Tuesday Open Thread |Classic Soul Train Week

Posted on August 21, 2018 by rikyrah

Today’s featured artists-The Five Stairsteps

The Five Stairsteps, known as “The First Family of Soul”,[1] were an American Chicago soul group made up of five of Betty and Clarence Burke Sr.’s six children: Alohe Jean, Clarence Jr., James, Dennis, and Kenneth “Keni”, and briefly, Cubie. They are best known for the 1970 song “O-o-h Child”, listed at #402 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The Chicago group was dubbed “First Family of Soul” because of their successful five-year chart run; the moniker was later passed on to The Jackson 5.[2] Initially a teenage five-member brothers and sister vocal group made up of the children of Betty and Clarence Burke, The Five Stairsteps, named by Mrs. Burke who thought her kids looked like stairsteps when lined up according to their age, featured lead singer Clarence Jr., Alohe, James, Dennis, and 13-year-old Kenneth (“Keni”). Most of the members attended Harlan High School. Clarence Sr. was a detective for the Chicago Police Department. He backed the group on bass guitar, managed them, and co-wrote songs with Clarence Jr. and Gregory Fowler.

After winning first prize in a talent contest at the Regal Theater, the Five Stairsteps received recording contract offers. A close neighbor and family friend was Fred Cash of The Impressions, who introduced the group to Curtis Mayfield.[1] They signed to Mayfield’s Windy City imprint, which was distributed by the Philadelphia based Cameo Parkway record label, their first single was Gregory Fowler’s ballad “You Waited Too Long” b/w “Don’t Waste Your Time,” a Mayfield song. A double-sided hit in Chicago, the A-side, “You Waited Too Long,” charted number 16 in the Billboard R&B chart in spring of 1966. Around the end of 1967, Cameo-Parkway folded and Windy City switched to Buddah Records through former Cameo-Parkway executive Neil Bogart, who joined the new label as co-president. The group’s second album, Family Portrait (complete with a montage of Burke family photos), was recorded and produced in Chicago by Clarence Jr. With the addition of their three-year-old brother, the group became The Five Stairsteps & Cubie. Family Portrait yielded two hit singles, “Something’s Missing” and a cover of Jimmy Charles and the Revelletts’ hit “A Million to One.” The group often toured with the Impressions. After signing with Buddah Records, the group was once again known as The Five Stairsteps.

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66 Responses to Tuesday Open Thread |Classic Soul Train Week

  1. skepticalbrotha says:
    August 21, 2018 at 11:17 pm

    Madonna is trash. Thanks for attending my TED Talk.

    Reply
  2. rikyrah says:
    August 21, 2018 at 8:29 pm

    Hunter’s opponent is fruit of the Obama political tree
    Worked for 44.
    Ammar Campa-Najjar

    Mama-Mexican American
    Father-Immigrant from the Middle East.

    Shallow point- he is handsome 😘

    Reply
  8. rikyrah says:
    August 21, 2018 at 4:17 pm

    Dolt45

    Unindicted Co-Conspirator!

    Yes👏👏👏

    Reply
    • majiir says:
      August 21, 2018 at 5:10 pm

      Nixon was also an unindicted co-conspirator in the Watergate Scandal. Congress took action at that time. Current GOPers are hiding out in D.C., ducking and dodging all media. If any of them ever answer a question from a member of the media, the answer will probably be, “We’re focusing on governing,” which is one of the biggest lies of all time. If this had been PBO, the impeachment vote would have already been passed out of the House Judiciary Committee and headed to the floor for a vote today.

      Reply
    • Ametia says:
      August 21, 2018 at 5:58 pm

      This is why POS 45’s been in meltdown mode

      Reply
  9. rikyrah says:
    August 21, 2018 at 3:58 pm

    they can retry on the mistrial counts, correct?

    Reply
  10. SouthernGirl2 says:
    August 21, 2018 at 3:53 pm

    Breaking News: Michael Cohen pleads guilty to 8 counts.

