The “Golden Hits Of The 70s”
Main MenuConcept Refinement The Author..Wayne JancikGolden Age Of The 50sGolden Age Of The 60s1970s and There After
FIVE STAIRSTEPS
“O-O-H CHILD”
(Stan Vincent)
Buddah 165
No. 8 July 18, 1970
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Clarence Burke, Sr., a Chicago police officer, had been stabbed and shot twice in the line of duty, and
considered himself fortunate to be alive. He was the father of five when an idea struck him. Mrs. Burke had
been lining her offspring up on the couch and teaching them to sing along with TV commercials and pop
records. Stepping back to view them, she remarked, “They look just like stairsteps.” In 1965, when the
quality of the harmonizing had improved, Papa entered his brood in a contest at the famed Regal Theatre.
They sang, danced, and walked off with first prize.
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While shopping in a neighborhood grocery, Papa boasted about his kids to Fred Cash, a guy he knew from
way back. What he didn’t know was that Cash was now a member of the Impressions. Cash offered to set up
an audition for the Five Stairsteps with his boss, Curtis Mayfield. Curtis liked what he heard, and before
long, the group–which consisted of guitarist Clarence, Jr. (b. May 25, 1949), guitarist James (b. Sept. 19,
1950), guitarist/drummer Dennis (b. 1952), bassist Kenny (b. Sept. 28, 1953), and Alohe “Lannie” (b. 1948),
the group’s eldest and the only female–was an overnight success.
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“You Waited Too Long” (R&B: #16, 1966), the flip side of their first release for Windy C, did well with R & B
listeners, like nearly every disk right up until their double-sided monster masterpiece, “O-o-h Child” b/w
“Dear Prudence: “Up until this point, they billed themselves as “America’s First Family of Soul.”
Thereafter, things changed.
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Mr. and Mrs. Burke eventually had 11 children. The group’s line-up fluctuated constantly. Little Cubie (b.
1966) was added: he would make sounds, prance, and wet his pants. Pop even slapped the bass and sang
lead. But more threatening to the group’s credibility were their unsuccessful forays into pop and rock,
which created internal conflicts about musical direction.
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Before the family group splintered in the early ’70s, the Stairsteps provided session support to recordings by
Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, and Billy Preston. In 1976, with the aid of Preston–who Kenny had toured
with for much of 1974—some members regrouped for an album, Second Resurrection, and a few singles for
George Harrison’s Dark Horse label. “From Us to You” (R&B: #10) did quite well on Billboard’s R & B
listings, but the revised edition was short-lived.
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In 1980, Clarence, Dennis, James, and Kenny returned as The Invisible Man’s Band with a R & B Top 10,
“All Night Long” (#9); minor R & B chartings continued into the mid-’80s. Kenny (now spelled “Keni”) left
to forge what seemed a promising solo career: to date, he has had some albums issued and only a few mild
R & B chartings: “Let Somebody Love You” (#66, 1981) and “Risin’ to the Top” (#63, 1983).
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