Soul Train: The Music, Dance, and Style of a Generation

by Questlove, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson (AKA), Gladys Knight (Foreword)

From Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson of the award-winning hip-hop group the Roots, comes this vibrant book commemorating the legacy of Soul Train—the cultural phenomenon that launched the careers of artists such as Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5, Whitney Houston, Lenny Kravitz, LL Cool J, and Aretha Franklin.

Questlove reveals the remarkable story of the captivating program, and his text is paired with more than 350 photographs of the show's most memorable episodes and the larger-than-life characters who defined the great host Don Cornelius, the extraordinary musicians, and the people who lived the phenomenon from dance floor. Gladys Knight contributed a foreword to this incredible volume. Nick Cannon contributed the preface.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, African American, Hip Hop, Pop Culture

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 22, 2013

About the author

Ahmir K. Thompson (b. 1971), known professionally as Questlove, is an American musician, drummer, record producer, disc jockey, filmmaker, music journalist, and actor. He is the drummer and joint frontman (with Black Thought) for the hip hop band the Roots. Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of research for my next tv show that I'm prepping. It was a fun read, not only because of all the cool photos, but also due to The Roots drummer ?uestlove's conversational style. He's not a professional scholar or historian so the book is mostly personal reflections about the show and its impact. It makes for a less academic approach to the material and something a bit more casual, but still very informative. So if a strictly scholastic approach to Soul Train's history is what you're looking for, this might not be it. But if you're looking for a piece of informative appreciation written by a big fan, check this one out. For me, not being a fan of reading non-fiction, this one was right up my alley.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely, plush coffee table book treatment for this institution of African-American culture but valuable mostly for the photos and iconic imagery. Questlove's accompanying text is largely a personal, facile take on Soul Train rather than an authoritative overview or analysis. There's virtually no insight into the behind-the-scenes machinations of the show and obvious things like indices of guest artists, hosts, famous alumni dancers etc. are curiously absent. This is an ok book but it should have been great. Missed opportunity.

[Shant · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I liked the era division as well as the pictures. Obviously, this was a coffee table book, so I assume the other Soul Train books would be more scholarly/analytical, but Questlove still did a good job explaining things like different genres the show featured or legacy acts, or different segments in the show. I get that ending it with Don Cornelius' retirement was a good place to leave off thematically, but I would have enjoyed seeing a little bit of the 2000's era Soul Train.

[Kojo Baffoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this on a Kindle which is probably why I wasn’t as enamored with it as I expected to be. It is a coffee table book and is probably best enjoyed in the physical form. I did enjoy reading it and acknowledge that to put together the story of a show that ran for decades is difficult.

[Kenny Parris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this retrospect of one of the most iconic American shows in music history. Questlove crafted an extremely thorough homage, giving us readers a history lesson, a nostalgic flashback, or both! There were so many things that I learned that I didn't know before, such as Jody Watley's first claim to fame was being a dancer on the show or that artists didn't really come back to the show once they were 'big', or even that Rosie Perez and Carmen Elektra were some of the dancers. I did know about Don Cornelius' aversion to hip hop, and Quest didn't hold back on highlighting those tense or even condescending interview moments Don had with rappers. I.e. The "well that was just frightening" comment after Public Enemy's performance LOL. Even outside of rap, Don had some people he didn't care to butter up to, telling Rick James that he didn't think he'd amount to anything in the business. SHEESH! Don was a straight shooter though, and he owned up to when he was wrong.

I learned about or re-learned so many artists from this book. My Apple Music library grew by probably 25% after I was done. Albums from Babyface, Force MDs, Evelyn Champagne King, Lisa Lisa, LSG, and so much more will be in my rotation for the rest of the year. Overall, this was just a perfect collection of moments, performances, mini-biographies and stories of a show that's a vital part of black music culture. Almost every significant artist from the 70s-90s had the opportunity to grace the Soul Train stage. Now I'll be digging in the YouTube archives to see all the moments I highlighted while reading!

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED Soul Train. My dad and I planned our Saturday fun around who was singing that week. The photos bring back so many memories. The commentary is a trivia lovers dream. This book is all that I thought it would be and more. I plan to purchase several copies to give to my music loving friends.

[Kelli Fillingim · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a fantastic book! First of all, because Questlove is an awesome person, and because he has a photographic memory, like me, and can remember every episode of Soul Train. Secondly, because I was his editor, and we spent a lot of time on the phone going episode by episode, and photo by photo. I learned a great deal working on this book, which is why I love being an editor!

[Megan Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely gorgeous book. It has over 350 huge color photographs from the 1970s through 1990s. An amazing chronicle of a wildly influential piece of popular culture. I would definitely recommend it for anyone with an interest in music, dance, or fashion.

[Winter Sophia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hippest Trip In America!

