Soul Train
The Best of Soul Train
TV Flash files “The Best of Soul Train” as the last listed hour of season 3 — Soul Train (1971–2006) on Syndicated, season 3, episode 39, aired 1974-07-20, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S03E39: listed hour 106 of 1134 in the Soul Train guide, last listed hour of season 3. It aired 1974-07-20 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Sly & the Family Stone / The Trammps” (S03E38). Next is “Billy Preston/ Rufus/ George McCrae” (S04E01). Broadcast log — titles and dates, not a plot bible.
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Opening Theme: "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" Reverend Jesse Jackson joins Don Cornelius for an interview and a clip from the documentary "Wattstax" is shown. Clips: B.B. King "I Like To Live The Love" (from ST #74, 06-Oct-1973) The Staple Singers "If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)" (from ST #102, 08-Jun-1974) Smokey Robinson "Sweet Harmony" (from ST #80, 24-Nov-1973) Tower Of Power "This Time It's Real" (from ST #79, 17-Nov-1973) Marvin Gaye "Distant Lover" (from ST #89, 16-Feb-1974) Sly & The Family Stone "I Want To Take You Higher" (from ST #105, 29-Jun-1974) Jackson 5 "Dancing Machine" (from ST #77, 03-Nov-1973) Johnny Mathis "Foolish" (from ST #88, 09-Feb-1974) Gladys Knight & The Pips "On and On" (from ST #97, 04-May-1974) Al Green "Here I Am (Come And Take Me)" (from ST #93, 06-Apr-1974) The O'Jays "Love Train" (from ST #57, 21-Apr-1973) Closing Credits
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Best of Soul Train sit in the Soul Train guide?
S03E39 is listed hour 106 of 1134 — last listed hour of season 3, season 3 episode 39.
When did Soul Train S03E39 air?
The Best of Soul Train aired 1974-07-20 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Do I watch from 1971 in order?
No. It is a music-and-dance series, not a plot. Sample eras for the guests and the Line; Cornelius's classic hosting years are the brand center.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Don Cornelius promises the hippest trip in America and delivers the national dance party corporate TV had under-served: guests, fashion, the Line, scrambleboard kids who became famous. Syndicated Black music television as cultural archive from 1971 deep into the 2000s. Velvet baritone as the rope.
Chicago, 1971: Don Cornelius promises a hip trip across America and delivers the most important dance party in television history, then keeps delivering it until 2006. Soul Train began locally, went to national syndication, and ran thirty-five seasons, more than a thousand hours, putting Black music, fashion, and the Soul Train Line into living rooms corporate television had long under-served. Artists performed. Dancers — including scrambleboard kids who became famous — moved the culture forward. Cornelius…
Filed against
- Don Cornelius as Host
Don Cornelius promised the hippest trip in America on Soul Train — guests, fashion, the Line, scrambleboard kids who became famous, syndicated Black music television as cultural archive from 1971 deep into the 2000s. Velvet baritone as a…