Mr. Holt's also the weekend anchor for "NBC Nightly News," and occasionally fills in for Brian Williams. His ID intros are for their airings of old "Dateline NBC's."

In the summer of '77, my cousin asked his mother if he could take on a summer job working for a guy. The catch was, the guy wanted my cousin to stay on the property. Of course, my Aunt refused. The man WAS JOHN WAYNE GACY! Thank god my cousin didn't go!

Lester Holt now introduces programs on Investigation Discovery. Still sounds the same, now wears glasses, no longer has a mustache, and has a lot more forehead.

From what I've noticed, The Dells subsequently appeared a few times on the national "Soul Train." In fact, I've cross-checked a few acts that appeared on both the local WCIU and nationally-syndicated versions: Jerry Butler, The Chi-Lites, The Emotions (when they had their big hit "Best of My Love"), The Staple Singers, The Five Stairsteps (on national #009, performing "O-o-h Child"), The O'Jays, B.B. King, Tyrone Davis, Curtis Mayfield, and Gene Chandler. Major Lance (another Chicago-based soul act) appeared on the national "Soul Train," as did Chuck Berry(!) and Mayfield's former group The Impressions, but like with The Dells, I've no idea if they did the local (certainly Berry wouldn't've). Were there any other acts that did both "Soul Trains"?

I presume WGN's studios would've been perfect for the national "Soul Train," in terms of space, had not Cornelius decided to go West?

Those are fantastic artists and should make everyone proud to be from Chicago. I'm surprised they didn't have the Dells on who of course were local. My parents went to the same high school as them in different years but I got to meet a few of them. A few months ago Jerry Butler came on the radio and still sounded amazing. I know a few people who have met him and Mavis Staples and quite a few blues artists. How was Gene Chandler to meet? He's had a long career from Duke of Earl to Groovy Situation to everything else. I always say this but I think Chicago is the best city for music bar none from blues to alternative, to soul to classical and everything else.

I'm guessing that they didn't think Soul Train would work being syndicated from Chicago, which I don't agree with. I think it would have worked but of course this was before Oprah. I wish both Soul Train and American Bandstand stayed in their hometowns.

LaPrincess, I thought you like to know some of the guest artists on Soul Train's early shows, were many of Chicago's own. Jerry Butler, The Staple Sings, The Emotions (In fact I still have one of their records "Black Christmas", which is my favorite Christmas song, that they performed on the show! I play this song every Christmas!) I know this sounds crazy, but in typing this I went to my file on Soul Train and found in it a copy story on Soul Trains premiere weeks of August 17 and the 24th from the Chicago Daily Defender, dated Monday August 17, 1970 for a price of 10 cents! I was right because it lists Jerry Butler as the first artist to kick off the premiere of Soul Train on that Monday. Along with Jerry Butler for the week is: The Five Stair Steps, singing their latest hit "Ooooh Child", Lost Generation, Fabulous Emotions and Marshall and the Chi-Lights. The week of August 24 star line-up included; Otis Leavill, The Sequins, Sly Johnson, Darrell Fletcher and Gene Chandler. I had also an opportunity to get to know Gene Chandler because he was good friends with "Merri Dee", who had a Jazz tv show on WCIU, of which I was also the director. Her jazz guests were, The Judy Roberts Trio, Clarence Wheeler and the Enforcers and Ramsey Lewis Trio. When you think back Soul Train should have never left Chicago moving it to California. Look at Opra, she syndicated right here from Chicago and has been very successful. Everyone looks at California as the trend setter, that is why I think people compare Soul Train to American Bandstand, both moved from their home base.

Drew Leach, thank you for your comments about your experience with Soul Train. I think it's pretty cool that you were a part of tv and music history and are posting about it. I hope you post more often, including in the forums.

I remember watching it in the 70's and while I'm not sure I was a regular viewer at that time (those days are hazy for me)I remember many of my friends and relatives of both black and white watching. If I recall, Soul Train tended to have more "hip" artists at that time then American Bandstand, which if I recall was starting to play a lot of middle of the road acts.

I do remember a sad fact though and to some of my then racist neighbors if an act appeared on Soul Train they were deemed "black" and not good. I remember seeing Elton John play Bennie and the Jets on Soul Train and I really liked that song. However I was at my friend's house and when it came on WLS she turned it off saying we couldn't listen to songs that were on Soul Train. This bothers me so many years ago because I was raised with the idea that good music knows no race. My parents hated racism big time and told me never to judge by color. I never have in any respect. My parents, especially my dad had a lot of soul/R&B music so to me it's like anything, some good, some bad. I like to think my neighbors really missed out on a lot.

Anyway, I am surprised that they would play Bread. To me they seemed definitely too middle of the road for Soul Train. I remember besides Elton John seeing David Bowie and Duran Duran on Soul Train and in fact there is a Duran Duran documentary called Two To Get Ready where they are discussing going on Soul Train. I found this especially odd when it happened because it was 1986 or 1987 at a time when hip hop was starting to be big and the idea of a group like Duran Duran being on Soul Train was from what I've heard not especially popular. I do understand though David Bowie playing Fame on Soul Train because it had a disco type beat though Bowie wasn't a disco act himself.

Those are just my experiences as a music fanatic but I'm sure having worked there it's was very surreal.

I never could understand Grounhog Day. Every year we expect the groundhog to see its shadow to forecast the weather, but it cannot see the Chevy Blazer in time to get the hell off of the Stevenson Expressway.

All Original first run Soul Train programs were "Live", five days a week. Although we recorded the show on Tuesdays, I remember we would play back that weeks show on Saturday and not sure but I thought we also played it again on Sunday. Sunday were my day off, although I would come in to direct the Lithuanian
and Our Heritage program Sunday evening by special request by the producer.
The voice over which for Soul Train. which I know when it premiered was that of Roy Wood. Roy was the original Black View of News announcer. I not sure which radio station he came from, but I do know he was the person who guided Don in the radio field. If anything, I think Don was deeply appreciative of Roy. who really helped guide him, so I'm assuming that the voice of Roy was used all the time.
I left WCIU , February of 1971, so I 'm not knowledgeable about the continuation the show on WCIU. I know no tapes probably exist from the original shows. I never had an air check saved for myself for future use. As I left WCIU I always felt it had something to do with the syndication of the show since I was the one who produced the format of the program. It was left as a mutual agreement saying I couldn't get along with the engineers. Which was false, since we were a approximately the same age and hung out together. The other producers from the Lithuanian Show, the Polish Variety Hour and the Marty Faye Show all tried to get me my job back to no avail. After moving back home to South Bend, I still had some connection with Soul Train, as helping produce, with the Lithuanian producer, commercials for Metro Music of Chicago. I set up the production at WSBT-Tv and all talent would come to South Bend to record these commercials on Sunday, in color, to aired in the syndicated programs of Soul Train.
The first advertiser after the premier was Sears record department and I also still have one of the actual scripts, plus the beginning of Soul Trains record library that I started from the first airing of the show. Just a note the only song played by a white group at that time on the show was Bread, "Make it with you" Bit of trivia.

Lester Holt apparently came to WBBM from New York sister station WCBS Channel 2; on YouTube there is a clip of him co-anchoring a weekend edition of their news from 1985-86. As for Woody - he seemed (or seems) to be one of the many local groundhogs across the country that predicted the weather, while the designated national rodent is Punxsutawney Phil in PA. (In the NYC area, the local rodent that predicts the weather every Groundhog Day is Staten Island Chuck, who got into the news two years ago when he bit Mayor Michael Bloomberg.)