    Reply
    • rikyrah says:
      August 21, 2018 at 4:18 pm

      Best movie scene ever with the word cerulean…
      The Devil Wears Prada- the belt scene😄😄

      Reply
    • majiir says:
      August 21, 2018 at 5:13 pm

      Ametia, you are testing my mind every day with your “Word of the Day” feature, and I’m loving it. It’s helping me to test my memory and to learn new words. Since I love to read, it’s a huge benefit for me to learn new words and review those I learned in the past.

      Reply
  14. Ametia says:
    August 21, 2018 at 2:31 pm

    Madonna Gives Awful Tribute To Aretha Franklin, Proves She Needs To Stop Being Left In Charge Of Tributes To Black Icons

    Can we maybe stop putting her on tribute duty? She ain’t doing it right.

    https://blavity.com/madonna-gives-awful-tribute-to-aretha-franklin-proves-she-can-no-longer-be-left-in-charge-of-tributes-to-black-icons

    Reply
  15. rikyrah says:
    August 21, 2018 at 1:53 pm

    ABC News
    ‏Verified account @ABC
    10m10 minutes ago

    BREAKING: Former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen has entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, @ABC has learned. https://abcn.ws/2MNo7Tf

    Reply
    • majiir says:
      August 21, 2018 at 5:18 pm

      Trump has to be rattled by this because it was only a few months ago that Cohen said he’d do anything to protect Trump. It has always been my belief that when a person’s back is against the wall and s/he is facing years behind bars, the person will decide NOT to go to prison for another person no matter who that person may be. The self-preservation switch always seems to kick to “ON” at some point in time.

      Reply
  20. rikyrah says:
    August 21, 2018 at 10:50 am

    Cuomo pardons immigrant man hours before his deportation hearing https://t.co/qq29faKvFJ pic.twitter.com/Jg4Nk7J52F

    — New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) August 21, 2018

    California Gov. Jerry Brown announced Friday he pardoned three former prisoners facing the threat of deportation to Cambodia, including one who grew up in Long Beach and now works as a youth justice community organizer – https://t.co/O4pTQDcVGt

    — Christian Clark (@christianbclark) August 21, 2018

    Reply
  21. rikyrah says:
    August 21, 2018 at 10:47 am

    Remember when the ⁦@GOP⁩ was rabidly against debt, deficits, executive orders, spending tax dollars on presidential vacays, Russia, president’s golfing, unethical conduct, unitary executive power, rushing judicial confirmations, tariffs, pardons … https://t.co/Rircs6ZSM6

    — Col. Morris Davis (@ColMorrisDavis) August 21, 2018

    Reply
  22. rikyrah says:
    August 21, 2018 at 10:43 am

    GOP has little interest in ‘Mar-a-Lago crowd’ that helped run the VA
    08/21/18 10:04 AM—UPDATED 08/21/18 10:11 AM
    By Steve Benen

    Pro Publica’s report two weeks ago on “the Mar-a-Lago Crowd” helping oversee Donald Trump’s Department of Veterans Affairs read like the plot of a farcical film.

    It described a dynamic in which three wealthy members of Trump’s Florida resort have effectively overseen a federal cabinet agency for months, despite having no relevant experience, and despite no oversight or accountability of any kind, basically because they’re pals with the president through the club he still owns and profits from.

    ………………..

    House Democrats were furious in response to the revelations, and Senate Democrats soon followed, demanding congressional hearings. Some veterans’ advocacy groups announced plans to file suit to prevent “the Mar-a-Lago Crowd” from helping run an agency the trio has nothing to do with.

    And what about congressional Republicans with oversight authority over the Trump administration’s handling of veterans’ issues? Roll Call reports that GOP lawmakers are taking a pass.

    Top Republican lawmakers have no plans to examine the alleged influence that a trio of President Donald Trump’s friends have at the Department of Veterans Affairs, even as Democrats call for an investigation.

    Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said the VA now has a new secretary, so he’s “moving ahead” without any real scrutiny of what’s transpired.

    The Georgia Republican conceded that Trump’s Mar-a-Lago pals did work that circumvented the oversight committee, but Isakson added, “There wasn’t anything I could do about it. It never caused us any trouble. It was certainly disruptive and held the VA back some, but we got a great secretary now.”

    The chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee was powerless to stop three outsiders from helping run the VA? Seriously?

