Soul Train - wikipedia Soul Train Soul Train Created by Don Cornelius Presented by Don Cornelius ( 1971 -- 1993 ; 734 episodes ) Various guest hosts ( 1993 -- 1997 ; 128 episodes ) Mystro Clark ( 1997 -- 1999 ; 76 episodes ) Shemar Moore ( 2000 -- 2003 ; 111 episodes ) Dorian Gregory ( 2003 -- 2006 ; 68 episodes ) Narrated by Sid McCoy Country of origin United States No. of episodes 1,117 ( list of episodes ) Production Location ( s ) Metromedia Square Hollywood, California ( 1971 -- 1981, 1985 -- 1986 ) Charlie Chaplin Studios Hollywood, California ( 1981 -- 1985 ) Hollywood Center Studios Hollywood, California ( 1986 -- 1993 ) Paramount Studios Hollywood, California ( 1993 -- 2006 ) Running time 45 - 48 minutes Production company ( s ) Don Cornelius Productions Distributor Tribune Entertainment ( 1985 -- 2006 ) Release Original network Syndication Original release October 2, 1971 ( 1971 - 10 - 02 ) -- March 25, 2006 ( 2006 - 03 - 25 ) External links Website www.soultrain.com Soul Train was an American music - dance television program which aired in syndication from October 2, 1971 to March 25, 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. 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, when Entertainment Tonight surpassed it completing its 35th season. Among non-news programs, Wheel of Fortune will surpass it in 2018. Contents 1 History 1.1 Chicago origins 1.2 Move to syndication 1.3 Later years 1.4 Revival 1.5 Influence 2 Program elements 3 UK version 4 Spinoffs 5 Theme music 6 See also 7 References 8 External links History Chicago origins The origins of Soul Train can be traced to 1965 when WCIU - TV, an upstart UHF station in Chicago, began airing two youth - oriented dance programs : Kiddie - a-Go - Go and Red Hot and Blues. These programs -- specifically the latter, which featured a predominantly African - American group of in - studio dancers -- would set the stage for what was to come to the station several years later. Don Cornelius, a news reader and backup disc jockey at Chicago radio station WVON, was hired by WCIU in 1967 as a news and sports reporter. Cornelius also was promoting and emceeing a touring series of concerts featuring local talent ( sometimes called `` record hops '' ) at Chicago - area high schools, calling his traveling caravan of shows `` The Soul Train ''. WCIU - TV took notice of Cornelius 's outside work and in 1970, allowed him the opportunity to bring his road show to television. After securing a sponsorship deal with the Chicago - based retailer Sears, Roebuck & Co., Soul Train premiered on WCIU - TV on August 17, 1970, as a live show airing weekday afternoons. The first episode of the program featured Jerry Butler, the Chi - Lites, and the Emotions as guests. Cornelius was assisted by Clinton Ghent, a local professional dancer who appeared on early episodes before moving behind the scenes as a producer and secondary host. Move to syndication Soul Train host Don Cornelius ( second from right ) with The Staple Singers in 1974. The program 's immediate success attracted the attention of another locally based firm -- the Johnson Products Company ( manufacturers of the Afro Sheen line of hair - care products ) -- and they later agreed to co-sponsor the program 's expansion into national syndication. Cornelius and Soul Train 's syndicator targeted 24 markets outside of Chicago to carry the show, but stations in only eight other cities -- Atlanta, Birmingham, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco -- purchased the program, which began airing on a weekly basis on October 2, 1971. By the end of the first season, Soul Train was on in the other sixteen markets. When the program moved into syndication, its home base was also shifted to Los Angeles, where it remained for the duration of its run. Soul Train was part of a national trend toward syndicated music - oriented programs targeted at niche audiences ; two other network series ( Hee Haw for country music, and The Lawrence Welk Show for traditional music ) also entered syndication in 1971 and would go on to have long runs. Though Don Cornelius moved his operations west, Soul Train continued in Chicago as a local program. Cornelius hosted the local Chicago and Los Angeles -- based national programs simultaneously, but soon focused