In the early 1970s, the dancers on

Don Cornelius Donald Cortez Cornelius (September 27, 1936 – February 1, 2012) was an American television show host and producer widely known as the creator of the nationally syndicated dance and music show ''Soul Train'', which he hosted from 1971 until 1993 ...

' hit television program ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...

'' were called the Soul Train Gang. But they became the

Dancers in 1975, when Cornelius and

Dick Griffey Richard Gilbert Griffey (November 16, 1938 – September 24, 2010) was an American record producer and music promoter who founded SOLAR Records, a RAS acronym for "Sound of Los Angeles Records". The label played a major role in developing a f ...

co-founded Soul Train Records (later

SOLAR Records SOLAR (acronym for Sound of Los Angeles Records) was an American record label founded in 1977 by Dick Griffey, reconstituted out of Soul Train Records only two years after it was founded with '' Soul Train'' television show host and creator Don ...

), home to Lakeside, Shalamar, the Whispers and others—and decided to name an R&B vocal quintet The Soul Train Gang. Consisting of two brothers' from Cincinnati, Ohio; Gerald Brown & Terry Brown; Judy Jones, Patricia Williamson (replaced by Denise Smith in 1976) and Hollis Pippin, the Soul Train Gang recorded its debut album,'' Don Cornelius Presents the Soul Train Gang'', in 1975. Produced by Cornelius and Griffey, the LP included "Soul Train '75," one of the many themes from ''Soul Train''. (The previous theme had previously been MFSB's famous "TSOP" on Philadelphia International.) The group recorded its second album, ''The Soul Train Gang'', produced by Norman Harris and done largely in Philadelphia, in 1976. Not surprisingly, Cornelius and Griffey hoped they could use Soul Train's popularity to make the Soul Train Gang a hit. But while both albums were decent examples of '70s soul and funk, neither made them a big name in the R&B world. After the Gang disgrouped in 1977, Brown went on to join

Shalamar Shalamar () is an American R&B and soul music vocal group active since the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. Shalamar's classic line-up on the SOLAR label consisted of Howard Hewett, Jody Watley, and Jeffrey Daniel, together with dancer ...

the following year, replacing original member Gary Mumford. Brown appeared on Shalamar's second album, ''Shalamar Disco Gardens'', and the hit single "Take That to the Bank" before being replaced by Howard Hewett in 1979.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soul Train Gang American soul musical groups American disco groups American dance groups Soul Train Musical groups established in 1975 Musical groups disestablished in 1977