[Petty Lisbon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
This was a great book. It really taught me a lot about the cultural significance of Soul Train, which I barely knew anything about. Although you can describe it as a coffee table book, you can still learn a lot about Don Cornelius (note: I just learned about his 2022 accusations before writing this review) and his motives and personality from the book. Questlove describes his own personal connection with the show and does a great job at detailing every sound that dominated the show. I was intrigued by his theory that disco was the first Black genre that wasn't only intended for a Black audience and every other genre has just been a new version of disco since. I was fascinated by Soul Train trying to find a balance between the cultural and respectable soul artists vs upcoming rappers and dancers in the 80's before new jack swing was able to make a marriage between the two. I liked how he just had paragraphs for each artists like describing the "churban" sound. My friend once said that he thinks all rap music from before 1995(? I don't remember the exact year but Missy Elliott and Jay Z are as early as he listens to) sounds too similar and amateur production-wise so I liked learning about the different styles of rap that were starting to take off in the 1980s, whether it was more mature, gangsta rap, or just electro music.
I guess it was because of less media options back then, but it's interesting how Soul Train was able to satisfy adults and the youth with just 2 guests while radio stations, network and cable television, and award shows can't figure out if they want to appeal to the youth market or the adults, let alone if they want to be prestigious or popular. I liked learning about parts of the show that I can't imagine today, like how the dancers became popular. I thought it was interesting how you can understand different eras of the show through something as "random" like the commercials going from afro-based hair products to Jheri curls. It was interesting learning about artists who stopped doing the show because they became "above" it. I never knew Eddie Murphy had a music career. I wish the book covered the rest of the history of the show. I don't know if Soul Train would work today but I would at least appreciate it being a channel on Pluto/Tubi or a late night marathon on one of the syndicated channels.


Also, I appreciate that the show booked white musicians for any potential "Soul Train is reverse racist!" backlash and instead it truly was just about talent.

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never seen an episode, and I don't know a lot of the names, but there's nothing better than reading an author who's truly, deeply in love with their subject. Questlove bangs it out in short bursts, giving you a history of black music from Motown to LL Cool J. It seems like if you search any song he mentions in here, you'll recognize it from a sample in hip hop (especially Bad Boy songs). Yep, this gave me a musical education. It also gave me a look into the pre-hip hop world where hardness wasn't the rule, where innocence and fun were more on display.

I can't tell you how many times I stopped reading to youtube a Soul Train episode he was talking about.

The book does start to get a little repetitive in it's short profiles and constant episode recaps, but like I said, it's done with so much love it's still a joy to read.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soul Train was a big part of my Saturday afternoons as a child although I didn’t tune in as much as a teen. This book brought back so many memories and was quite a nostalgic read. This book is a new favorite of mine my only complaint is I wish the photos were larger and easier to view on Kindle. Hope to see a revival of Soul Train soon as mentioned at the end of the book.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questlove’s knowledge and admiration of “Soul Train” is abundantly on display in this history. He infuses the history with what key episodes meant to him. He sheds a little light into who Don Cornelius was but he’s still a bit of a mystery. It’s clear we’d be poorer musically and culturally without the contributions of Soul Train.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you were coming of age in the 70s and 80s and loved music - this is the book for you. I thoroughly enjoyed falshing back to my childhood spent parked in front of the tv watching Soul Train. The music. The history. The fashion. It's all here.

[Turtleberry Turtleberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

I enjoyed this. Now I want to search for a box set of the shows. Pictures were great. So many memories.

[Deborah Adams]

The Love & Respect Shows

Well Done. Heartfelt Thank you for helping me re-live my life throughout these amazing, beautiful, fast paced and hardworking years.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

essential reading list for students of dance, music, art, life.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 'coffee table' book and of course these books are dependent on the photographs more than written text. I have the digital copy of this book, and of course in this case that's hardly a comparison to nice glossy paper photographs. However, the digital book was a lot of fun to thumb through and the pictures were very nice, mostly in color, and the information is organized into sections, reminding readers of many fond memories.

The book covers the performers, highlighting standouts and influencers. Naturally, the dancers are featured prominently, as well has the clothing and hairstyle trends.

Overall, this was fun book to thumb through, but I'm sure the hardcover is the way to go in this case. A must for the hardcore Soul Train fan.

3 stars

[Zandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

All fans of the ground-breaking television show will love this book. Questlove provides an intimate, in-depth look at a show that helped to shape his childhood. I especially loved the larger than life colorful photographs contained throughout and unique insight into the various episodes. This one brings back great memories and is highly recommended.

[Ron Maskell · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a coffee table book, this book is just great. Excellent little tidbits of information and trivia. Questlove always has a certain way with words, especially for pet projects such as this one. This book, though, does not go deep enough for my liking but considering it's a coffee table book then the format is well met.

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful trip down a memory lane I'm only just walking for the first time (via YouTube). Questlove is a great writer, passionate, articulate, knowledge-filled, enthusiastic and there's a nice autobiographical thread to this. Stunning pics too.

[Michelle Bucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice tribute. You learn something new everyday!

[Deadra Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome journey through music history. Questlove gives a wonderful history of Soul Train. The pictures are amazing and the stories behind the journey are inspiring. Go Soul Train!