    This may seem predictable, but I wasn’t entirely sure Republicans would take such a passive approach to the controversy.

    As a rule, committee chairs don’t like it when the executive branch brazenly ignores their authority. In a case like this one, Congress was overseeing the VA, while three unqualified country-club members in Florida helped run the VA from the shadows.

    It’s exactly the sort of thing Congress should want to examine closely, even if the matter has been resolved, in part to bring some modicum of accountability, and in part to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

    But Republicans on Capitol Hill have decided not to care, which only reinforces the scope of the problem with Trump-era politics: it’s not just the president’s many abuses; it’s the GOP Congress’ willingness to look the other way in the face of damaging evidence.

    Reply
  23. rikyrah says:
    August 21, 2018 at 10:32 am

    Brett Kavanaugh’s disturbing abortion history: He ruled against women who were forced to abort
    …………………………………

    The case is a complex one, but the basic story involved three women who received care from the District of Columbia Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Administration. All three women had intellectual disabilities and had been determined legally incompetent. One woman had an elective eye surgery and two had abortions, all chosen for them without any consideration of their wishes. The women argued that they had a right to have their wishes considered, but Kavanaugh ruled against them.

    “It’s startling to see a judge say that the expressed wishes of people with disabilities are wholly irrelevant,” Jennifer Mathis, the deputy legal director the Bazelon Center of Mental Health Law, explained.

    Legal standards regarding who is competent to make medical decisions for themselves are complicated and vary quite a bit from state to state. But Mathis said that even in states that have the fewest autonomy rights for people with certain disabilities, “most courts consider the person’s wishes,” even if they may ultimately rule against them. Kavanaugh, however, “just rejected the notion that there was any reason at all” to ask the women in that case what they wanted.

    …..

    In his decision, Kavanaugh wrote that the right to be involved in their own medical decisions was not “deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition” and that “neither liberty nor justice” were imperiled by denying the women the right.

    Reply
  24. rikyrah says:
    August 21, 2018 at 10:31 am

    NEW: More than 175 former U.S. intelligence community and national security officials have added their names to the list of those deeply concerned by the politicization of security clearances.

    https://t.co/D1nuOWDetj pic.twitter.com/t6A4oEVK9r— Nick Shapiro (@nick_shapiro) August 20, 2018

    Reply
  25. rikyrah says:
    August 21, 2018 at 10:30 am

    Trump thinks he ‘could run’ the Mueller probe if he wanted to
    08/21/18 09:20 AM
    By Steve Benen
    Donald Trump covered a fair amount of ground in an Oval Office interview with Reuters yesterday, but the president’s thoughts on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe were of particular interest.

    President Donald Trump says that he has chosen to stay out of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation — but he claimed that he is “totally allowed” to be involved in the probe and could even “run it.”

    “I’ve decided to stay out,” Trump said in an interview with Reuters published Monday. “Now, I don’t have to stay out. I can go in and I could do whatever. I could run it if I want.

    “I’m totally allowed to be involved if I wanted to be. So far, I haven’t chosen to be involved. I’ll stay out,” Trump said.

    Reply
  29. rikyrah says:
    August 21, 2018 at 8:26 am

    Rich donors reward Republicans for passing regressive tax breaks
    08/20/18 12:35 PM—UPDATED 08/20/18 01:02 PM
    By Steve Benen

    In early-November 2017, there was still some question as to whether the Republican tax plan would pass. Polls showed strong public opposition to the GOP blueprint, and some vulnerable Republicans admitted they were nervous about supporting hefty tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations.

    But much of the party also faced pressure from rich donors who warned the party not to fail. Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), who was later indicted by the FBI over alleged insider trading, admitted at the time, “My donors are basically saying, ‘Get it done or don’t ever call me again.’”

    And while it was jarring to hear a member of Congress speak so candidly about meeting the demands of campaign contributors, it was also a precursor of things to come. Republicans, of course, did pass those tax breaks, and because they “got it done,” wealthy beneficiaries are returning the favor by opening their wallets. The New York Times reported:

    Republicans are struggling to make the $1.5 trillion Trump tax cuts a winning issue with voters in the midterm congressional elections, but the cuts are helping the party in another crucial way: unlocking tens of millions of dollars in campaign donations from the wealthy conservatives and corporate interests that benefited handsomely from it.

