*The Soul Train Awards are returning to Chicago and BET this November, bringing the celebration back to the city where Don Cornelius first launched a television phenomenon that would transform Black music, dance, fashion and entertainment.
For Tony Cornelius, longtime television producer, entertainment executive and son of the late Soul Train creator, the homecoming carries another dimension. He didn’t simply grow up around Soul Train. He worked inside the operation his father built, learning television production from the ground up and eventually moving into executive leadership.
EURweb previously reported that the Soul Train Awards will air Friday, Nov. 27, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET, returning after the ceremony did not air in 2024 or 2025. This year’s show heads back to Chicago, where the original “Soul Train” began more than five decades ago.
More Than a Music and Dance Show
“As the Soul Train Awards return, this is an opportunity to celebrate the incredible artists who continue to move our culture forward while also remembering the vision that made this platform possible,” Tony says. “Soul Train was created to give artists a place to be seen, heard and celebrated. That vision continues to matter.”
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That vision became much bigger than a Saturday television destination.
Tony began working with Soul Train as a teenager, initially as a production assistant before moving through production and executive roles. His career included work as a producer and executive in charge of production and later as senior vice president and general manager, with responsibilities spanning production, marketing, distribution, budgets and the extensive Soul Train archives.
“People sometimes look at Soul Train as just a music and dance show, but it was much bigger than that,” Tony says. “My father built an infrastructure around the program.”
That infrastructure helped turn Don Cornelius’ idea into a nationally syndicated platform that gave Black performers extraordinary television exposure while influencing generations of viewers.
The Soul Train Awards grew from that foundation, creating another major showcase dedicated to honoring Black music and entertainment.
@tea.after.50 ☕️✨ GRAB YOUR CUPS because LOVE, PEACE & SOUL is BACK! 🕺🏾💃🏾🎶 After a 3-year hiatus, the Soul Train Awards are returning! 🙌🏾 And this time, they’re heading back to where the Soul Train journey began — CHICAGO! 🔥 Baby, when I tell you this one is for the GROWN FOLKS! 😂❤️ Old-school legends, new-school stars, R&B, soul and hopefully a Soul Train line that’ll have our knees reminding us we’re over 50! 😩😂 📺 November 27, 2026 🎤 Soul Train Awards 📍 Chicago ✨ And for the first time, the show will also air on CBS! Now Tea Family, I need to know: 👇🏾 Who NEEDS to perform at the comeback show? Give me your DREAM lineup! I’m talking old-school AND new-school! 🎤🔥 #TeaAfter50 #SoulTrainAwards #SoulTrain #RnB #OldSchoolRnB ♬ original sound – United Revival
Respect the Past, Then Move Forward
Tony’s approach to preserving his father’s creation isn’t about keeping Soul Train frozen in another era.
“You can’t live in the past. You have to respect the past, learn from it and move forward,” he says.
One place where that philosophy has become tangible is the Soul Train Cruise, where Tony serves as host and gets something television could never quite provide: days of direct interaction with fans who grew up with the show.
“The Soul Train Cruise has become another way for me to connect with the audience,” Tony says. “I’m able to host, interact with guests and hear their stories. We spend seven days on the ship dedicated to Love, Peace and Soul.”
Produced by StarVista LIVE, the cruise experience brings together R&B and soul performers, musicians, DJs, comedians and original Soul Train Dancers alongside fans who have carried their affection for the franchise across generations.
“Music has a way of bringing people together,” Tony says. “The artists, the audience and the stories we hear on the ship all give me another perspective on what Soul Train means to people.”
Soul Train Takes Its Legacy to Sea
The Fall Soul Train Cruise sails Nov. 7-14, 2026, from Fort Lauderdale with stops at Half Moon Cay, Montego Bay and Amber Cove. The current lineup includes Johnny Gill, En Vogue, The Temptations, Morris Day & The Time, The Whispers, Lalah Hathaway and The Commodores, among others, with Tony serving as cruise host. The sailing is currently sold out, with a waitlist available through the Fall Soul Train Cruise.
The next Soul Train Cruise sails Feb. 14-21, 2027, from Fort Lauderdale to Aruba and Curaçao aboard Celebrity Silhouette. The lineup includes The Isley Brothers, Stephanie Mills, Maze, Patrice Rushen, Evelyn “Champagne” King, The Chi-Lites and others, with Tony again serving as host. That sailing is also currently sold out, with a waitlist available through the Soul Train Cruise.
For Tony, however, the cruises aren’t simply another extension of a familiar brand. They’re a chance to experience firsthand what his father’s creation still means to people decades later.
A Father, a Son and an Enduring Cultural Institution
Tony’s relationship with Soul Train ultimately remains personal.
He worked within Don Cornelius Productions, witnessed the business behind the television magic and today serves as president and founder of the Don Cornelius Foundation while continuing his involvement with the Soul Train legacy.
Now the Soul Train Awards are coming back to the place where his father started it all.
BET President Louis Carr, himself a Chicago native, described the return as a way of bringing the community together while connecting the artists who built the music with those carrying it forward.
For Tony Cornelius, that bridge between generations is also the assignment.
His father built Soul Train for one era. Tony’s challenge is preserving what Don Cornelius created without allowing that history to become merely a museum piece.
The television landscape has changed. The music business has changed. The audience has changed.
But Tony’s guiding principle remains remarkably simple: honor where Soul Train came from, understand what made it matter — and keep the train moving.
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