- Keni Burke
Infobox Musical artist
Name = Keni Burke
Img_capt =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Kenneth M. Burke
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1953|9|28Chicago ,Illinois ,United States
Origin =
Instrument =Singing ,guitar ,piano /keyboards, bass,synthesizer
Genre = R&B, soul,funk ,jazz
Occupation =Singer ,songwriter ,record producer ,pianist ,keyboardist ,bass guitarist
Years_active = 1966–present
Label = Buddah, Dark Horse, RCA, Expansion
Associated_acts =Five Stairsteps
URL =Kenneth M. Burke (born
September 28 1953 inChicago ,Illinois ), better known as Keni Burke, is an American R&B, soul,funk , andjazz singer ,songwriter ,record producer , andmulti-instrumentalist who began his career as a member of the 1970s soul outfit, theFive Stairsteps .Biography
Five Stairsteps
As a member of the Five Stairsteps, Burke wrote the group's first minor hit "You Waited Too Long" in 1966, but the group would see their biggest success with the million-selling song "O-o-h Child" in 1970. The group went on to sign with
George Harrison 'sDark Horse Records in 1975, and had their next hit with the Burke-penned "From Us to You", from their 1976 album "2nd Resurrection". The group disbanded soon after.olo career and session work
Skilled as a
guitarist andbassist , Burke continued to work for the Dark Horse label as a session musician, while burgeoning a solo career of his own. In 1977, he released his self-titled debut album, which featured the songs "Keep on Singing", "Shuffle", and "From Me to You".During this period he contributed instrumentation to songs by a diverse range of artists such as
Sly & the Family Stone ,Natalie Cole ,Billy Preston ,Terry Callier ,Curtis Mayfield ,Bill Withers ,Dusty Springfield ,Diana Ross , andGladys Knight .In 1981, "Changes", Burke's best-selling album to date, was released, containing the singles "Hang Tight" and his signature hit "Rising to the Top"—a big success in Chicago. The song has become a popular sampling choice for hip hop artists, having been borrowed by artists such as
Big Daddy Kane ("Smooth Operator"),LL Cool J ("Around the Way Girl"),Pete Rock & CL Smooth ("Take You There"),Mary J. Blige ("Love No Limit"), O.C. ("Born 2 Live") and once again by LL Cool J for the song "Paradise", withAmerie , though a lot of these songs have been mistakingly thought to use the bass line from the 1983 song "All Night Long" by theMary Jane Girls . Burke's next release was the 1982 self-produced "You're the Best".Throughout the '80s and into the '90s, Burke continued his session and production work for artists such as
Peabo Bryson ,The O'Jays ,The Jones Girls andKeith Sweat , and in 1998 released his last album to date "Nothin' but Love", containing the hit "Indigenous Love", which was popular in theUnited Kingdom .Discography
:"See also Five Stairsteps discography"
*1977: "Keni Burke"
*1981: "Changes"
*1982: "You're the Best"
*1998: "Nothin' but Love"External links
* [http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Keni%20Burke.html Keni Burke] at SoulWalking.co.uk
* [http://www.homdrum.net/burke/ Keni Burke] Fan page
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