Before this old school legend reached mega success in the entertainment industry, they were cuffing criminals. Let’s see how well you know your old school fun facts. Is it Donna Summer, Donnie Simpson, or Don Cornelius? The only hint we’ll give you is that there’s one thing you know for sure: This celeb’s name starts with the letter ‘D.’ Scroll down to see who was out here securing the streets…
The Police Officer Was…
Before he created the hippest trip on television with SOUL TRAIN, Don Cornelius was a Chicago Police Officer on the Southside.
He graduated from DuSable High School in 1954 and joined the Marine Corps, serving 18 months in Korea. He used his military skills to ultimately become an officer.
Frustrated with being an officer for a few years, he quit his day job to take a three-month broadcasting course in 1966, despite being married with two sons and having only $400 in his bank account. That led to him getting a job at WVON (The Voice Of The Negro) as a news reporter.
The next year, he joined the Chicago television station WCIU-TV and hosted a news program called A Black’s View of the News. Three years later, he launched his daily local show called Soul Train on the station he was working for. Of course that would launch into a national syndication after moving to Los Angeles and the rest was history. His show changed the way America saw African American performers and it showcased talent that deserved to seen in mainstream media. For those things among others, we are forever grateful to Mr. Don Cornelius.
On a side note, take a trip down memory lane with us with one of the greatest Soul Train performances of ALL time…
