Discover Yahoo! With Your Friends

Explore news, videos, and much more based on what your friends are reading and watching. Publish your own activity and retain full control.

To get started, first

YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Don Cornelius: A Troubled Life Who Presented Great Music

    This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.
    Do you have a story to tell? Become a Yahoo! contributor

    COMMENTARY | His tragic death on the first day of February, reports the Associated Press, the month honoring Black History is ironic. Don Cornelius, 75, introduced music fans of various backgrounds to R&B and soul artists on his iconic show "Soul Train." That in itself is to be honored. When I was a teen there was no MTV, just two music programs, "American Bandstand" and "Soul Train."

    Cornelius wanted to have a show for African-Americans as they were not completely represented on TV with musicians strictly from the soul music charts. "American Bandstand" was bland while "Soul Train" was vivid. One of my fondest memories was the "Soul Train line" with a single or parallel dancers going down the line while dancing. It sounds easier said than done. Cornelius even showcased white artists like Elton John and David Bowie. I was introduced to many other singers and groups not played on the pop stations, yet featured extensively on R&B/Soul radio. If I had not watched this show I wouldn't have been introduced to Barry White with his deep, sexy bass voice.

    Sadly Cornelius' life was plagued by health and personal issues that led to an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to ABC News. Even though he left the show in 1993 his first of many problems would begin to haunt him. There was surgery to correct blood vessels in the brain during the early 1980s. The first decade of the 21st century was a nightmare with personal issues ranging from dysfunctional relationships, bad financial investments and legal wrangling.

    Unfortunately suicide is the eighth leading cause of death for men, states MedicineNet.com. Only close friends and family knew about his troubles. On Feb. 5, 2010, VH1 aired the documentary honoring its 40-year anniversary titled "Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America." Its debut was during Black History month. Now almost two years to the day its famous host has passed away. How very ironic and sad.

     

    6 comments

    • St. Annie  •  3 mths ago
      If america did not have black culture, it would have very little culture at all.
      • red 3 mths ago
        You mean it would have very little troubled culture!
    • Ed ?  •  St Louis, Missouri  •  3 mths ago
      yes this poorly written. Especially the first sentence.
    • Gar b. i.  •  3 mths ago
      did anyone copy edit this piece? It is so poorly written that I cannot even get through half of it.
    • A Yahoo! User  •  3 mths ago
      black man+ dead= Yaaaaawn
    • A Yahoo! User  •  3 mths ago
      Who cares that a nobody killed himself?
      • DrellyBee 504® 3 mths ago
        A nobody? Don Cornelius was to soul music as Dick Clark is to pop music. Soul Train was a great platform for soul/R&B artists who would have otherwise never had mass exposure. At least he made a great contribution to the world.Sniffing a jock strap is not admirable.
    • Suckers Leftwing  •  Fort Lauderdale, Florida  •  3 mths ago
      And Now just another DeadNe6ro...
    [ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
    [ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]
    Loading...
    • The SpaceX Falcon 9 test rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral

      CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Astronauts aboard the International Space Station opened the hatch and floated inside a Space Exploration Technologies' Dragon capsule on Saturday, the first privately owned spaceship to reach the orbital outpost, NASA said. Running ahead of schedule, station commander Oleg Kononenko …

    • Santa Fe, New Mexico (Reuters) - A blaze raged unchecked for a fourth day in the steep mountains of southwestern New Mexico on Saturday, one of several wildfires that have consumed more than 200 square miles of rugged land in a half-dozen U.S. states. Efforts to contain the blazes spreading in sparsely populated areas of …

    • U.S. Vice President Joe Biden hands a diploma to a cadet at West Point during the graduation ceremony for the class of 2012 in New York

      WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Most of the cadets who graduated on Saturday from West Point were in elementary school when hijacked planes hit the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001, and enrolled in the U.S. military academy with wars raging in Iraq and Afghanistan. Vice President Joe Biden lauded the brave choices …

    • NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Many folks may fret themselves into a frenzy over the November U.S. elections and whether the world will come to an end on December 21, but for about 1,500 people gathered in New Orleans for the United Astrologers Conference, all will be revealed this week. "Some of the world's top astrologers are …

    • Hurricane Bud appoaches landfall in Mexico

      MANZANILLO, Mexico (Reuters) - The remnants of the first hurricane of the 2012 season, Bud, dumped heavy rain along Mexico's coast early on Saturday but caused little damage before it turned back into the Pacific. The storm, which on Friday had threatened to hit land with hurricane-force winds, lost strength as it neared …

     
    Add your ideas and help make it happen. Join the conversation.
    Should Bill and Donna take on more risk to boost their business?
    How Josh's comment on a Remake America video laid the groundwork for something bigger.