Don Cornelius remembered by Jimmy Jam

courtesy of Wikipedia

​Twin Cities native producer Jimmy Jam took to the airwaves yesterday to discuss the legacy of the late Soul Train founder Don Cornelius. Speaking to KCRW's Steve Chiotakis in Los Angeles, Jam noted that he'd just attended an event with Berry Gordy and Quincy Jones, and noted that Cornelius belongs among them in terms of his "stature and accomplishments in life." "It's an incredible journey that he had," Jam says. "Basically when you figure out how to do something that no one else is doing, you have a great shot at success." The conversation was steeped in thoughts of childhood for the R&B legend, who performed with the Original 7ven (formerly the Time) on the 2011 Soul Train Awards.

"The biggest thing was exposure," Jam recalls. "I remember being a kid in Minneapolis, and my exposure to many of the acts -- even some of the acts that I've been fortunate enough later in life to work with -- was really by every Saturday morning, in our case, being able to turn on Soul Train. It literally brought a world that was very far removed from Minneapolis into our living rooms.

For him, this meant seeing African-American artists like Chaka Khan perform for the first time, but also exposure to crossover artists like Elton John and Hall & Oates. The entire segment is below:

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