The Hippest Trip in America: Soul Train and the Evolution of Culture & Style

by Nelson George

An authoritative history of the groundbreaking syndicated television show that has become an icon of American pop culture, from acclaimed author and filmmaker Nelson George, “the most accomplished black music critic of his generation” (Washington Post Book World).

When it debuted in October 1971, seven years after the Civil Rights Act, Soul Train boldly went where no variety show had gone before, showcasing the cultural preferences of young African-Americans and the sounds that defined their lives: R&B, funk, jazz, disco, and gospel music. The brainchild of radio announcer Don Cornelius, the show’s producer and host, Soul Train featured a diverse range of stars, from James Brown and David Bowie to Christina Aguilera and R. Kelly; Marvin Gaye and Elton John to the New Kids on the Block and Stevie Wonder.

The Hippest Trip in America tells the full story of this pop culture phenomenon that appealed not only to blacks, but to a wide crossover audience as well. Famous dancers like Rosie Perez and Jody Watley, performers such as Aretha Franklin, Al Green, and Barry White, and Cornelius himself share their memories, offering insights into the show and its time—a period of extraordinary social and political change. Colorful and pulsating, The Hippest Trip In America is a fascinating portrait of a revered cultural institution that has left an indelible mark on our national consciousness.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Pop Culture, African American, Tv, American History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 28, 2014

About the author

Nelson George is an author, filmmaker, television producer, and critic with a long career in analyzing and presenting the diverse elements of African-American culture.

Queen Latifah won the Golden Globe for playing the lead in his directorial debut, the HBO movie 'Life Support'. The critically acclaimed drama looked at the effects of HIV on a troubled black family in his native Brooklyn, New York. He recently co-edited, with Alan Leeds, 'The James Brown Reader (Plume)', a collection of previously published articles about the Godfather of Soul that date as far back the late '50s. Plume published the book in May '08.

He is an executive producer on two returning cable shows: the third season of BET's American Gangster and the fifth airing of VH1's Hip Hop Honors. George is the executive producer of the Chris Rock hosted feature documentary, Good Hair, a look at hair weaves, relaxers and the international black hair economy that's premiering at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.


Nelson George serves as host of Soul Cities, a travel show that debuted in November 2008. on VH1 Soul. Nelson visited Los Angeles, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Memphis, New Orleans and the Bay Area. He eats food, visits historic sites, and hears lots of music. LaBelle, Robin Thicke, Babyface, Rafael Saadiq, Angie Stone and Jazmine Sullivan are among the many artists who talked with Nelson and perform. The second season starts shooting in Spring 2009.

Throughout the '80s and '90s George was an columnist for Billboard magazine and the Village Voice newspaper, work that led him to write a series of award winning black music histories: 'Where Did Our Love Go: The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound'; 'The Death of Rythm & Blues'; and 'Hip Hop America'. He won a Grammy for his contribution to the linear notes package on the James Brown 'Star Time' boxed set. George co-wrote 'Life and Def', the autobiography of his old friend Russell Simmons. He's also had a career writing fiction, including the bestselling 'One Woman Short', and the story, 'It's Never Too Late in New York', which has been in several anthologies of erotica.