his attention solely on the national edition. He continued to oversee production in Chicago, where Clinton Ghent hosted episodes on WCIU - TV until 1976, followed by three years of once - weekly reruns. The syndicated version was picked up in Chicago by CBS - owned WBBM - TV at its launch ; the program moved to WGN - TV in 1977 and remained there for the rest of its run. In 1985, Chicago - based Tribune Entertainment ( WGN 's syndication wing ) took over Soul Train 's syndication contract ; the series would continue distribution through Tribune for the rest of its original run. Most of the stations that aired Soul Train during the final 13 years were either Fox affiliates or independent stations that would later become WB network affiliates, UPN affiliates or both dual WB / UPN affiliates. Later years Don Cornelius ended his run as host at the end of the show 's 22nd season in 1993, though he remained the show 's main creative force from behind the scenes. The following fall, Soul Train began using various guest hosts weekly until comedian Mystro Clark began a two - year stint as permanent host in 1997. Clark was replaced by actor Shemar Moore in 2000. In 2003, Moore was succeeded by actor Dorian Gregory, who hosted through 2006. Soul Train pulled into its last stop when production of first - run episodes was suspended at the conclusion of the 2005 -- 06 season, the show 's 35th. Instead, for two seasons starting in 2006 -- 07, the program aired archived episodes ( all from between 1973 and 1988 ) under the title The Best of Soul Train. This was because in later years, Nielsen ratings dropped to below 1.0 ; in the process, some of the stations which had been airing Soul Train on Saturday afternoons started rescheduling the program to overnight time slots. The future of Soul Train was uncertain with the announced closing of Tribune Entertainment in December 2007, which left Don Cornelius Productions to seek a new distributor for the program. Cornelius soon secured a deal with Trifecta Entertainment & Media. Revival When Don Cornelius Productions still owned the program, clips of the show 's performances and interviews were kept away from online video sites such as YouTube owing to copyright infringement claims. Cornelius also frowned upon unauthorized distribution of Soul Train episodes through the sale of third - party VHS or DVD compilations. In May 2008, Cornelius sold the rights to the Soul Train library to MadVision Entertainment, whose principal partners came from the entertainment and publishing fields. The price and terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, by the start of the 2008 -- 09 television season, the Tribune Broadcasting - owned stations ( including national carrier WGN America ) that had been the linchpin of the show 's syndication efforts dropped the program, and many others followed suit. Soul Train 's website acknowledged that the program had ceased distribution on September 22, 2008. Following the purchase by MadVision, the Soul Train archives were exposed to new forms of distribution. In April 2009, MadVision launched a Soul Train channel on YouTube. Three months later, the company entered into a licensing agreement with Time -- Life to distribute Soul Train DVD sets. MadVision then came to terms with Viacom - owned Black Entertainment Television to relaunch the Soul Train Music Awards for BET 's new spin - off channel, Centric, in November 2009, a move that may be one step into reviving the program. Centric, which launched on September 28, 2009, is currently broadcasting archived episodes of the program. Archived episodes of the series can also be seen on Bounce TV, an Atlanta - based television network that launched on September 26, 2011. MadVision sold the rights to Soul Train to a consortium led by basketball player Earvin `` Magic '' Johnson and backed by private equity firm InterMedia Partners in 2011. The Johnson - InterMedia consortium plans on a potential film project Cornelius had briefly mentioned prior to selling the franchise, as well as producing potential stage adaptations and a cruise. As part of the sale, Johnson 's Aspire TV channel also began airing reruns of the series. Cornelius continued to appear for Soul Train documentaries and ceremonies up until his death from suicide in