LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – An Arkansas man who voiced the distinctive opening to the 1970s hit television show “Soul Train” is now suing for royalties he says he is owed from the show.
Joe Cobb of Little Rock filed suit against Paramount Global, CBS Entertainment Group and BET in U.S. District Court in Illinois last month.
Arkansan who asked viewers to come aboard the ‘Soul Train’ now fighting for royalty checks
Cobb worked as a morning radio host in the Chicago area in the 1960s and 1970s, where he met “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius. It was Cobb’s voice asking viewers to “come aboard the Sooooooul Train” at the begging of each episode of the long-running show.
Cobb, who now owns and operates Ginger’s Popcorn Shop in Hot Springs, said that he received royalties from the use of his voice from 1971 through 2006, the length of the show’s run. He claims that after the rights to the show were sold in 2008, he stopped getting royalties.
Under the lawsuit Cobb is seeking at least $75,000 in royalties he says he is owed by Paramount, CBS & BET, the owners of the “Soul Train” library and intellectual property rights.