R.I.P.: Clarence Burke, Jr.

Clarence Burke Jr., the lead singer of the Five Stairsteps, a sibling R&B group once regarded as “the first family of soul” for a string of hits that included “O-o-h Child,” died Sunday May 26, 2013, a day after he turned 64.

Formed in 1965 in Chicago, the group originally consisted of four young brothers and a sister who played their own instruments as well as sang. They owed their collective name to their mother, who observed they looked like stair steps when they stood by each other in order of age.

The eldest brother, Burke also played guitar, wrote many of the group's songs, served as a producer and choreographed their dance routines. MORE HERE