Today’s classic 1970 soul hit of the day is that mellow classic, “O-o-h Child” by the Five Stairsteps. It was released in April of 1970 and rose to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 18.
The Five Stairsteps were a family group from Chicago that recorded for the Buddah Records label. They’d previously had some minor success recording with Curtis Mayfield, but by 1970 had been reassigned to producer Stan Vincent. “O-o-h Child,” written by Vincent, was originally the B-side of a cover of the Beatles’ “Dear Prudence;” DJ’s wisely flipped the record over and made “O-o-h Child” the success it was.
Known at the time as the First Family of Soul, the Five Stairsteps included Burke family siblings Alohe, James, Dennis, Keni, and Clifford Jr., sometimes joined by a sixth sibling, Cubie. They got their name because their mother thought the kids looked like stairsteps when lined up by age. They first started singing together in 1965, won a local talent contest, and got signed to a recording contract by friend-of-a-friend Curtis Mayfield. They had a series of hits on the R&B chart (including “You Waited Too Long,” “World of Fantasy,” “Come Back,” “Danger! She’s a Stranger,” “Something’s Missing,” “Don’t Change Your Love,” “Baby Make Me Feel So Good,” and “We Must Be in Love”) but hit the big time with “O-o-h Child.” That proved to be their only mainstream hit, even though they continued to place tunes on the R&B chart through the rest of the ’70s.
The Five Stairsteps broke up around 1977, although the Burke siblings continued to perform as individual acts; Keni, in particular, had a solid solo career. Of the six siblings, James, Clarence Jr., and Cubie have all passed.
