Soul Train was a long-running TV show that featured live music and dancing and aired from 1971-2006. As well as soul and R&B, the show featured a wide variety of jazz, hip-hop, pop, and dance music. The show was immensely popular and showcased a mix of up-and-comers and some of the most prolific musicians of all time.
Many of the show's guests have either faded into obscurity or sky-rocketed to the A-list, with some even leaving music behind and finding more success on screen, like Ricky Gervais did. Here are 10 of the show's guests who may surprise you.
10 Pam Grier
Much like Robert Forster, the beautiful and charismatic Pam Grier is best known for her iconic performance in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown. But like many of Tarantino's stars, the film only revived an already impressive movie career.
Grier was already a 70s blaxploitation legend, most notably for her turn as Foxy Brown. She seemed to enjoy her spot on the show, hosting, and dancing alongside Richard Pryor.
9 David Bowie
David Bowie is one of the most prestigious and celebrated pop stars of all time and was already one of the biggest names in music in 1975 when he appeared on the show, performing 'Fame' and 'Golden Years' and doing a Q&A with the audience.
He lip-synched, but the performance was incredibly dynamic and cool and was a big hit with the audience. The highlight has to be the first minute of 'Fame', as he wordlessly swans around the stage to the groove.
8 Cheech & Chong
Cheech and Chong were the original stoner comedians. As well as their musical and cinematic achievements, they were primarily a stand-up comedy duo, which is what they brought to Soul Train in 1978.
The duo split in the late 80s, but each has had a consistent career in film and TV since then, with both still working on new projects.
7 Destiny's Child
Beyoncé has since become such a huge star that it's easy to forget about her relatively humble beginnings with pop trio Destiny's Child, with their unique, iconic sound and contentious Christmas album. But for a time, they were one of the most popular pop groups around.
Destiny's Child appeared on the show in 1998, as the show moved away from the jazzy and the funky towards the hippy and the hoppy. They performed "With Me," while the camera watched on from a much lower angle than most male acts would get ...
6 Shaquille O'Neal
Popular sports personality and basketball royalty Shaquille O'Neal has become an even more relevant pop-culture figure since he retired, with multiple film and TV appearances.
The millennial audience may be surprised to learn he was also a rapper, and even more surprised to learn he was actually pretty good. It was this incarnation of Shaq who appeared on Soul Train, as 'Shaquille O'Neal Feat. Peter Gunz'.
5 Jamie Foxx
While Jamie Foxx is primarily known as a celebrated actor, his talent as a musician remains part of the package, as seen in 2004's Ray.
Many will remember Foxx calling Barack Obama "Our Lord and Saviour" while hosting the 2012 Soul Train Music Awards, but Foxx's first appearance on the show was way back in 1996, cutting shapes with Mo Que.
4 Elton John
Elton John is one of the most acclaimed pop-icons of all time and has been since before Soul Train began.
The Kickass 2 alumnus and composer of the acclaimed The Lion King soundtrack appeared on the show in 1975, performing "Philadelphia Freedom" and "Bennie and the Jets," dressed spectacularly of course.
3 DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
These days, one half of this duo is a little more famous than the other, since Men In Black launched Will Smith's world-beating Hollywood career, but back during Smith's tenure as The Fresh Prince, the duo released five albums, as well as created the iconic opening theme to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
The duo first appeared on Soul Train in 1991, and performed "Summertime." Will Smith would later return to the show in 2000 as a solo artist, performing "Will-2K" featuring K-CI.
2 Grace Jones
Grace Jones is many things, including model, actor, singer, songwriter, record producer, and trendsetter. These days, the Jamaican is known primarily for her work as a model, with some lasting street cred from her turn as a secondary Bond villain in A View To A Kill, where she was paired with Christopher Walken to form one of the most sexually intimidating couples of all time.
She also found success as an avant-garde pop-star in the 80s, with music that fused ideas from several popular genres of the time. She first appeared on the show in 1986, and performed "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect For You)".
1 Sinbad
Sinbad is another stand-up comedian who made a name for himself in Hollywood in the 90s with the likes of Jingle All The Way and Good Burger, and even showed up as himself in a riotous episode of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia in 2008.
He appeared multiple times on Soul Train, dancing with Mo Que in 1993 and presenting the Marvin Gaye/Curtis Mayfield Hall Of Fame Tribute in 1995.
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