R.I.P. Don Cornelius

It’s hard to say that Black History Month is off to a good start when, on the morning of the first day, one of the most recognizable black figures in today’s culture dies. It’s even more of a bitter pill to swallow when the cause of death seems to be from suicide; a self inflicted gunshot wound in Don’s case.

Now obviously I can’t say I grew up watching Don Cornelius, he stopped hosting Soul Train when I was just four years old. However, I am aware of what he has accomplished for black culture in terms of music.

If not for the platform that Soul Train provided, it may have taken America much longer to be exposed to the likes of artists like James Brown, Aretha Franklin, The Jackson Five, etc. From what I remember from watching reruns of the show, You could tell that it was an overall wholesome program, and provided a window for people who would probably not come across certain soul music/artists on their own.

The outfits were always fresh, the hairstyles were on point and who can forget the Soul Train line?? Plus I always felt that Don Cornelius possibly had the smoothest voice of all time and always seemed very well composed. I just wanted to write this post in appreciation of all he’s done for the culture. May he rest in peace.