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“Soul Train”

Filming date of September 24, 1972, as well as sequence of events, confirmed on Soul Train’s official website (archived) (“September 24th taping”) / Air date of October 7, 1972 confirmed on Soul Train’s official website (archived) (“the October 7, 1972 episode of Soul Train aired”)

“Soul Train” official website (June 18, 2012) (archived)

When The Jackson 5 finally appeared on Soul Train at the September 24th taping of the show, it was an event.

To say The Jackson 5 was large is an understatement. They were basically the first young group that black kids and teens could celebrate and emulate. The group burst forth on the scene during the time of the afro and the black power movement. Indeed, the Jackson 5 was a timely group.

The Jackson 5’s first appearance on Soul Train was a reunion of sorts for the group and Don Cornelius, as Michael Jackson stated in his autobiography Moonwalk. “He had been a DJ during our Chicago days so we all knew one another from that time,” said Michael. Cornelius promoted a show with the group at the West Side Theater in Chicago before they signed with Motown. “Even then they were phenomenal and sort of the talk of the town,” Cornelius stated in Nelson George’s book The Michael Jackson Story.

Up until the time the Jackson 5 appeared on Soul Train, the majority of the artists that came to the show were mainly only popular on the R&B charts, with the exception of big pop stars Ike & Tina Turner who made an appearance in July 1972. But being that Soul Train was a program mostly watched by kids, teens, and young adults, the appearance by superstars the Jackson 5–who were adored by kids, teens and young adults–had many viewers glued to the television set. Soul Train dancers have said excitement was at its highest whenever The Jackson 5 would come to the show.

When the October 7, 1972 episode of Soul Train aired, the moment after the announcer’s voice boomed out that “the fabulous Jackson 5” would be the guests, phones rang across the country as viewers alerted their friends that The Jackson 5 was going to be on Soul Train. This was way before the Internet, cell phones, text messaging and Blackberries. Indeed, Jackson 5 fan Greg Lord said, “Whenever The Jackson 5 appeared on Soul Train, nothing else mattered. As much as me and my friends loved the Soul Train Gang, it was all about The Jackson 5 when they were on the show.”

When the group first appeared on Soul Train, it was primarily a spotlight on Jermaine Jackson–who was then touted as the first black teenage sex symbol–and his first solo album entitled Jermaine (Jermaine’s name was even placed on the backdrop of the stage, replacing the Soul Train sign). His first solo album was very successful, peaking at number six on the soul charts and number 27 on the Pop charts. Aside from the group as a whole, every member of the Jackson family appeared on Soul Train individually over the years. For this edition of the Soul Train History Book, the focus will be mainly on the group.

After Jermaine performed his current single “That’s How Love Goes,” host Don Cornelius briefly interviewed Jermaine and then The Jackson 5 performed their first number one hit, “I Want You Back.” A highly charged Michael was all over the elevated stage, pausing and bopping his head to the side, while the Soul Train Gang grooved to the frenetic rhythm of the tune (many of the Soul Train Gang were still in middle school or high school when “I Want You Back” was first released on October 7, 1969, so the performance evoked a bit of nostalgia for them). The group received thunderous applause after their performance.

Later, the group answered questions from the Soul Train Gang during the show’s Question & Answer session (the group’s J5 logo was placed on the stage’s backdrop for the group’s last two numbers). One dancer named Sherry Newman asked, “When is The Jackson 5 going to be changed to The Jackson 6?”  The question came about due to the group’s youngest brother Randy joining the group months earlier (he debuted with the group on a TV special called Hellzapoppin playing congas). This prompted Don Cornelius to have Randy come from behind his set of congas to be among his brothers, prompting the Soul Train Gang to applaud. After the Q&A session was over, The Jackson 5 debuted their new single “Corner Of The Sky,” which was not a single when this episode was taped but would be by the time of its airing. This tune, from the Broadway show Pippin, had a mid-tempo cooking groove with a spiritual type feel backed by a tambourine. The group did not perform the entire song, due to the other segments of the show that had to fill up the show’s running time. Nevertheless, the Soul Train Gang gave the group resounding applause when they finished.

