Rolling Stone James Burke, Five Stairsteps Singer Who Crooned ‘O-o-h Child,’ Dead at 70
One of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time remains a pop-soul classic
By Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
James Burke, a member of the classic Chicago soul group the Five Stairsteps died last Friday, February 19th. He was 70. Burke’s brother and bandmate, Dennis Burke, confirmed James’ death to
Rolling Stone, adding that the cause was pneumonia but unrelated to Covid-19 complications.
Formed in the mid-1960s, the Five Stairsteps scored a string of hits, including their 1970 classic “O-o-h Child,” to earn the moniker, “the First Family of Soul.” Burke family patriarch, Clarence Burke, Sr., a former Chicago police detective, formed and managed the group, which consisted of his four sons, Clarence Jr., James, Dennis and Keni, and daughter, Alohe. The band’s name came from their mother, Betty, who said her children resembled a staircase when li
St. Mark Church in Evanston.
Credit Nick Swartsell / WVXU
Marye Ward, 60, has spent her whole life in Evanston. She can tell you about a time when the streets weren t bisected by I-71, about a community where everyone seemed to know everyone else, the shops that lined Montgomery Road and the bustling Catholic church called St. Mark that, for her and her family, was at the middle of it all.
Ward has never been Catholic, but attended school at St. Mark starting in third grade when her public elementary school ran out of room. She says the sense of warmth at the church s masses and community events made a huge impression on her; as a grade-schooler, she aspired to be a nun, inspired by the sisters she met at St. Mark.
By Rochelle Palipane Gunaratne
Where would Mother Lanka’s indigenous dance forms be, if not for the renaissance of traditional dance in the early 1940s? January 26, 2021 marked the 100th birth anniversary of the legendary Guru Chitrasena who played a pivotal role in reviving a dance form which was lying dormant, ushering in a brand new epoch to a traditional rhythmic movement that held sway for over two millennia.
“There was always an aura that drew us all to Seeya and we were mesmerized by it,” enthused Heshma, Artistic Director of the Chitrasena Dance Company and eldest grand-daughter of the doyen of dance. She reminisced about her legendary grandfather during a brief respite from working on a video depicting his devotion to a dance form that chose him.
THERE S lots of great gig venues in Colchester - from dedicated entertainment spaces like Colchester Arts Centre to high street venues like Three Wise Monkeys and Coda. But apart from the occasional big summer show in Castle Park, we tend to see the smaller and more up-and-coming acts performing in the town now of days. This wasn t always the case, however. In fact some of the world s biggest bands have actually performed in the town over the years, although you might not necessarily know about it. For instance did you know Bob Marley and the Wailers once arrived in town? Or that Pink Floyd have actually played here - SIX times?
THERE S lots of great gig venues in Colchester - from dedicated entertainment spaces like Colchester Arts Centre to high street venues like Three Wise Monkeys and Coda. But apart from the occasional big summer show in Castle Park, we tend to see the smaller and more up-and-coming acts performing in the town now of days. This wasn t always the case, however. In fact some of the world s biggest bands have actually performed in the town over the years, although you might not necessarily know about it. For instance did you know Bob Marley and the Wailers once arrived in town? Or that Pink Floyd have actually played here - SIX times?