February 2012. In 2013, a cruise - based revival, called the Soul Train Cruise, began taking place ; the cruise is presented by Centric. Influence Some commentators have called Soul Train a `` black American Bandstand, '' another long - running program with which Soul Train shares some similarities. Cornelius acknowledged Bandstand as a model for his program ; as the years advanced and Soul Train evolved into a tradition in its own right, he tended to bristle at the Bandstand comparisons. In 1973, Dick Clark, host and producer of Bandstand, launched Soul Unlimited -- controversial for its pronounced racial overtures -- to compete directly with Soul Train. Cornelius, with help from Jesse Jackson, openly accused Clark of trying to undermine TV 's only Black - owned show. Agreeing, ABC canceled it after a few episodes. Clark later agreed to work with Cornelius on a series of network specials featuring R&B and soul artists. Cornelius was relatively conservative in his musical tastes and was admittedly not a fan of the emerging hip hop genre, believing that the genre did not reflect positively on African - American culture ( one of his stated goals for the series ). Even though Cornelius would feature rap artists on Soul Train frequently during the 1980s, he publicly would admit ( to the artists ' faces such as Kurtis Blow ) that the genre was one that he did not understand ; as rap continued to move further toward hardcore hip hop, Cornelius would admit to be frightened by the antics of groups such as Public Enemy. Rosie Perez testified in the 2010 VH1 documentary Soul Train : The Hippest Trip in America that Cornelius also disliked seeing the show 's dancers perform sexually suggestive `` East Coast '' dance moves. Cornelius admittedly had rap artists on the show only because the genre was becoming popular among his African - American audience, though the decision alienated middle - aged, more affluent African Americans like himself. This disconnect ( which was openly mocked in an In Living Color sketch where Cornelius and the show were lampooned as extremely old and out of touch ) eventually led to Cornelius 's stepping down as host in the early 1990s and the show 's losing its influence. Ahmir `` Questlove '' Thompson, drummer for hip - hop band The Roots and a fan of the program, authored Soul Train : The Music, Dance, and Style of a Generation. ISBN 978 - 0 - 0622 - 8838 - 7., which was published in 2013. Program elements Within the structure of the program, there were two enduring elements. The first was the `` Soul Train Scramble Board '', where two dancers are given 60 seconds to unscramble a set of letters that form the name of that show 's performer or a notable person in African American history. In describing the person 's renown, the host concluded their description with the phrase ``... whose name you should know ''. Cornelius openly admitted after the series ended its run that the game was usually set up so everybody won in an effort not to cause embarrassment for the show or African Americans in general. 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, Alise Mekhail, Andrea N. Miles, Carmen Electra, Nick Cannon, MC Hammer, Jermaine Stewart, Heather Hunter, Fred `` Rerun '' Berry, Laurieann Gibson, Pebbles, and NFL legend Walter Payton were among those who got noticed dancing on the program over the years. 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. Each guest usually performed twice on each program ; after their first number, they were joined by the program host onstage for a brief interview. The show was also known for two popular catchphrases, referring to itself as the `` hippest trip in America '' at the beginning of the show and closing the program with ``... and you can bet your last money, it 's gon na be a stone gas, honey. I 'm Don Cornelius, and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace... and SOUL ! '' UK version In 1985, Cornelius gave permission for a version of the show in the United Kingdom. The UK version, hosted by former `` Soul Train '' dancer Jeffrey Daniel, was titled 620 Soul Train and only lasted one series. Spinoffs In 1987, Soul Train launched the Soul Train Music Awards, which honors the top performances in R&B, hip hop, and gospel music ( and, in its earlier years, jazz