The Five Stairsteps--Ooh Child (1970)

     Several years before The Jackson Five took the soul/pop world by storm, another family of siblings were making an impact on the charts. Five of the nine Burke children out of Chicago (Alohe Jean, Clarence Jr., James, Dennis, and Keni) were discovered after winning a talent contest at the Regal Theater. They were offered several recording contracts, but a close family friend was Fred Cash of The Impressions who introduced them to Curtis Mayfield who signed them to his Windy City label.
     Beginning in 1966 they had a streak of songs which would do well on the r&b top 20, but never was able to make a dent on the top 40. In fact for all of the songs they placed on the charts, "Ooh Child" was not only the only song to make it to the Top 10, but it was the only song that made it to the Top 40 (pop charts).After disbanding in the mid-70's, Clarence Jr. and Keni continued in writing, producing, and studio work.