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Keni Burke
Biography
Keni Burke has a three-decade career that includes singing with the Five Stairsteps and being a top session musician. Born Kenneth M. Burke on September 28, 1953, in Chicago, he first tasted musical stardom in his teens as a member of the family group the Five Stairsteps, best known for the 1970 million-selling single "O-o-h Child." The Chicago-based group was dubbed "the First Family of Soul" because of their successful five-year chart run; the moniker was later passed on to the Jackson 5. Initially a teenage five-member brothers and sister vocal group made up of the offspring of Betty and Clarence Burke, the Five Stairsteps (named by Mrs. Burke who thought her kids looked like stair steps when lined up according to their age) featured lead singer Clarence Jr., Alohe, James, Dennis, and 13-year-old Kenneth. Most of the members attended Harlan High School. Clarence Sr. was a detective for the Chicago Police Department and a strict and loving father. Like the Jackson 5's father Joe Jackson, "Papa Burke," as he was called, had a passion for music and honed his children into a talented singing and dancing group. He backed the group on bass guitar, managed them, and co-wrote songs with Clarence Jr.
Selected Discography
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