Artist page

Charles Stepney was a classically trained musician who honed his skills as a jazz pianist and vibraphone player while working for the Chess label in the 1960s. He eventually became a sheet writer, arranger, and producer. A friend of Stepney, who was the son of label owner Leonard Chess, founded Cadet Concept, a younger subsidiary of the Cadet label. Their first release was the 1967 debut by a conceptual group called The Rotary Connection, which was formed by Marshall Chess with Stepney serving as co-producer and arranger. The group was created to tap into the psychedelic era, combining a little-known white rock group with the voices of Black singers, including Minnie Riperton, with whom Stepney had previously collaborated on her solo single “Lonely Girl” under the name Andrea Davis. Stepney’s studio genius was instrumental in blending the group’s acid-laced rock, classical strings from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Riperton’s operatic voice into a cohesive sound. The Rotary Connection released six albums during their time together, all produced and arranged by Charles Stepney for Chess Records.

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