R.I.P. Clarence Burke, Sr., Patriarch of The Five Stairsteps

clarenceburkesr

(August 29, 2020) He lived an amazing life, and gave a great gift first to his hometown of Chicago, and then to the world. Today, we celebrate the life of Clarence Burke, Sr., the Chicago police detective who left the force to manage his very talented children, who became the internationally revered soul group, The Five Stairsteps, an act named by their mother to reflect the differences in their heights. They went on to have a string of bit hits, including the now classic ballad, “Ooh Child.”

We typically would write a full obituary of Mr. Burke, but we couldn’t do better than his son, music legend Keni Burke, did with in obituary posted in today’s Chicago Sun-Times, written with Maureen O’Donnell.

Read the Chicago Sun-Times Obituary of Clarence Burke, Sr.

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