dancers soul train and outfits too! Best part of my teen years Saturday mornings!"
"look at that bro with the suit and carnation wowwww i love it class 🥰 everyone looked SO GOOD AND DANCE PHENOMENAL !"
**
66. Laurel B
"1:24 orange sherbet pants and gold boots
I’m in love 😻"
**
67.Chanel Griffith
"Okay if this isn't proof that there is NOTHING new in fashion..."
**
68. gemini rose
"beautiful oh man the lady in the black sheer dress and
flower in her hair ✨💫✨💛😘"
**
69. Fortuna Major
"i love the fact that all these old soul
train videos are archived but i hate how brain dead so many of y'all get in the
comments. the weird revisionist history some of you like to create ... there
were fat people in the 70s, there were weaves and wigs in the 70s, there was
racism in the 70s. just because you don't see those things represented on a
curated music tv show doesnt meant they didn't exist 💀 soul train def
needs to be revived because it's iconic but society isn't gonna magically heal
itself if the show comes back Lol"
**
70. Edith Piaf
"Pants.tucked.into.boots."
****
71. wdym100
"The clothes are so immaculately tailored
❤️"
**
Reply
72. SBella
"A lot of the clothes were homemade. Lots
of young women sewed their own clothes"
"When Americans had a fashion sense beyond tees, shorts and denim that we see today."
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