Biography
Over a thirty-year span in the music industry, Keni Burke combined vocal work with the Five Stairsteps and extensive studio bass duties as a sought-after session player. Kenneth M. Burke came into the world on September 28, 1953, in Chicago and first reached prominence while still a teenager through the family act the Five Stairsteps, whose signature achievement remains the million-selling 1970 single “O-o-h Child.” The Chicago ensemble earned the nickname “the First Family of Soul” during its five-year run of chart success, a title later transferred to the Jackson 5. Formed initially as a five-member sibling vocal unit consisting of the children of Betty and Clarence Burke, the Five Stairsteps—christened by Mrs. Burke because the youngsters resembled ascending steps when arranged by age—featured lead vocalist Clarence Jr. along with Alohe, James, Dennis, and thirteen-year-old Kenneth, most of whom attended Harlan High School. Clarence Sr., a detective with the Chicago Police Department and a devoted yet disciplined parent, mirrored the role of Joe Jackson by nurturing his offspring into a polished singing and dancing troupe; he supplied bass guitar accompaniment, guided their management, and collaborated on songwriting with Clarence Jr. and Gregory Fowler. Following a first-place finish at a talent contest held at the historic Regal Theater, the group attracted multiple recording offers. Their neighbor and family acquaintance Fred Cash of the Impressions facilitated an introduction to Curtis Mayfield, resulting in a contract with Mayfield’s Windy City imprint, distributed by Philadelphia’s Cameo Parkway Records. Their debut single paired the Burke-penned ballad “You Waited Too Long” with the upbeat Mayfield composition “Don’t Waste Your Time.” The A-side reached number 16 on the R&B chart in spring 1966 after registering as a double-sided local hit in Chicago, and further successes followed. When Cameo-Parkway ceased operations near the close of 1967, Windy City moved its affiliation to Art Kass’s New York-based Buddah Records via former Cameo-Parkway executive Neil Bogart, who assumed co-presidency there. The group’s second album, Family Portrait, which incorporated a collage of Burke family photographs, was produced in Chicago by Clarence Jr.; the addition of their three-year-old brother prompted a temporary billing as the Five Stairsteps & Cubie. That release generated the charting singles “Something’s Missing” and a rendition of Jimmy Charles and the Revelletts’ “A Million to One.” The act frequently shared bills with the Impressions. Upon transferring to Buddah Records the ensemble reverted to the Five Stairsteps name. In spring 1970 they issued their sole million-certified seller and highest-charting pop entry, Stan Vincent’s “O-o-h Child,” which climbed to number 14 R&B and number eight pop; the B-side, a Lennon-McCartney cover titled “Dear Prudence,” reached number 49 R&B. The following year the group resurfaced simply as the Stairsteps and placed two additional Buddah singles, “Didn’t It Look So Easy” and “I Love You-Stop,” on the charts. They appeared in the 1970 concert documentary Soul to Soul, filmed at New York’s Yankee Stadium, and on the syndicated program Soul. In the early seventies Alohe married and departed along with Cubie, leaving the remaining members to continue as the Stairsteps. Billy Preston arranged an introduction to the Beatles, leading to a signing with George Harrison’s Dark Horse label, distributed by A&M Records. The resulting album 2nd Resurrection appeared in February 1976, produced by Billy Preston, Robert Margouleff, and the Stairsteps themselves. Clarence Jr. and Kenneth Burke’s composition “From Us to You” became their strongest showing since “O-o-h Child,” attaining number ten R&B in early 1976, while the follow-up “Passado” garnered regional airplay in Chicago, New York, and additional markets. Kenneth contributed vocals, bass, and both sides of the next single, “Tell Me Why” b/w “Salaam.” After the Stairsteps dissolved, Kenneth stayed with Dark Horse as a solo artist; his self-produced debut, the album Keni Burke, arrived in August 1977 and featured the singles “Keep on Singing” and the brassy “Shuffle” b/w the instrumental remake “From Me to You.” He subsequently established himself as an in-demand session bassist whose credits encompass Sly & the Family Stone, Natalie Cole, Billy Preston, Les McCann, the Emotions, Raffi, the Four Tops, Redman, Terry Callier, Stargard, Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, D.J. Rogers, Linda Clifford, Silk, Narada Michael Walden, Ramsey Lewis, Dusty Springfield, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, and Larry John McNally. In 1981 Burke secured a solo deal with RCA Records; the self-produced album You’re the Best yielded the singles “Let Somebody Love You” and the title track, both of which later became sought-after twelve-inch collectibles. His follow-up RCA release, 1982’s Changes, contained his most successful solo single. Although “Risin’ to the Top” reached only number 63 R&B in late summer 1982, the track dominated airwaves in his hometown of Chicago and has since been sampled extensively by hip-hop and urban artists, beginning with Doug E. Fresh’s “Keep Risin’ to the Top,” followed by Mary J. Blige’s “Love No Limit” and Ali’s “Feelin’ You.” The album’s second single, the driving “Shakin’,” continues to attract dance and funk collectors searching through used bins. Changes is further distinguished by one of the final compositions from Philadelphia songwriter Linda Creed, the mid-tempo ballad “One Minute More,” co-written with Thom Bell. Burke also maintained an active career as a writer and producer, frequently collaborating with keyboardist Dean Gant and former Average White Band drummer Steve Ferrone, and worked with the O’Jays, the Jones Girls, the Whispers, the Whitehead Brothers, Keith Sweat, George Howard, Peabo Bryson, Bill Withers, and Perri, among others. After encountering Expansion Records executive Ralph Tee at a Berwick Soul Weekender, Burke signed with the Sony-distributed British imprint. Nothin’ but Love, his debut album for the label, appeared in March 1998; the lead twelve-inch “I Need Your Love” featured vocals by his son Osaze Burke, yet the flip-side track “Indigenous Love” proved the stronger draw among steppers audiences.
Albums
