2015 has shaped up to be a celebratory year for Jill Scott, as the singer-actor marked her 15 anniversary in music, scored her second consecutive number one album and landed a role in the cast of FX's pilot “Snowfall.”
To cap off her amazing list of accomplishments, the R&B diva will be honored during this year’s annual Soul Train Awards with the ceremony’s Lady of Soul Award, which recognizes icons for their longstanding presence in the industry and influence on the world of music past and present.
During an interview with The Huffington Post, the Grammy Award winner said that she’s not only privileged and honored to receive this year’s prestigious honor, but also “at a loss for words.”
“It feels good to be recognized to be honored, to have Soul Train because it brought Soul into everyone’s house and great performances,” she said. “To have them honor me and say, ‘Hey, you’re still here, you’re still doing good, we still enjoy you, you made an impact on this industry, and on people’s lives.’ It feels nice. I’ll take it.”
The music variety show, which launched as a local television program in Chicago by former radio news announcer Don Cornelius in 1970, aired nationally from 1971 to 2006 and provided a platform for black music acts for everyone from James Brown, and Aretha Franklin to Run D.M.C. and Destiny’s Child. It became the longest running nationally syndicated music program in television history and led to the creation of the Soul Train dance line and, more recently, a forthcoming Broadway musical.
Scott recalled some of her fondest memories of Soul Train growing up in Philadelphia.
“Sitting in front of my grandmother’s television, dancing, looking at all those amazing interesting people just letting their energy flow. And soo many great performances. Artists that I had never heard about, artists that I knew about. It was like bringing the black culture into everybody’s household,” she said. “Today, you can’t even go to a wedding without doing the Soul Train line. And I just think it stands testament to what Don Cornelius’ vision was. He knew that this music was powerful. He knew that young people getting together to dance not war was a beautiful thing. And he believed it, and fought for it. And we’re still watching it.”
As part of her tribute, Scott will also give viewers a treat by performing some of her hits including, “Long Walk,” “It’s Love,” “Golden,” and “Whatever.”
Tune into Jill Scott’s tribute and more when the 2015 Soul Train Music Awards air on November 29 at 8P/7C on Centric and BET.
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