After the weekly dance contest segment, Jermaine was joined by his brothers to perform a track from his Jermaine album titled “Daddy’s Home,”  a remake of the Shep & The LimeLites classic. The romantic ballad featured Jermaine’s laid back, soulful vocals as the brothers performed harmony behind him. Jermaine’s remake would later be released as a single in November 1972 and went on to become one of the biggest hits of Jermaine’s solo career, reaching number three on the soul charts and number nine on the pop charts in February 1973.

The group closed the show with their most recent hit “Looking Through The Windows,” which was a huge hit with J5 fans, as evidenced by the screams of the Soul Train Gang when the song’s “Theme from Shaft” inspired introduction blasted out. This song was a huge hit during the summer of 1972, reaching number five on the soul charts and sixteen on the pop charts. During the performance, Michael walked down on the staircase that extended from the elevated stage, being more intimate with the Soul Train Gang as he sang the song’s romantic lyrics. The performance elicited loud screams and cheers from the dancers.

Although there were strict rules on the show about interacting with the guest stars, this episode was an exception. After The Jackson 5 wrapped up all of their performances, many members of the Soul Train Gang were allowed to get autographs and take photos with the group, and even had a chance to chat with them. Patricia Davis, one of the program’s most popular regulars of the time, was among the dancers who was personally invited to the group’s dressing room after the taping of the episode,since she was one of their favorite dancers on the show that they wanted to meet. This paved the way for her and other members of the Soul Train Gang to become friends of the Jackson family, with frequent visits to the Jacksons’ home and invitations for parties and get-togethers. Some were even invited to Jermaine Jackson and Hazel Gordy’s lavish wedding reception on December 15, 1973.

Popular Soul Train regular Jimmy “Scoo B Doo” Foster stated, “James Brown and The Jackson 5 were two of the main acts that really wanted to meet and interact with the dancers.”

Patricia Davis, dancer, “Soul Train” official website interview (May 26, 2011) (archived)

Soul Train: You were also good friends with Michael Jackson and the Jackson family, correct?

Patricia Davis: Yes. The first time they came to Soul Train, they invited me and Gary Keys (another popular Soul Train dancer) to their dressing room because they loved our dancing on the show. After that, they invited Gary and me to their house and we taught them things like the Robot, locking steps and certain neck movements. We would even go to the movies with them, but they had to wear disguises so that no one would recognize them.

Soul Train: What are some of your memories from that time with Michael Jackson?

Patricia Davis: I remember one time I was at his house and we had just finished dancing and we went outside and I playfully grabbed Michael and we were playing and running back and forth between parked cars in the Jacksons driveway. Suddenly, a big mafia type guy grabbed me and said, “Don’t hurt him (Michael), he’s worth a lot of money. Be careful of how you are playing.” I didn’t know who that man was, whether he was a security guard or someone doing business with Joe Jackson (Michael’s father).

Soul Train: Michael has said in interviews that he was sad and shy during his adolescence. Did you witness any of that during the times you spent with him?

Patricia Davis: Yes, I got a sense of his shyness. I understood Michael so much. He just wanted to dance and perform. But when he came off the stage, he was introverted. It was hard to get away from the camera and the stage. I was the same way. On the set of Soul Train, when the cameras were off, I ran away from them because I was very shy.

But Michael could be a prankster also. Once, when Lisa Jones (another Soul Train dancer) and I were at his house, he asked Lisa, “Do you want some potato chips?” Lisa said, “Yeah, I like potato chips!” So Michael gave Lisa the bag of chips and she reached into the bag and there was a snake in it! (Laughs)

Soul Train: (Laughs) So you also got to see Michael’s playful side?

Patricia Davis: Yes. I even had a nickname for him. Dodo Bird! (Laughs)