My Fav.Soul Train Dancer "Damita Jo Freeman" Joins James Brown On Stage

[Dayna]

Damita Jo Freeman was always my favorite Soul Train Dancer..
here she is on stage with the legendary James Brown..

YouTube - Damita Jo Freeman & James Brown 

[remicks]

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Funny Dayna .... as soon as you said "favorite Soul Train dancer" this is the person I immediately visualized too .... even though I hadn't thought of her in a hundred years ... since the shows aired ... and never knew her name.
She was always the one to watch wasn't she ....

For whatever reason I have a vivid recollection of her dancing on stage while Joe Tex performed I GOT 'CHA .....she bobbing around the stage as if avoiding his advances .... this image embedded firmly in my brain as if I'd seen it a hundred times ...but how would that be possible ????



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[Dayna]

Originally Posted by remicks

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Funny Dayna .... as soon as you said "favorite Soul Train dancer" this is the person I immediately visualized too .... even though I hadn't thought of her in a hundred years ... since the shows aired ... and never knew her name.
She was always the one to watch wasn't she ....

For whatever reason I have a vivid recollection of her dancing on stage while Joe Tex performed I GOT 'CHA .....she bobbing around the stage as if avoiding his advances .... this image embedded firmly in my brain as if I'd seen it a hundred times ...but how would that be possible ????



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She was always my vision when I thought of Soul Train too,
I would watch Soul Train every Saturday right after Tarzan then after Soul Train was Lost In Space,, haha,Damita Jo also starred in Private Benjamin With Goldie Hawn.. She was the only reason I watched the movie...

[Simon White]

You guys were lucky...the UK rarely saw anything of 'Soul Train' ...unless my minds playing tricks we got an occasional glimpse on the odd TV programme. British TV was pretty much a US Black music desert in the 70's apart from the homegrown stuff. We certainly didn't see Joe Tex doing 'I Gotcha' (didn't Liza Minelli do the song as well?) but we probably got 'Ain't Gonna Bump No More (with No Big Fat Woman)'
We did have a UK version in the 80's but it wasn't too great.

[DISCODISK]

Originally Posted by Simon White

We did have a UK version in the 80's but it wasn't too great.

far too much mai tai and the cool notes
i have all these on tape looking back theres some good stuff in there i was watching some episodes and was well surprised

damita jo was there almost from the beginning i have the very fist show she may even have been on that ill have to check just found another clip


YouTube - SoulTrainDance71=

[remicks]

Originally Posted by Simon White

You guys were lucky...the UK rarely saw anything of 'Soul Train' ...unless my minds playing tricks we got an occasional glimpse on the odd TV programme. British TV was pretty much a US Black music desert in the 70's apart from the homegrown stuff. We certainly didn't see Joe Tex doing 'I Gotcha'

This isolation probably played a big factor in facilitating that early 70’s trend to instead focus on discarded 60's stuff over reveling in the momentous soul music of the day.


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[Simon White]

Originally Posted by remicks

This isolation probably played a big factor in facilitating that early 70’s trend to instead focus on discarded 60's stuff over reveling in the momentous soul music of the day.


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Remicks, where do you get the energy from ? I had a cousin like you. The whole family just smiled and indulged him.

[Simon White]

Originally Posted by DISCODISK

far too much mai tai and the cool notes
i have all these on tape looking back theres some good stuff in there i was watching some episodes and was well surprised

damita jo was there almost from the beginning i have the very fist show she may even have been on that ill have to check just found another clip


YouTube - SoulTrainDance71=

Discodisk, are you looking at the UK version or the US version? I had some UK episodes on tape from the time and I think one of them was Mai Tai !
My abiding memory is of Shalamars Jeffrey Daniels bobbing around in the background though.

[remicks]

Originally Posted by Simon White

Remicks, where do you get the energy from ? I had a cousin like you. The whole family just smiled and indulged him.

Hey aren't you as a hall monitor supposed to be guarding against hit and run posts like this that take personal jabs at members ?....

But if you want me in the family ......just think of me more as a (slightly) older and much wiser big brother ......

--- You’re not the least bit intrigued Simon as to the pop psyche behind what would lead a dance movement to retreat to second rate songs of the sixties right in the midst of the musically inventive times of the early seventies ?????
My point is their lack of exposure via such things as soul radio stations and TV shows like SOUL TRAIN that we had in the US at the time might help in part to explain it : ... maybe they just didn’t know any better …..

When you’ve got a torrent of new stuff by Kool and the Gang …. Ohio Players …..Spinners …Temptations …. James Brown ... Al Green ....Isley Bros … as well as from Holland/ Dozier /Holland themselves to groove to ….
it is hard to fathom preferring yesteryear songs that sound like poor imitations of Petula Clark’s DOWNTOWN ....... …………......................................... .... (isn’t it ????)





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[DISCODISK]

Originally Posted by Simon White

Discodisk, are you looking at the UK version or the US version? I had some UK episodes on tape from the time and I think one of them was Mai Tai !
My abiding memory is of Shalamars Jeffrey Daniels bobbing around in the background though.

i think on all of them were mai tai and the cool notes 'in my car' it was said at the time about the only place the cool notes didnt do a p.a was in their car yes im talking the u.k show[though when i mention damita i mean the u.s show], its funny what you say about daniels i remember he was getting slated for hosting that show i dont see what the problem was

[buckaroo]

Originally Posted by Simon White

Discodisk, are you looking at the UK version or the US version? I had some UK episodes on tape from the time and I think one of them was Mai Tai !
My abiding memory is of Shalamars Jeffrey Daniels bobbing around in the background though.

Yes yes!! The UK version of Soul Train was considered so dire, that Don Cornelius' company revoked their licence to make anymore. Apparently.

I'd love to see 'em again. Solid Soul too.

[DISCODISK]

Originally Posted by buckaroo

Yes yes!! The UK version of Soul Train was considered so dire, that Don Cornelius' company revoked their licence to make anymore. Apparently.

I'd love to see 'em again. Solid Soul too.

they are not so dire with the passing of time theres some surprises in there one day when i have time ill post up the episodes here i still have them all , i dont think don revoked the licence they just wernt allowed to use the u.s clips anymore he probibly got scared incase they used the one with him walking the soul train line

[Simon White]

Originally Posted by buckaroo

Yes yes!! The UK version of Soul Train was considered so dire, that Don Cornelius' company revoked their licence to make anymore. Apparently.

I'd love to see 'em again. Solid Soul too.

"Solid Soul" ? I don't remember that ! What was it?

[SandraDee]

Originally Posted by Simon White

"Solid Soul" ? I don't remember that ! What was it?

There was a show called 'Solid Gold'. It featured the 'solid gold dancers' I believe.

[Disco Funk]

Yeah, she was pretty cool. I can't get enough of the Soul Train line dances. Too bad they're hard to find on Youtube with Don's production company having them pulled down faster than they go up.

I prefer the early years, when the dancers were doing the robot and locking.

Here's a video showing how the dance styles changed on Soul Train:

ST Dance

Disco Funk