As a screenwriter George co-wrote 'Strictly Business', which starred Halle Berry, and 'CB4', a vehicle for Chris Rock. His work with Rock led to his involvement with 'The Chris Rock Show', an Emmy award winning HBO late night series. He was an executive producer of Jim McKay's film, 'Everyday People', which premiered at the Sundance festival, and Todd Williams' Peabody award winning documentary 'The N Word'. In 2009 Viking will publish his memoir, 'City Kid', a look at the connections between childhood in Brooklyn and his adult career in Manhattan, Los Angeles and Detroit.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hippest Trip in America: Soul Train the Evolution of Culture & Style by Nelson George is a 2014 William Morrow publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
This book is like a companion book for the highest rated VH1 rock documentary by the same name. In honor of Black History Month the documentary explored the humble beginnings of Soul Train all the way to the end of the show and sadly the death of Don Cornelius. This is a very good documentary and if you ever have a chance to locate it I do recommend you watch it.
This book compliments everything we saw in the documentary with interviews and photos and aims the focus more on the show itself and the dancers in particular. This was a great angle to explore. Instead of rehashing the history of the 1970's and giving us technical details of business transactions, this book zeroes in on the entertainment value of the show and the massive impact it had on clothing, hair styles , dance trends, marketing geared toward blacks and opening doors for many to cross over into careers of their own.
As a child I was not allowed to stay up past a certain time so it wasn't until I was in my teens that I had the chance to watch Soul Train. I got in on the tail end of the great soul and funk music of the seventies but the disco transition was nearly complete. I didn't watch the show all that often. It came on Saturday afternoons and if I happened to be home at that time of day and thought about it I would tune in. Now all these years later I really wish I had paid more attention.
I read a book not all that long ago all about Soul Train and that book was nearly encyclopedic, extremely well documented and researched. At that time I got on the internet and began looking through videos for Soul Train and ended up spending hours watching the old clips from various eras of time.
The Nelson George book I am reviewing here, listed certain dancers and controversies that had me going back and looking up specific details and videos. Rosie Perez and Jody Whatley are some of the more recognizable names. Again ,I have found myself enjoying the performances and the line dances once more. While not filled with a detailed list of performers and dancers or anything along those lines, this book highlights the points that pop culture will remember the most. There are many quotes and interview excerpts from the people on the show and from Don Cornelius himself.
Don Cornelius is still somewhat of an enigma. He wanted Soul Train to show blacks in a positive light and made a diligent effort to keep the show clean. He frowned on provocative clothes and certain dance moves that could be considered suggestive. He was a very disciplined man, serious, private, perhaps a little aloof. He suffered with many health issues and it is very sad that his life ended in such a way.
The influence Don and Soul Train had on pop culture and the impact it had in opening doors for black performers to cross over into mainstream in immeasurable. It angered and saddened me to know that performers poked fun at Don in his later years and parodied Soul Train in an unflattering way. If it were not for the vision and tenacity of Don Cornelius I don't know how long it would have taken for black performers to break out into television, movies, and have their music universally recognized. Surely, a little respect is due and I do hope that the show can be rebooted in order to touch a whole new generation of people.
A fun book that gives us a point of view unique to the dancers and the impact the show had on their lives and continues to have for many. I had a lot of fun reading it and now I am off to look through more videos to go along with this review when I post it on my blog. This one gets 4 stars.

[Andre(Read-A-Lot) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Nelson George and also of Soul Train, so I was certainly expecting fire. Instead I got a tiny spark. I think he gives the reader a good feel for the importance of the phenomenon that was Soul Train. But it is done in a very surface manner. The book never gets deep, it isn't a bold effort by George that seeks to go beyond the shallow waters of Soul Train history.

We don't learn much about the personal live of Don Cornelius, even though by all accounts he was an extraordinary individual, with a sharp business acumen.
We do get profiles of some of the dancers that fans of the show will recognize by description, as the absence of many pictures is a glaring omission. Now don't get me wrong, as an avid reader I don't generally crack a book looking for photos, but it is a necessity when you are trying to describe a dancer that most fans probably saw in the late 70's or early 80's, so we're talking 34-37 years. A photo as a reminder would be helpful, instead Nelson refers readers to You Tube to experience the moments he writes about. This is an example of glossing over information that ultimately hurts the book.

He writes that the holy trinity of Soul Train was music, dance and fashion. But Nelson George only gives lip service to the fashion and even arguably the dance. There are some interesting tidbits, but frustratingly not explored thoroughly. Of course we hear all about the great musicians that graced the Soul Train stage, and some behind the scene looks. All said I think the book could have been much better, but in the final analysis it is an ok read, and a memorable trip down the Soul Train line. Love, peace and Sooooouuull!

[Readersaurus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, the mornings in front of the tv with my big sister and a bowl of seventies sugar cereal! I didn't know why the show was cool but she thought it was and that made it so. Soooooul Train.

Nelson George takes us back to the 1970s, following the evolution of Soul Train as a local Chicago show with regular teenagers dancing to the music they loved to the LA phenomenon with smooth dancers, incredible wardrobes, and already-famous music acts asking to be allowed on.

