Fans and friends remember Don Cornelius at memorial service
BY DAVE HOEKSTRA Staff Reporter/dhoekstra@suntimes.com February 8, 2012 10:24PM
Guests photograph a portrait of Don Cornelius hung at a memorial service for the “Soul Train” creator Wednesday at the Museum of Broadcast Communications. | Richard A. Chapman~Sun-Times PHOTOS
Article Extras
Updated: March 11, 2012 8:41AM
Chicago soul is unmistakable. It is a heartbeat in the darkness, a passing fist bump on a sidewalk.
Chicago soul is upright and feisty.
Chicago soul is this way because Chicago is best known for the blues. Soul does not come easy in this city. But more than 200 Chicagoans of all ages and colors packed the Radio Hall of Fame Gallery at the Museum of Broadcast Communications on Wednesday night to attend a memorial service for “Soul Train” founder Don Cornelius, who died Feb. 1 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Cornelius was upright, feisty and always looking forward.
Speakers included Cornelius’ radio comrades such as Herb “the Kool Gent” Kent, Richard Steele and Marv Dyson. The Rev. Jesse Jackson wondered why Chicago, which has immortalized Jack Brickhouse, Harry Caray and Marilyn Monroe as statues, couldn’t have a statue for Cornelius. After all, he would be the only one in the trio who was born in Chicago.
Soul legend and Cook County Commissioner Jerry Butler ended the 90-minute service by reading a proclamation from the County Board wishing all Chicago citizens “Peace, Love and Soul!,” which was Cornelius’ trademark saying. Butler’s baritone was still mighty, but he was crouched over the podium like a frail gardener picking flowers.
“The Ice Man” delivered a brief a cappella version of the gospel standard “I’ll Fly Away.”
Chicago soul is a force from above.
A child cried in the background. Down the aisle of folding chairs, an elderly “Soul Train” fan rested his crutches. He had arrived alone.
Jackson once appeared on “Soul Train” with “a bigger natural than Don Cornelius,” according to Steele, the WBEZ-FM (91.5) host who served as the evening’s emcee. Jackson spoke of the “Soul Train” influence that reached all the way behind the Iron Curtain.
“Russians were singing and dancing all night long to ‘Soul Train’ and Motown,” Jackson said. “Music penetrating ancient walls. Tell them about Gene Chandler and Jerry Butler. Tell them how we got over when doors were closed and rivers were wide. ‘Soul Train’ rolled in cities big and small, picking up passengers and transporting cultures.”
Jackson and Butler each spoke of the power of minority business ownership that was a key component of Cornelius’ success. Butler appeared on the “Soul Train” pilot. Butler cited George Johnson’s Ultra Sheen hair care as one of the first commercial products for blacks. He began singing a snippet of the Ultra Sheen radio jingle, stopped and said, “The reason I know it so well is because I wrote it.”
Midway through the memorial, Chicago rhythm and blues singer Terisa Griffin delivered an inspiring version of Leon Russell’s “A Song For You” before iconic Chicago television personality Merri Dee spoke.
Dee, 75, is the same age Cornelius was at his time of death. She talked of helping Cornelius get his first job in radio while reflecting that the “Soul Train” host was a “very lonely man.”
But Dee will never forget how Cornelius had her back in 1972 after she was hired as an anchor at WGN-Channel 9.
It had been suggested to Dee that she make her afro “smoother” and wear a jacket just like male anchors. “I didn’t want to lose my job, but I was so angry,” Dee recalled. “Because who they hired is who you are. Then I mentioned it to Don. He was furious. He said, ‘Are you kidding? Don’t you change!’ And both of us agreed.” The audience applauded.
In the audience were Marshall Thompson of the Chi-Lites and Gene “the Duke of Earl” Chandler.
“I met Don in 1969,” Chandler said before the service began. “Don had me host the show every now and then. Prior to me hosting, the original whistle to the train [theme] came from one of my records, ‘Familiar Footsteps,’ and Chandler let out a tempered lonely whistle.
“Well, that was the sound we had in Chicago, They changed that sound when they took it to Los Angeles with a big production. Chicago soul is different. The blues sing about the problems they have in life.
“Love and romance with a lot of feeling, that’s soul.”
Steele appropriately gave loving props to former City of Chicago Cultural Affairs programmer Michael Orlove, who put together the 40th anniversary “Soul Train” tribute on Labor Day in Millennium Park.
“Here was a Jewish kid from the Northwest Side of Chicago who watched ‘Soul Train’ on television,” Steele said. “He talked to the city, they gave him a teeny budget, he talked to the entertainers and said they had to take small money — but it wasn’t about the money. It was about Don Cornelius and ‘Soul Train.’ ”
That tribute drew more than 15,000 people, a Millennium Park record. It turned out to be Cornelius’ final appearance in Chicago.
The celebration should be an annual event.
Chicago soul is about taking chances.
Comments Click here to view or make a comment