Don Cornelius

Don Cornelius was the producer, host and inventor of Soul Train, the first black-oriented music variety show on American television.http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/S/htmlS/soultrain/soultrain.htm Cornelius and Soul Train aired performances by soul artists Gladys Knight, Lou Rawls, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson and pop artists David Bowie and Duran Duran.http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=273681 In 2008, Cornelius sold the rights to "Soul Train" to MadVision Entertainment.http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/business/media/17soul.html

Cornelius was arrested on October 17, 2008, for alleged domestic violence against his wife Viktoria. In March of 2009, he was charged with one count of spousal battery, one count of dissuading a witness from filing a police report and one count of assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to three years probation.http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705292044/Cornelius-gets-3-years-probation-for-battery.html

On November 29, 2010, Don Cornelius hosted the 40th annual Soul Train Awards. This is a music showcase which pays tribute to R&B and soul stars, both new and more established.http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1653131/20101129/rihanna.jhtml The awards show is an extension of the long-running 1970s TV series that brought soul, disco, R&B and rap music into living rooms. Cornelius was the producer of the Soul Train show when it ran from 1971 to 2006.http://www.thirdage.com/news/don-cornelius-how-he-became-television-star_11-29-2010 The 2010 awards honored Anita Baker and Ronald Isley. Top winners of the awards were Trey Songz, Usher, Ciara, Eminem and Rihanna, though they were not present.http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1653131/20101129/rihanna.jhtml

TMZ.com reported on November 14, 2008, that Cornelius was charged with three counts of spousal battery, one count of assault and one count of dissuading a witness from filing a police report.http://www.canyon-news.com/artman2/publish/celebritynews/Soul_Train_Creator_Don_Cornelius_Sentenced_In_Domestic_Abuse_Case.php A concerned neighbor called 911 after hearing a long, loud, dispute. In the past, Cornelius had two restraining orders filed on him.http://www.canyon-news.com/artman2/publish/celebritynews/Soul_Train_Creator_Don_Cornelius_Sentenced_In_Domestic_Abuse_Case.php One of these was from his former wife. He has faced domestic abuse charges multiple times.http://www.canyon-news.com/artman2/publish/celebritynews/Soul_Train_Creator_Don_Cornelius_Sentenced_In_Domestic_Abuse_Case.php He posted a $50,000 bail and was released.http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2008/10/18/2008-10-18_soul_train_star_don_cornelius_arrested_o.html He was sentenced to three years probation in March of 2009.http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705292044/Cornelius-gets-3-years-probation-for-battery.html