music ) from the previous year. Soul Train then produced the short - lived Soul Train Comedy Awards in 1993, which discontinued that same year. Soul Train later created two additional annual specials : The Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, first airing in 1995, celebrated top achievements by female performers ; and the Soul Train Christmas Starfest, which premiered in 1998, featured holiday music performed by a variety of R&B and gospel artists. Award categories for the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards presented to female recipients included : R&B / Soul Album of the Year, Solo Best R&B / Soul Album of the Year, Group or Duo R&B / Soul Song of the Year Best R&B / Soul Single, Solo Best R&B / Soul Single, Group or Duo Best R&B / Soul or Rap New Artist Best Jazz Album Best Gospel Album Best R&B / Soul or Rap Music Video Special awards given were The Aretha Franklin Award for Entertainer of the Year, and The Lena Horne Award for Outstanding Career Achievements. The Lady of Soul Awards and Christmas Starfest programs last aired in 2005. In April 2008, Don Cornelius announced that year 's Soul Train Music Awards ceremony had been canceled. Cornelius cited the three - month strike by the Writers Guild of America as one of the reasons, though a main factor may have been the uncertainty surrounding Soul Train 's future. Cornelius also announced that a motion picture based on the program was in development. However, subsequent owners of the franchise have followed their own agenda for the program, which included a revival of the Soul Train Music Awards as of 2009. Theme music Soul Train used various original and current music for theme songs during its run, including 1971 -- 1973 : `` Soul Train ( Hot Potato ) '', by King Curtis ( Curtis Ousley ) and later redone by The Rimshots as `` Soul Train, Parts 1 & 2 ''. ( The original 1962 version, which was used on the show, was recorded nine years before the show was named `` Hot Potatoes ( Piping Hot ) '' ) 1973 -- 1975 : `` TSOP ( The Sound of Philadelphia ) '', composed by Gamble and Huff and recorded by MFSB with vocals by The Three Degrees. Released as a single, this song became a pop and R&B radio hit in 1974 and the show 's best - known theme. 1975 -- 1976 : `` Soul Train ' 75 '', by The Soul Train Gang, which was later released as a single for the newly formed Soul Train Records 1976 -- 1978 : `` Soul Train ' 76 ( Get On Board ) '', by The Soul Train Gang 1978 -- 1980 : `` Soul Train Theme ' 79 '', produced by the Hollywood Disco Jazz Band with vocals by the Waters 1980 -- 1983 : `` Up On Soul Train '', first by the Waters and later by The Whispers, whose version appears in their 1980 album Imagination. 1983 -- 1987 : `` Soul Train 's a Comin ' '', by R&B artist O'Bryan 1987 -- 1989 : `` TSOP ' 87 '', a remake of the original `` TSOP ( The Sound of Philadelphia ), '' composed and produced by George Duke 1989 -- 1993 : `` TSOP ' 89 '', a remixed version of `` TSOP ' 87 '', by George Duke 1993 -- 1999 : `` Soul Train ' 93 '' ( Know You Like to Dance ) ``, by Naughty by Nature with a saxophone solo by Everette Harp 2000 -- 2006 : `` TSOP 2000 '', with rap vocals by Samson and music by Dr. Freeze, and again featuring an Everette Harp saxophone solo. However, a portion of `` Know You Like to Dance '' was still used in the show 's second - half opening segment during this period, though in earlier episodes, a portion of `` TSOP 2000 '' was played. See also List of Soul Train episodes Guests on Soul Train SOLAR Records Soul Train Music Awards American Bandstand Showtime at the Apollo The Midnight Special Don Kirshner 's Rock Concert Electric Circus The Party Machine with Nia Peeples References Jump up ^ Vaughn, Shamontiel L. ( January 26, 2009 ). `` Soul Train reunion to honor show host, Ghent ''. chicagodefender.com. Retrieved March 29, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Soul Train - Who Do I Need to Write to Get This Show Cancelled ? '' 15 Seconds of Fame. Jump up ^ Austen, Jake ( October 2, 2008 ). `` Soul Train Local : The show that put black music on TVs across America got its start in Chicago -- and even after it moved to LA, Chicago kept its own version running daily for nearly a decade ''. chicagoreader.com. Retrieved January 18, 2009. Jump