The first half of the book is more fun, with George putting Soul Train into context as one of the earliest regular opportunities for black Americans to be on television being themselves and being shown in an entirely positive light. He also touches on soul music, disco, and American regional trends in dance styles. The dancer interviews are fun and endearing -- Many of Soul Train's dancers started out young - as young as 14 - and later made careers as dancers and choreographers for music videos, musical theater, and movies.

As the book moves forward in time into the 80s, the focus is more on business successes and losses, bad performances by artists who should have known better, the move in our country towards corporate everything, and the rift between old (soul and funk) school and new (rap, hip hop, and especially sexually or violently explicit songs) school musicians and promoters. Don Cornelius' testimony in the House of Representatives on the question of a ratings system for music recordings is interesting reading.

I'll agree with those reviewers who lament the paucity of photographs, and the choice to go with b & w. Fortunately, you can supplement with the internet. Soul Train has a website and you can buy a 'best of' DVD compilation, 130 performances on 9 DVDs!

Read it for the memories. Read it for the photographs of fabulous fashion over the last 30 years. Make sure you look up the dance moves and songs on you tube! And, if you need more, Questlove has written his own Soul Train book.

[Ariya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This rating should really be 2.5 stars. I gave it three stars because I loved Soul Train as a kid and I've admired Nelson George's other works. But, the book seems like it was not organized well (it kept jumping back and forth with no real flow to it), there were not enough photos to capture the essence of the style and fashion of Soul Train, and it seemed like George rushed to finish it (glaring typos, repetitive anecdotes, etc.) It also read as though it was originally written as a series of separate articles that were hastily put together in book form. I was disappointed to read (toward the end of the book) that most of the first-person accounts set off in block quotes (as though George personally interviewed the subjects) were actually taken from a documentary that came out a few years ago.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

How could I NOT love this book? R&B & Soul Music was what I thrived on the the 70's. I saw a special "Unsung" episdoe recently on the TV1 Network that featured this music and included a number of comments from this book's author, Nelson George. So I quickly ordered this book and one of this others, "The Death of Rhythm & Blues."
Reliving so many of the Soul Train episodes I watched in the 70's has been a real treat. George's profiles of so many of the Soul Train dancers is fascinating. This is a story of how R&B and Soul Music was brought out in the open on nationally syndicated TV for an amazing 35 years!
If you like R&B from this period and/or ever watched Soul Train, you'll love this book.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a HUGE disappointment! It read like a long manifesto of facts and lacked charm in the storytelling. We never really get a feel for Mr Cornelius as a person, and there is no narrative of his growth and development. Also, so few pictures. Every chapter or so there is a "dancer profile" where they describe at great lengths the colorful costumes, perfect hair, distinctive glasses.....but no picture. Every chapter makes mention of the clothes and the wild colors and textures.....all pictures black and white. This is neither a scholarly read nor a rollicking memoir....it drifts somewhere in a boring limbo in between.

[Ralphz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This honestly was better than I was expecting.

The story of Soul Train is the story of a changing nation in the 1970s, with music, fashion and attitudes being shaped by a newly assertive African-American community.

Memories are rich reading this book. I was a big fan of R&B and funk growing up, and those groups formed the backbone of the show. Later on, new jack swing took over (which I also enjoyed), then hip-hop.

I didn't watch Soul Train as much as I should've, but I enjoyed it when I did. I was fortunate to grow up in a majority Latino city with a strong military (and Black) presence, so the music of this show was very much the music of my city.

The book covers the musicians, the dancers and the big man himself, the host, Don Cornelius. It's not too dish-y, but has a lot of the behind-the-scenes memories you'd like to read about.

[David Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This did a good job of tracing how Soul Train began and how it evolved, and there are fun anecdotes. But there are also too many dancer profiles, and the shortage of photos is a drawback. That many of the interviews came from the VH1 doc rather than from original reporting is disappointing. So the book is a bit superficial, coming off as more of a prose tie-in to the doc than a standalone product.

