The face and voice of an angel belonged to the untouchable Minnie Riperton.  Best known for her ballad “Lovin’ You” in 1975 it was evident that extensive vocal training in her younger years paid off when she discovered a hidden gem; her 5 octave range.

Born in Chicago in 1947, Minnie Riperton had a prowess for the arts as she studied ballet and modern dance, but all the while her passion laid in singing.  At the age of 19, she signed her first recording contract with the Gems. In 1967, she sang with the Rotary Connection; an experimental Rock band.  Riperton’s musical catalogue also includes singing back up for several industry heavyweights including Quincy Jones, Etta James, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin.

Born to lead, Riperton became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society in 1976, following her bout with breast cancer.  Before succumbing to the disease in 1979, she put a face to the disease, prompting awareness and hope.—Tiffany L. Reeves

http://www.vimeo.com/6443823

Check out the classic Soul Train tribute to Minnie Riperton today at 12 PM EST only on Centric

The Dramatics may not have been filled with a ton of drama, but they definitely were a group that graced any stage that they were on with amazing songs, choreography, and most importantly: a whole lot of soul.

These six men joined forces in Detroit, Michigan in 1967, but they didn’t find commercial success until the 1970’s with their top ten hits “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” and “In The Rain.”  Their work was so instrumental in music history that they were guests on Snoop Dogg’s 1993 single “Doggy Dog World” and 2002’s “Ballin’.

Outside of working with Snoop Dogg, The Dramatics have remained a major part of our culture by having a legacy that lives on through soundtracks for the films Sunday Driver, Wattstax, and the Don Cheadle 2007 film Talk to Me.

To catch The Dramatics at their best, tune in to Soul Train today at 11PM  and 12 AM EST only on Centric.

Soul Train is known for exposing the talents of musicians coming from all genres spanning from R&B, hip-hop, and pop, but all of these genres found origin in the style that birthed a movement: Blues.

One of those talents was Johnny “Guitar” Watson. The legendary bluesman released over two dozen albums during his career that spanned over four decades.

Watson was born in Houston, TX with music in his veins. By the time he was 15, he and his mother had moved to L.A. and he immediately made a name for himself performing in local talent shows.  After performing at a ton of juke joints on the West Coast and being billed as “Young Johnny Watson,” he decided to change his name to “Johnny Guitar” in 1954.

As blues made the transition into R&B and soul, Johnny didn’t change his musical style, but he made some changes to his wardrobe—by dressing like a pimp.  His fashion sense started rumors about him being a musician by day and a pimp by night, but Johnny insisted that it was just his style and not his occupation.

His hit songs include, “Superman Lover,” “A Real Mother For You,” and 1978’s “Gangster of Love.”

In 1996 Johnny ‘Guitar’ Walker died suddenly mid-performance in Yokohama, Japan.  To catch this blues legend at his best tune in today at 12 PM EST for “Soul Train” only on Centric.

After 10 years of angelic sounds of praise, BET’s “Celebration of Gospel” is still going strong.

Originally airing in January, 2010’s “Celebration of Gospel” hosted by Steve Harvey featured performances by Fantasia, Marvin Sapp, Tarsha and Anthony Hamilton, Kelly Price, Fred Hammond, and Yolanda Adams.

Did you miss it? Thankfully for you we are showing a little mercy. Tune in today at 10 AM EST to watch and enjoy 2010’s “Celebration of Gospel.”

Also, don’t forget to catch the premiere of Centric’s new original series, “THE STEVE HARVEY PROJECT” airing tomorrow at 9PM EST.

The Notorious B.I.G. is arguably one of the greatest rappers to ever pick up a mic, and he’s quite possibly one of the most influential emcees in music history. The documentary film, “Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life” explores his life, death, and influence.

Produced in 2007, the documentary features never before seen interview footage, home movies, and interviews from Common, E-40, and Method Man; that tell the life story of the Brooklyn-bred drug dealer turned rap superstar. Narrated by fellow Hip-Hop legend Big Daddy Kane, this documentary is filled with admiration and appreciation for a not only the Notorious B.I.G, but for Christopher Wallace—the man behind the bravado.

Tune for the FLICK CENTRIC presentation of Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life at 3PM EST.

Brooklyn-based rap trio Whodini was formed in 1981, and rose to fame under the wing and watchful eye of Hip-Hop business pioneer Russell Simmons.  The platinum selling group consisted of rappers Jalil Hutchins, Ecstasy and turntablist Grandmaster Dee.

Attention Whodini fans and hip hop enthusiast, did you know…

1. Whodini was the first hip hop group to have back-up dancers as a part of their show.

2. In season two of Everybody Hates Chris, Chris was given tickets to a Whodini show.

3. Legend has it that a young Jermaine Dupri is in the video for “The Freaks Come Out At Night.”

4. Bone Thugs N Harmony remade Whodini’s song “Friends.”

5. The Alchemist sampled Whodini’s song “One Love.”

Whodini’s legacy lives on through their music and the music of all of the artists they’ve inspired. Check out Whodini on Soul Train today at 5PM EST.

