The Hippest Trip in America: Soul Train and the Evolution of Culture & Style

by Nelson George

Overview

An authoritative history of the groundbreaking syndicated television show that has become an icon of American pop culture, from acclaimed author and filmmaker Nelson George, “the most accomplished black music critic of his generation” (Washington Post Book World).

When it debuted in October 1971, seven years after the Civil Rights Act, Soul Train boldly went where no variety show had gone before, showcasing the cultural preferences of young African-Americans and the sounds that defined their lives: R&B, funk, jazz, disco, and gospel music. The brainchild of radio announcer Don Cornelius, the show’s producer and host, Soul Train featured a diverse range of stars, from James Brown and David Bowie to Christine Aguilera and R. Kelly; Marvin Gaye and Elton John to the New Kids on the Block and Stevie Wonder.

The Hippest Trip in America tells the full story of this pop culture phenomenon that appealed not only to blacks, but to a wide crossover audience as well. Famous dancers like Rosie Perez and Jody Watley, performers such as Aretha Franklin, Al Green, and Barry White, and Cornelius himself share their memories, offering insights into the show and its time—a period of extraordinary social and political change. Colorful and pulsating, The Hippest Trip In America is a fascinating portrait of a revered cultural institution that has left an indelible mark on our national consciousness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062221049
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/24/2015
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 5.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Nelson George has written several classic black music histories, including Where Did Our Love Go? The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound, The Death of Rhythm & Blues, and Hip Hop America. He also coedited The James Brown Reader: 50 Years of Writing About the Godfather of Soul. His most recent novel is The Plot Against Hip Hop. He has also contributed articles to the New York Times. George directed the HBO film Life Support as well as the VH1 documentary Finding the Funk.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

1 Windy City 1

2 Love, Peace, and Soul 19

3 It's Star Time 44

4 Dick Clark's Soul Unlimited 58

5 TSOP 76

6 Right On 79

7 Stylin' 85

8 Whites on Soul Train 100

9 Disco Fever 118

10 Jody and Jeffrey (and O'Bryan) 121

11 1980s 133

12 Hip-Hop vs. Soul Train 147

13 Overseas Soul 168

14 Sex and Soul Train 177

15 Ahmir Thompson: Soul Train Fanatic 187

16 Soul Train Awards 205

17 New Jack Swing 210

18 New Hosts 215

19 Selling Soul 222

20 The Hippest Trip in America 227

21 Last Days 231

Acknowledgments 237

Editorial Reviews

A kaleidoscopic trip through one of the brightest zones in the evolution of American culture.” — Booklist

“George’s in-depth look at a revered TV show is one of those rare music-centric books that will transcend its subject’s core fan base. Even those with just a casual interest in Soul Train will be happy to take this trip.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“30 years of rapier-keen social history and street-savvy cultural criticism.” — USA Today

“George’s book does a great job of assessing the sociological, stylistic and economic power of ‘Soul Train.’” — New York Daily News

“The definitive book on ‘Soul Train’” — New York Times Book Review

“George is one of the best music writers around… he crafts a compelling narrative.” — Andrea Battleground, AV Club

“A loving history.” — Pitchfork.com

“An engaging read for those wanting to understand more clearly why Soul Train is such a monumental part of popular-music history.” — SoulTracks.com

From the Publisher

30 years of rapier-keen social history and street-savvy cultural criticism.

USA Today

George’s book does a great job of assessing the sociological, stylistic and economic power of ‘Soul Train.’

New York Daily News

An engaging read for those wanting to understand more clearly why Soul Train is such a monumental part of popular-music history.

SoulTracks.com

The definitive book on ‘Soul Train’

New York Times Book Review

A loving history.

Pitchfork.com

A kaleidoscopic trip through one of the brightest zones in the evolution of American culture.

Booklist

George is one of the best music writers around… he crafts a compelling narrative.

Andrea Battleground

30 years of rapier-keen social history and street-savvy cultural criticism.

USA Today

A kaleidoscopic trip through one of the brightest zones in the evolution of American culture.

Booklist

…George writes with the ease and credibility of a critic and journalist…[He] is at his best in uncovering hidden details of the politics and deal making that made Cornelius an early and unsung entrepreneur of black culture, as important as Berry Gordy…The combination of…cultural and political stories…makes The Hippest Trip in America the definitive book on Soul Train.

The New York Times Book Review - Rosemary Bray McNatt

01/13/2014
The iconic music-and-dance television show that defined the look and moves of Black America gets a fond though unfocused retrospective in this nostalgic history. Music historian George (The Death of Rhythm and Blues) recounts Soul Train’s run as a pioneering showcase for African-American music and pop culture, recalling the bell-bottoms, platform shoes, and planetary afros of its 1970s heyday, the on-set drama of ambitious young dancers jostling for camera time, and the show’s centrality in the ‘hood as a Saturday tele-ritual that inspired fashion and dance floor trends. The story loses steam as it chugs into the 1980s and 1990s, when crossover acts abandoned the show for whiter audiences, viewers departed for music-video channels, and producer/host Don Cornelius, once the epitome of cool with his elegant suits and suave baritone, fell behind the times in his estrangement from the hip-hop scene. George relies heavily on interviews from the eponymous VH1 documentary; some of these reminiscences, like Rosie Perez’s exuberant recollection of dancing, are a hoot, but the narrative stalls during lengthy monologues, including four solid pages of Cornelius’s congressional testimony against gangsta rap. Still, George captures some of the energy and creativity of black youth cult busting out of the ghetto. Photos. (March 25)

Publishers Weekly

George’s book does a great job of assessing the sociological, stylistic and economic power of ‘Soul Train.’

New York Daily News

09/15/2013
George, the author of several key black music histories (e.g., Where Did Our Love Go?), here tells the story of the groundbreaking variety show Soul Train, launched in 1971 and aimed at young African Americans. With a 75,000-copy first printing.

Library Journal

★ 2014-03-06
Put on your dancing shoes, and get funky with this romp through the history of a cultural touchstone. George (Thriller: The Musical Life of Michael Jackson, 2010, etc.) points out that when the music-and-dance show Soul Train premiered in 1970 on a local Chicago TV station, the "landscape of black images on television and in film…was pretty barren." Was the country in need of such an entity? Perhaps not, but sometimes the country doesn't realize what it needs until it's available. Enter Don Cornelius, an opportunistic, passionate DJ who figured out that Americans (or at least a healthy percentage of them) were ready for a black version of American Bandstand, a show where up-and-coming soul and R&B artists could perform their latest hits. The affable Cornelius was right, and soon enough, Soul Train was a national phenomenon (even though it tailed off in importance before it ended in 2006), certainly an entity that, four decades later, is worthy of a serious re-examination from a serious writer. Those familiar with the prolific George's work might be surprised that a writer known for his serious studies of African-American culture would tackle a subject that's so flat-out fun, but his palpable love for the show makes it obvious that this is a passion project, a topic that gave him the opportunity to relive one of the joys of his youth. George's approach—and mix of narrative and oral history—is the ideal way to tackle the topic, since the combination of voices allows readers to feel and enjoy the love, the peace and the hair grease. The author chronicles his interviews with the performers, but most importantly, he got Cornelius on tape before he died in 2012. George's in-depth look at a revered TV show is one of those rare music-centric books that will transcend its subject's core fan base. Even those with just a casual interest in Soul Train will be happy to take this trip.

Kirkus Reviews