[Kevin Pitchford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone interested in the history of music, fashion or dance. The book vividly details the genius, stubborn pride and happy accidents that led to "Soul Train" becoming a pop culture phenomenon. While Cornelius was the face and head of the show, George connects the dots to all who had a significant impact on Soul Train's emergence, including the dancers which Cornelius often took for granted. A truly illuminating read.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read; I had been a sporadic rather than regular viewer of Soul Train back in the day. I never knew that so many singers & actors got their start as Soul Train Dancers, so that was interesting. It seems this was written from material gathered for a VH1 special and maybe that biased me, but it did come across as kind of lightweight, even for a pop culture piece.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hippest Trip in America was a well informed and skillfully researched book on the classic dance-TV show Soul Train. Nelson George has been one of the most well-known writers and historians of Black culture since the 1980s, and so it was appropriate for him write a book on a subject that many of us Blacks hold dear.

George wrote this book in chronological order so you the reader could get an idea of how Soul Train moved along from its infant stages in the 1970s until the show went off the air for good in 2006. George interspersed stories on former dancers on the show, former artists who performed on the show, and different musical movements that were alive and well during the show's run. You can't come away from this book and not appreciate how much Soul Train influenced Black culture during its glory days and even in its not so glory days.

One of the best elements of the book was the interviews George conducted with the likes of Don Cornelius the show's creator, Jody Watley, Jeffrey Daniel, Rosie Perez, Cheryl Song and others. It sure was a nice touch for George to profile Song. For years she's been seen as the Asian girl who danced on Soul Train in the 1980s, but she was more than that. In this book I found out that she went to Dorsey High School in South Central LA, that she always had respect for Black musical culture, that her parents frowned upon the fact that she wanted to dance on Soul Train, and that she went through some tough times on the show in terms of fitting in with other dancers. And I also appreciated George for giving Perez a platform in this book to show that she was more than a caricature or pretty face in Hollywood. She was smart and she worked her tail off to get on and then stay on Soul Train back in the 1980s.

George is adept at storytelling and moving along a book with his style of writing, but the interviews he conducted in this book seriously helped this book's appeal. George is smart enough to know that you don't write books on classic subjects like Soul Train and not have interviews from those who were intimately involved with those classic subjects.

This book took off for me or got really interesting to me from page 133 and on, because that's when George started discussing the 1980s era of the show. His three-sentence scanning of why Prince never appeared on Soul Train during the glorious 1980s run of his career (page 138) is required reading for anyone who is a fan of Prince or who still wonders why the purple one never went on Soul Train during the 1980 to 1989 period.

Pros of the book: George did a good job of explaining the historical significance of Soul Train and he was on point when he objectively analyzed the ups and downs of Don Cornelius' stewardship of the show from 1970 to 1993.

Cons of the book: The New Jack Swing movement was a huge musical movement for Black culture from the late 1980s until the early 1990s. Discussion of that musical movement in this book was held to a few pages here and there. George like other writers that wrote books on Soul Train seemed to be more concerned with the 1970s era of the show, and so the 1980s and 1990s eras of the show were like bothersome younger siblings that were paid attention to for the sole purpose of keeping up with the chronological basis of the book.

In closing, The Hippest Trip in America was a well put together book on one of the most polarizing pop culture references or entities of Black culture. This book is required reading for anyone who wants to educate themselves on Soul Train and what that show meant to Black culture.

[Lisa Mcbroom · Rating 3 out of 5]

My tween and teen years were spent doing the following on Saturdays. Sleeping in til 12:30 , catching American Bandstand, and then riding the SOUUUUUUUL TRAIN!!!!!! It was the hippest trip in America. Nelson George talks about how it was a evolution of black culture!

[Hallie Yam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good and interesting information, but not super engagingly written. It read almost like a list of facts. I did really enjoy the Dancer Profiles throughout the book. It made me really want to watch the documentary.

[Darron Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was a pretty good synopsis of Soul Train and impact on entertainment and culture. I still felt like at the end that I wanted to know more about Don and the empire he built. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

[Ray Quirolgico · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mix of social history and personal recollections gives this book a semi-academic feeling, balanced with easily accessible pop culture sensibility. The ending felt like a fast-forward shortcut to avoid lingering on any tragic closing notes, but seemed rushed to conclude.

