James Burke Singer/guitarist BORN 1950

A member of Chicago‘s The Five Stairsteps - ‘The First Family of Soul’ – James Burke hit the US pop Top 10 in 1970 with the uplifting O-o-h Child, a much-covered and sampled song of new-dawn optimism. For the group, formed by patriarch and former Chicago detective Clarence Sr, it followed a run of 12 Top 40 R&B hits stretching back to 1966. Brothers Kenneth, Clarence Jr, Dennis, sister Alohe and James had signed to Curtis Mayfield’s Windy City label after a talent show win. Following the Stairsteps’ signature hit, written and produced by Stan Vincent for Buddah, they struggled to repeat the success, despite signing to George Harrison’s Dark Horse label for 1976’s Billy Preston-produced 2nd Resurrection, and they split up soon after. Two years later they re-formed as The Invisible Man’s Band, recording the disco hit All Night Thing, but again went their separate ways. James later focused on making art, which he’d studied in Chicago.

Geoff Brown