Extravagant outfits, signature red hair, and an uncanny ability to tickle the ivories through the years with his signature evolutionary sound; has put Sir Elton John in a category of his own.

The UK bred singer will be releasing his thirteenth album, The Union;  with Country, Rock and Folk singer Leon Russell on October 19th. This collaboration with Russell marks a new chapter in John’s recording career, ”I don’t have to make pop records any more,” the singer told Billboard Magazine. The new effort will feature guest appearences from Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, Don Was, Neil Young and Grammy Lifetime Achievement reciepient Booker T. Jones.

Selling over 250 million records worldwide is no small feat, but it is something that John has accomplished during the course of his 45 year career.  Notable songs written, composed, and performed by this witty Englishman include, “Candle In The Wind” (dedicated to the late Princess Diana)—which has sold more than 37 million copies, “Circle of Life”, and “Benny and the Jets”.  He has also composed scores for Broadway and movie soundtracks including, “Aida”, “The Lion King”, and “Billy Elliot.”

Outside of music, Sir Elton John has dedicated a lot of his personal time to fighting the AIDS epidemic that plagues our world.

A musician, humanitarian, and a contributor to America’s musical culture, nobody will be able to duplicate Sir Elton John’s unique place in history.—Taj Chrisp/Justin Dwayne Joseph

Tune in for a performance of Elton John on a classic episode of  Soul Train at 12 PM EST only on Centric.

Establishing yourself in an industry that your older brothers and sister rule isn’t necessarily easy, but the baby boy of the DeBarge clan, Chico, stepped outside of the falsetto sound and decided to sing his own tune.

Chico is a talented singer and like other members of the DeBarge family, his talent has been overshadowed by addiction and problems with the law.  In 2003 after getting stabbed, Chico became addicted to perscription painkillers which led to his addiction to heroin.  This issue as well as his time in prison has never been a secret because he’s always been open and honest with fans through his interviews and his music.

Chico is the proud father of six children and released an album under Kedar Entertainment Group entitled Addiction in 2009.

Catch Chico’s classic episode of Soul Train today at 12 PM EST

After completing a three year jail sentence for tax evasion earlier this year, R&B Legend Ron Isley (AKA Mr. Biggs) is back to business. Following last month’s release of his cover of the Burt Bacharach classic 1963 tune ”(They Long to Be) Close to You” with Lauryn Hill; Isley will be receiving the award for Lifetime Achievement at the 2010 Soul Train Awards this November.  

Before shooting to solo stardom, the Ohio native started out as the lead singer of the The Isley Brothers in the late 1950’s.  Even though the brotherly collective are best known for their soul tunes, they originally started out as a gospel group and later doo-wop.

After recording over 25 albums alongside his brothers, Ron Isley has continued to be a relavent artist throughout the 90’s and 00’s via five hit albums; and frequent collaborations with R. Kelly (most notably in “Contagious”), Warren G., and UGK.  His success in the music industry for over five decades speaks volumes about his ability to translate his artistry amongst every generation.

Dont forget to tune in for Soul Train Awards 2010 on November 28, 2010 only on Centric. Catch classic episodes of Soul Train daily at 12 PM EST.

With an arsenal of signature sassy tunes coupled with an “unorthodox” appearance, TLC paved the way for R&B female groups throughout the 90’s and early 00’s. The seamless chemistry of Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas—not to mention their undeniable sex appeal—catapulted the girls to the top of the charts. 

Their first album, Oooooooh… On The TLC Tip, set the blue-print for the successful formula. Released in 1992, the project was a fusion of girl power, unique fashion sense (condom eye-patches anyone?), and underlying messages of positivity amongst women; moved the album to go 4x platinum in the United States. Though the first album did extremely well, the 1994 follow-up CrazySexyCool eclipsed that success. CSC spawned two number one hit singles, “Waterfalls” and “Creep” and was the only album—by a female group—to get a diamond certification (10 million albums sold) selling 22 million worldwide, 11 million of which were sold in the states. After some financial and label issues, the group wouldn’t release their third CD Fanmail until 1999. The 6x platinum album produced two number one Billboard Chart singles “No Scrubs” and “UnPretty.”

Sadly, just before the release of TLC’s fourth studio album,3D,  Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes died in a car crash while doing missionary work in Honduras.  After the tragedy T-Boz and Chilli decided to release the album, but poor sales and minimal success, made it evident that TLC wouldn’t be able to survive the tragedy. 

Peep the throwback video below and don’t forget to catch the documentary film Last Days of Lisa Lopes tonight at 7PM EST only on Centric.