Five Stairsteps singer James Burke has died. He was 70.
James died of pneumonia on Friday, his brother and bandmate Dennis confirmed to
Rolling Stone Tuesday. Reps for Burke and the Five Stairsteps could not immediately be reached by PEOPLE. Get push notifications with news, features and more. + Follow
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The family soul group included James, his brothers Clarence Jr., Dennis and Keni, and sister Alohe. The Chicago natives became known locally as the First Family of Soul after the release of their hit song O-o-h Child in 1970.
The group was managed by their dad, Clarence Burke Sr., who was a police detective. The band s name reportedly came from their mom Betty, who noted the five siblings resembled a staircase when lined up by age.
O-o-h Child Singer James Burke, of the Five Stairsteps, Dies at 70
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James Burke, whose shared lead vocals helped make “O-o-h Child” into a smash for his group the Five Stairsteps in 1970, has died at age 70.
Word of Burke’s death first began to circulate on Saturday and was confirmed to Rolling Stone on Tuesday by brother and bandmate Dennis Burke, who said the cause of death was pneumonia.
The Five Stairsteps are often thought of as a one-hit-wonder band because of the outsize popularity of “O-o-h Child,” which continues to rack up cover versions today, including one that was released just last month by KISS member Paul Stanley. But the group had 19 singles that charted on either the R&B or pop charts usually both between the years of 1966-80. “O-o-h Child” was their only song to crack the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 8. But 11 of the Stairsteps’ singles made it into the top 20 of the R&B c
Paul Stanley performs with Kiss in 2019. CREDIT: Rune Hellestad - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Kiss vocalist Paul Stanley has shared the first taste of ‘Now And Then’, the debut album by his side project Soul Station.
‘O-o-h Child’, a cover of the Five Stairstepsâ 1970 hit, is one of nine covers on the forthcoming album that also comes with five originals. ‘Now And Then’ is released on March 5 via UMe.
Paul Stanley’s Soul Station is a 15-piece ensemble band led by Stanley on vocals. They’ve been active on the live circuit since 2015 but haven’t yet released an album.