up ^ Soul Train - Don Cornelius Productions, Inc. Jump up ^ Pursell, Chris ( December 18, 2007 ). `` Tribune Entertainment Ends Distribution Operation ''. tvweek.com. Retrieved January 18, 2009. Jump up ^ Stelter, Brian ( June 17, 2008 ). `` After 38 Years, ' Soul Train ' Gets New Owner ''. The New York Times. Retrieved April 9, 2010. Jump up ^ Mitchell, Gail ( July 9, 2009 ). `` ' Soul Train ' vaults opened for DVD deal ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 12, 2009. Jump up ^ `` Soul Train - Heads Up : The Hippest Trip In America Comes to DVD Soon ! '' TV Shows on DVD. Jump up ^ `` What 's next for the Soul Train brand ? ''. The Associated Press. February 21, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Soul Train Cruise To Set Sail In 2013 ''. The Huffington Post. February 17, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2013. Jump up ^ In episode 338 of the series, which aired in October 1980, guest performer Rick James begins cavorting with audience members only to have Cornelius stop him and tell him `` This ai n't Bandstand ! '' Jump up ^ Austen, Jake ( 2005 ). TV - a-go - go : rock on TV from American Bandstand to American Idol. Chicago : Chicago Review Press, Inc. p. 100. ISBN 1569762414. Retrieved November 17, 2013. Jump up ^ See the 2010 documentary Soul Train : The Hippest Trip in America. Jump up ^ Martins, Chris. `` Here 's ? uestlove 's ' Soul Train ' Book, With a Preface by Nick Cannon ''. Spin. Spin. Retrieved 18 November 2013. Jump up ^ Black, Stu ( December 13, 1987 ). `` She took the Soul Train to stardom : Once a voice in the background, Jody Watley has burst onto the pop charts in her own right ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 9, 2010. Jump up ^ https://www.nytimes.com/tv/show/61742/Soul-Train-Comedy-Awards/overview Jump up ^ `` Soul Train Comedy Awards ''. 1 January 2000. Retrieved 29 October 2016 -- via IMDb. Jump up ^ `` Soul Train Comedy Awards Movie Posters From Movie Poster Shop ''. Retrieved 29 October 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Lauryn Hill, TLC Top Lady Of Soul Awards ''. mtv.com. 1999 - 09 - 05. Jump up ^ Goodman, Dean ( April 18, 2008 ). `` '' Soul Train '' movie rolling into theaters ``. Reuters. Retrieved April 20, 2008. Jump up ^ O'Bryan Soul Train 's A Comin ' ( Remix ) - 1983 - Song - MP3 Stream on IMEEM Music. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Soul Train. Official website Soul Train DVD from Time - Life Soul Train on IMDb Soul Train at TV.com Soul Train Hosts Don Cornelius ( 1971 -- 1993 ) Mystro Clark ( 1997 -- 1999 ) Shemar Moore ( 2000 -- 2003 ) Dorian Gregory ( 2003 -- 2006 ) Syndicatiors Tribune Entertainment Trifecta Entertainment & Media Episodes Seasons 1 -- 9 Seasons 10 -- 19 Seasons 20 -- 29 Seasons 30 -- 37 Spin - offs Soul Train Records SOLAR Records Soul Train Music Awards Theme music `` TSOP ( The Sound of Philadelphia ) '' `` Soul Train 's a Comin ' '' Composers King Curtis and The Rimshots Gamble and Huff, MFSB and The Three Degrees The Soul Train Gang The Whispers O'Bryan George Duke Naughty by Nature and Everette Harp Dr. Freeze Related articles WCIU - TV Guests Soul Train : The Dance Years VIAF : 174755289 LCCN : n2008015895 GND : 7622507 - 0 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soul_Train&oldid=808177250 '' Categories : Soul Train 1971 American television series debuts 2006 American television series endings 1970s American television series 1980s American television series 1990s American television series 2000s American television series American music television series American variety television series Dance television shows English - language television programs First - run syndicated television programs in the United States Television series by Metromedia Pop music television series Television series by Tribune Entertainment African - American culture Chicago television programs Hidden categories : Pages using deprecated image syntax All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2012 Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français 日本 語 Português Русский 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 1 November 2017, at 10 : 16. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when did soul train go off the air
Answer: March 25, 2006