Mark Anthony NealProfessor of African and African American Studies, Duke University.http://aaas.duke.edu/people?Gurl=%2Faas%2FAAAS&Uil=man9&subpage=profile Video: http://leftofblack.tumblr.com/ Neal is an expert on popular culture, host of the weekly webcast "Left of Black" and the author of several books, including "Songs in the Key of Black Life." Quote:"Don Cornelius was a groundbreaking visionary, who understood the power of black youth culture, particularly in social dance, and the hunger and excitement that mainstream America had for black culture during the civil rights movement."Though Dick Clark's 'American Bandstand' seems the obvious inspiration for 'Soul Train,' what Cornelius really did was visualize, for television audiences, the energy and inspiration of black radio -- an industry critical to the emergence of black music stars like James Brown and Aretha Franklin, and an important partner to the civil rights movement."Part of Cornelius's genius, in the early days of 'Soul Train,' was to highlight regional black dance styles and local artists. Those efforts led to the creation of a 'national' black culture and 'national' black media that created the context for syndicated radio personalities like Tom Joyner and Michael Baisden. In this regard, Cornelius helped make soul music a national brand."
