Soul Train
Billy Preston/ Rufus/ George McCrae
TV Flash files “Billy Preston/ Rufus/ George McCrae” as the first listed hour of season 4 — Soul Train (1971–2006) on Syndicated, season 4, episode 1, aired 1974-09-07, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S04E01: listed hour 107 of 1134 in the Soul Train guide, first listed hour of season 4. It aired 1974-09-07 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “The Best of Soul Train” (S03E39). Next is “James Brown & the First Family of Soul / Fred Wesley & the JB's / Lyn Collins” (S04E02). Broadcast log — titles and dates, not a plot bible.
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Opening titles 1st song, Dancers, on record: "Live It Up" Isley Brothers Performance: George McCrae - "Rock Your Baby." Scrambleboard: (HERBIE HANCOCK) on record: "Machine Gun" Commodores Performance: Rufus featuring Chaka Khan - "Tell Me Something Good." 3rd song, Dancers, on record: "My Thang" James Brown Franklin Ajaye (comedian) Midpoint song: "Boogie Joe, The Grinder" Quincy Jones Performance: Billy Preston - "Nothing From Nothing" 4th song, Dancers, on record: "Main Line" Ashford and Simpson Performance: Rufus featuring Chaka Khan - "You Got The Love." Soul Train Line, on record: "Ballero" War Performance: Billy Preston - "Struttin'." Closing credits
Viewer FAQ
Where does Billy Preston/ Rufus/ George McCrae sit in the Soul Train guide?
S04E01 is listed hour 107 of 1134 — first listed hour of season 4, season 4 episode 1.
When did Soul Train S04E01 air?
Billy Preston/ Rufus/ George McCrae aired 1974-09-07 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…
Also in season 4
- S04E02 James Brown & the First Family of Soul / Fred Wesley & the JB's / Lyn Collins
- S04E03 Johnnie Taylor / The Joneses / Syreeta
- S04E04 The Miracles / Herbie Hancock / Yvonne Fair
- S04E05 Michael Jackson / MDLT
- S04E06 The Four Tops / The New Birth / Creative Source
- S04E07 The Chi-Lites / Bloodstone / New York City