Nelson George Does The Deed
“In a publishing marketplace where 700 pages of text are not enough to encompass a movie star’s life or a presidential administration, The Hippest Trip in America manages, semi-miraculously, to compress more than 30 years of rapier-keen social history and street-savvy cultural criticism within 230-odd pages,” Gene Seymour writes for USA Today.
“The ‘trip’ chronicled in those pages by journalist-filmmaker Nelson George is the 1,117-episode run of Soul Train, the syndicated TV dance-and-music series. Its nationwide premiere in 1971 was perhaps the most auspicious signpost of a decade in which African-American culture, freed during the previous decade from the social and legal constraints of racial segregation, leapt to the forefront of mainstream pop as never before and, some might argue, never since.
“Soul Train, which ascended from humble beginnings as a local after-school program in Chicago to a phenomenon of national, if not global proportions, was in retrospect the cornerstone of this transformative era, setting the decade’s agenda for music, dance and fashion.”
Here’s George talking about his book in two different videos:
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From the New York Daily News’ review:
“The scene: Chicago, 1970. The character: Don Cornelius, an ambitious DJ with a revolutionary notion. He aims to present, for the first time on television, a regular showcase for African-American music.
“To land sponsorship, Cornelius presents his pitch to the Windy City’s richest company, Sears. After some hemming and hawing, they give him the go-ahead but – to Cornelius’ surprise – never ask for a single slice of the ownership pie.
“After all, who expects a local show aimed at a black audience in 1970 to make big money?”
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Previously:
* Soul Train’s Hip Trip.
* Don Cornelius Was One Cool Cat.
* When Walter Payton Danced On Soul Train.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on March 25, 2014