Soul Train/Show 1

Show 1
Season 1, Episode 1
Airdate	October 2, 1971
Written by	Don Cornelius
Directed by	Mark Warren
— N/A	1x02 → Show 2
Soul Train — Season One

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Show 1 is the first episode of the first season of Soul Train.

Guests: Gladys Knight & the Pips, Eddie Kendricks, Honey Cone, Bobby Hutton

Overview

• Gladys Knight and the Pips performed "Friendship Train" and "I Don't Wanna Do Wrong."
• Eddie Kendricks performed "It's So Hard for Me to Say Goodbye" and "I Did It All For You."
• The Honey Cone performed "Stick-Up" and "Want Ads."
• Bobby Hutton performed "You're My Only Reason."

Notes

• King Curtis' "Hot Potatoes" is the very first theme used to open over 35 years of Love, Peace and Soul. It is also known as "Soul Train" with the Rimshots.
• This episode also marked the beginning of the Soul Train Dance Contest where one couple advances to the finals on episode 26. Whoever wins the dance contest will receive $10,000 dollars ($5,000 each) in scholarship money from The Johnson Products Company (makers of Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen).

Trivia

The Show

The pilot episode strangely did not have a Soul Train Line nor a Scramble Board. However, they did have segment called the "Soul Train Replay Machine" where a couple got to see themselves dancing in slow motion. There was also a Dance Contest.

Behind the Scenes

Along with the theme songs, the Soul Train set itself went through major changes: The first set was train station-styled, complete with train tracks with various cities on the tracks itself, railroad crossing signs and the large title letters against the wall of the studio. This was used for the first two seasons of Soul Train.