Another Chicago Invention: Soul Train

Soul Train debuted on WCIU in Chicago on 8/17/70.  Don Cornelius wanted a show that show cased the positive side of a group that was always portrayed as negative in MSM.  Not only did he achieve that goal but he also unwittingly provided the launching pad for pop locking, breakdancing, the robot and the infamous moon walk originally created by Jeffrey Daniel on the show.  Awesome.

In The 80's

I was doing some research for 80's food products that no longer exist and found this site:

http://inthe80s.com/

I love all things 80's so this site is getting added as a blog post.

It has a section dedicated to cereal:
http://www.inthe80s.com/cereal/

And toys from the 80s!
http://www.inthe80s.com/toys/index.shtml

What a great site.

Don't Forget About Quincy Jones

With the media mania surrounding Michael Jackson's death, I've heard very little about Quincy Jones, the man behind the music. If you don't already know, Quincy produced the Thriller album. Otherwise known as the biggest selling album of all time. He was behind all the songs that everybody dances to: Thriller, Billy Jean and Beat-It. Play one and try not to dance or sing along. Jones came up with the basslines that make everybody want to dance. They're creepy and soulfull at the same time. Who could forget about Vincent Price's voice?? He used a drum machine and made it sound like a real drummer with rolls and snare hits that were a welcome addition. All of it in perfect synchronicity. Not only with itself but with the 80's. It was a great sound that mixed a bit of the 70's with the "future" of the 80's sound. It paved the way for all music afterwards.

And he was born in Chicago giving this whole story a home town connection.