‘O-o-h Child’ Singer James Burke, of the Five Stairsteps, Dies at 70
Chris Willman Music WriterJames Burke, whose shared lead vocals helped make “O-o-h Child” into a smash for his group the Five Stairsteps in 1970, has died at age 70.Word of Burke’s death first began to circulate on Saturday and was confirmed to Rolling Stone on Tuesday by brother and bandmate Dennis Burke, who said the cause of death was pneumonia.The Five Stairsteps are often thought of as a one-hit-wonder band because of the outsize popularity of “O-o-h Child,” which continues to rack up cover versions today, including one that was released just last month by KISS member Paul Stanley. But the group had 19 singles that charted on either the R&B or pop charts — usually both — between the years of 1966-80.