The Burke family was from the Chicago area, right next door to Gary, so the two groups played the same local venues, most notably the Regal Theater, where they were discovered by Curtis Mayfield. From 1967-72 they released over a dozen singles, first on Mayfield's Windy City label, including the gorgeous ballad "You Waited Too Long," and later on the Buddah label, but their only big hit was "Ooh Child" from 1970. [Note on the Soul Train clip how their performance appears to have been influenced by the Jackson 5's style.] By that time, they were no longer a group of cute kids and they looked and sounded more like an adult act, specifically the Fifth Dimension.
Some soul enthusiasts argue passionately that the Five Stairsteps were the more talented of the two groups, but they never got the breaks the Jackson 5 did. There's no question that they were a talented group, but they didn't have the Jackson 5's charisma. And they didn't have Michael.
Occasionally an old timer will recall seeing the Stairsteps and the Jackson 5 on the same billing at the Apollo. For a long time, I thought they were mixed up or engaging in wishful thinking. But I recently came across an article from June 1969 that promotes this very show as an upcoming event.
No word on what ever happened to the Lollipops.
you have such a great blog. plz keep it running i check it daily. i also believe jimmy briscoe & the little beavers wouldve been a competition to j5, but for some reason the group wasnt commercially successful as j5.
ReplyDeleteVery nice clip - didn't even know that was a girl singing. So talented. love the guy in the hat. TWTD
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