[David Player · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important part of Black History

This is amazing read. I strongly recommend to anyone who wants to understand how Soul Train show means to Black America. I grew up seeing Soul Train and I’m glad this book came to existence to share with everyone

[Artie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good book about a ground-breaking show.

[Ron Maskell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably one of my favorite Nelson George books. A lot of information and it reads well.

[Bill Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a child of the 70's this was an entertaining trip down memory lane.

[Anthony Exum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nelson George is a great writer and journalist, yet this tome leaves something to be desired. I feel as though in his haste to tell all types of stories, he fails to give a full picture of Soul Train itself. He spends too much time on the dancers. The dancers were a big part of the draw to Soul Train, but he spends three-fourths of the book talking about them. The book lacks focus, it jumps around too much.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nelson George took me behind the scenes of Soul Train from Chicago to California. As I journeyed down memory lane I was taken aback to Saturday afternoons where I learned the latest dance moves, acquired important tips on the latest styling trends and watched my favorite artists perform via lip-sync or live on television.

Through the author's words you learn all about the politics and shady deals that lead to the rise and fall of a somewhat corrupted empire. From the 70s to the turn of the century, the author incorporated anecdotes from some of the Soul Train Dancers, artists and even Mr. Don Cornelius himself, as they explained their personal experience riding down memory lane on that animated boogie train. Soul Train was definitely the hippest trip in America.

Reading this book may require the use of You Tube to identify certain dance moves, styling trends, and some of the nameless Soul Train Dancers where the author did a wonderful job placing a face with a name such as the Asian girl with the long hair (Cheryl Song) who I remember seeing a lot on the show, the Puerto Rican Firecracker from New York (Rosie Perez) and the famous dance known as waacking. I enjoyed viewing Rosie Perez working it out down the Soul Train line and Jody Watley showing me how waacking is correctly done. But I must warn you, viewing these clips on You Tube can become highly addictive as I found myself watching over a dozen or so Soul Train tappings. This is definitely a great book that will leave you reminiscing on the good times of yesteryear.

[Phil Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soul Train and Don Cornelius are an epoch in 20th century African American culture. Don's mission to bring the fantastic funk and soul music of the era to the public his way is a landmark importance. This show iconically touched millions, and still does today. The influence the program had on music, television, dance, fashion and style is immeasureable and long lasting. As a kid, I was raised on this, every Saturday, watching artists come do their hits while a swarm of terrific dancers did their thing. It was mesmerizing and funky as all get out.

That being said, this book comes across as a mixed bag of nostalgia and biography. I certainly appreciate the vibe of the book, and it really is a quick read indulgence. Some moments in the book, George addresses the struggle Cornelius made to get black produced music television on the air, other times the author interviews various dancers and their experience working on the set. It is a decent balance, but not fantastic. Some of the unnecessary bits are when he asks some random artists about their nostalgia for the show. While I guess the point of it is to let readers know the impact it made on a lot of famous people, it is not something I need to read about since I experienced it. The point here is that it not only affected rappers and DJs, but America and the world. Duely noted.

Overall, the book is a fun light read and it really REALLY make you want to watch some old episodes.

[Craig Pittman · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining look at one of the most influential TV shows ever made, but ultimately very frustrating for what the author leaves out. Nelson George does a fine job of on the chronology and context of the syndicated TV music show "Soul Train," treating readers to an in-depth look at founder-host Don Cornelius' background as well as short bios of some of the best known dancers on the show, such as the group that became known as the Lockers. But he skips over some of the things that a reader might crave most. For instance, we get nine pages on Nick Cannon, aka "Mr. Mariah Carey," who danced on the show briefly in the post-Cornelius era and later returned as a performer. But we get not one word on the background, life of or expertise of Chuck Jackson, the guy who picked which wanna-be dancers got on the show and then selected where they danced. We get two photos of Rosie Perez, who danced on the show for a short time before getting into a fight with Cornelius (and throwing a box of chicken at him) and then going off to a career as a choreographer and actress, but no pictures of some of the more important, better known dancers who were on the show much longer. George does go into some detail on how Cornelius failed to adapt to the rise of hip-hop and rap and how the show went into decline, as well as offering a theory about why Cornelius committed suicide -- a tragic end indeed for a man who ever week wished us all, "Peace, love and soooooooooul!"

