Charles Stepney (producer)
| Charles Stepney | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 26, 1931 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | May 17, 1976 (aged 45) Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | Soul, R&B, modern classical |
| Occupation(s) | Record Producer Arranger Conductor |
| Instruments | Vibraphone, piano, keyboards, guitar, drums |
| Years active | 1957–1976 |
| Labels |
Chess Columbia |
| Associated acts | Ramsey Lewis, The Dells Minnie Riperton, Earth, Wind & Fire |
Charles Stepney (March 26, 1931 – May 17, 1976) was an American record producer, arranger, songwriter and musician, noted for his orchestral psychedelic soul sound with Chicago's Cadet/Chess records in the 1960s and 1970s and afterwards with Earth, Wind & Fire.
Stepney and Marshall Chess (son of Chess Records co-founder Leonard Chess) in the mid 1960s created the band Rotary Connection for the new experimental Cadet Concept label and between 1967 and 1971 produced six innovative studio albums for Rotary Connection (receiving a Grammy nomination in 1968):
Between the creation of the Rotary Connection albums, Stepney also produced, arranged and co-wrote with Rotary Connection singer Minnie Riperton’s 1970 debut album Come to My Garden. Commenting on Minnie at the time he said that she "has a soprano range of about four octaves, a whole lot of soul, she's good-looking and she's got the experience of Rotary behind her." During this time Stepney wrote, produced and conducted a Classical Jazz Symphony in 5 parts entitled "Cohesion". "Cohesion" was performed in Minneapolis, MN by the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Ramsey Lewis Trio and Minnie Riperton. It was his first opportunity to conduct live before an audience. Stepney is also credited as a musician/producer on the following albums:
In the mid 1970s, Stepney teamed up again with Maurice White and produced a number of Ramsey Lewis Trio albums in which Maurice drummed. Before he died he co-produced with Maurice the platinum selling Earth, Wind & Fire albums Open Our Eyes (1974), That's the Way of the World, Gratitude both released in 1975 and Spirit released in 1976. He also co-produced on Last Days and Time but couldn't take credit because of his contract with Chess Records. However, a picture of his daughters were on the inside cover to acknowledge their appreciation of his contribution. His favorite book was The Schillinger System of Musical Composition by Joseph Schillinger.
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