[Jeff Crosby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saturday mornings in my home in rural Indiana were often filled with the sights and sounds of Don Cornelius's Soul Train television program. Originally started in Chicago and moved to Los Angeles in the early 70s, one could catch up with the latest soul/rhythm and blues artists like the O'Jays, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes and other acts of the day (usually - though not always - lip synched to the smooth sounds of the original recording). As music critic and author Nelson George aptly displays in this book, Soul Train was equal parts music, fashion and dancing - with an emphasis on the third part of the equation.

I had hoped this book would delve more into the background of the music and the artists who frequented the program than it did. (A few, such as "TSOP" by MFSB are included, but they are sparse.) Nonetheless, the book sheds light on the rise of this institution and its founder, Cornelius, and the ways in which it adapted to music and dance styles over its more than three decades on television. All of the sidebars are focused on the dancers, such as Jody Watley and Fred "Re-Run" Berry (among many others) who parlayed appearances on Soul Train into acting and musical careers of their own. An interesting book written by a journalist who had a great deal of access to the people who made Soul Train such a phenomenon for so long, including the late Cornelius.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

In an unusual twist, the television documentary was better than the book. Sure, there was more detail in the pages, but you get a much better feeling from listening to the music and seeing the dancing and costumes and glimpses of acts, than this written effort (which I don't know that came first, or was based on the show). The interviews were nice. I was however disappointed in the writing, frankly. The show was one of my treasured indulgences growing up, a white boy whose parents were quite confused with my choice of entertainment. It was here that I discovered Barry, for instance. And I cherish the show, the dance line (even if I can't bust a move), and I eagerly sought out Cheryl Song each week with her flowing raven hair.

[Joshunda Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me nostalgic for the days of the Jackson 5 cartoon and the era when Soul Train was mandatory Saturday morning viewing (with a bowl of cereal, no less). There are fascinating interviews with the dancers that made Soul Train what it was, exclusive insights from the notoriously private Don Cornelius and a palpably passionate interview with Questlove about his love for the show -- the only person who seems more in love with the cultural force that was Soul Train in the book is Nelson George. It's as educational as it is entertaining. It also reminds us what popular culture lost when it lost Cornelius.

[Shalonda Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The hippest trip was a good story about the making of soul train and its place in history. What I thinking does best is uncover why and what is soul train? Also, the discussion of the dancers was great to learn about. What I think it lacks is a real read from performers that came on the show about the importance to their career and industry folks that are identifiable and really more depth into any opposition to Soul Train by people of color for whatever reasons.

Overall a very quick read that could of been a TVOne/VH1 special except I'm sure there is little to no history of soul train in print like this so kudos for putting it on paper.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goodreads needs to add half stars. If they did, this book would have gotten 3 1/2 stars from me. It's a really fun read for anyone who loved Soul Train. The book features profiles and interviews with the show's incredible dancers, the musicians who performed on Soul Train, and fans like Questlove, who must be the biggest Soul Train fan in the world. The history of the show plays out against the background of changing times and George offers some excellent sociological insights as well. The Hippest Trip iin America is a fitting tribute to the late Don Cornelius and the legendary show that he created.

[Keely · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing. Useless stock pictures of people like Elton John. NO PICTURES OF THE DANCERS!!! A few interesting anecdotes, like the one about how Don Cornelius blew it by not allowing the great Gamble-Huff anthem TSOP be called Soul Train, which would have given MAJOR exposure and power to the show. But really falls short in providing what most readers probably would want to see. Imagine a book about American Bandstand that didn't identify any of the dancers. That's just what happened here.

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched the show as a kid and loved it. The book takes you behind the scenes, and you find out more about the dynamics between the musicians and the dancers. One of the dancers inspired the Commodores "Brick House." Quite a few of the dancers went on to become well known singers and/or dancers. The show was a great community for the musicians and dancers.

The book is an extension of VH1's documentary "The HIppest Trip in America." Don was so cool and it is great to learn more about him.