    Billionaires and corporations that reaped millions of dollars in tax cuts are pumping some of that windfall into the Congressional Leadership Fund, a “super PAC” closely aligned with Speaker Paul D. Ryan that is flooding the airwaves and front porches of swing congressional districts with increasingly sharp attacks on the Democratic candidates vying to wrest control of the House.

    …………….

    The fund’s donors include the casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who has given $30 million, and whose company, Las Vegas Sands, reported a nearly $700 million windfall from the tax law earlier this year; Timothy Mellon, chairman and majority owner of Pan Am Systems, a privately held collection of companies that includes rail, aviation and marketing services, who has contributed $24 million; Valero Services, a Texas oil refining company that reported a $1.9 billion benefit from tax cuts in the first quarter, and which has given $1.5 million; and a collection of other corporations, executives and financial fund managers.

    Reply
  30. rikyrah says:
    August 21, 2018 at 8:04 am

    As deficit grows, GOP leaders eye cuts to Medicare, Social Security
    08/21/18 08:40 AM
    By Steve Benen

    ……………….

    Note the pivot: massive tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations has turned a modest budget shortfall into an enormous budget shortfall. Stivers sees that as a problem in need of attention, not by reversing course on regressive tax policies, but by looking at spending.

    And that, naturally, led to a conversation between Stivers and Harwood on social-insurance programs like Social Security and Medicare – what are frequently referred to as “entitlements” – which Republicans want to cut in order to clean up the budget mess they created with tax cuts.

    If this sounds familiar, there’s a good reason for that. It was just a few months ago that House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said the “name of the game on debt and deficits” is cutting “entitlements.”

    At face value, it’s difficult to take the rhetoric seriously. If Republican policymakers were genuinely concerned about the budget deficit, they wouldn’t have passed unnecessary tax breaks for people who don’t need them, without even trying to find a way to pay for the cuts. No one should accept the premise that GOP leaders are sincere about fiscal responsibility.

    But even more important is the bigger picture: GOP officials like Stivers and Ryan are helping prove Democrats right about one of the most serious threats posed by the Republican tax plan.

    As we discussed in March, the debate over the GOP plan may have been fairly brief – Republicans pushed their scheme through quickly to get ahead of public opposition – it featured plenty of Democrats arguing vociferously that its proponents would pass tax cuts for the wealthy, blow up the deficit, and then target Social Security and Medicare, crying about the importance for “fiscal responsibility.”

    Ryan wasted no time confirming Democrats’ fears. The Speaker started talking up Medicare cuts in December, and Social Security cuts soon after. Now the chair of the NRCC is signaling similar intentions.

    It’s quite a message Republicans are taking into the midterm elections, isn’t it? Donald Trump’s party pushed through unpopular tax breaks, which led to unpopular deficits, which GOP leaders hope to address though unpopular cuts to celebrated pillars of modern American society such as Social Security and Medicare.

    Reply
  31. rikyrah says:
    August 21, 2018 at 7:58 am

    Oh no, Muthaphucka. You explode the deficit with those tax cuts, and now purse your lips to talk about Social Security and Medicare?

    Phuck.Outta.Here.

    A leading Republican urges reform for Medicare and Social Security as deficits balloon after the GOP’s tax cut
    John Harwood | @johnjharwood
    Published 7:01 AM ET Mon, 20 Aug 2018 Updated 23 Hours Ago
    CNBC.com

    CNBC’s John Harwood: You were, during the Obama administration, a big critic of rising levels of national debt. We see the deficit going up to $1 trillion next year, debt levels are rising. About the tax cut: Did you guys go about it the wrong way?

    Rep. Steve Stivers: I don’t think we did. I think you’ll see the economic growth will actually reduce the deficit a bit from the projected levels. And I think there’s still an opportunity to continue that growth.

    Harwood: No misgivings about a tax cut that was not paid for, that’s allowing debt and deficits to rise like it is now?

    Stivers: I do think we need to deal with our some of our spending. We’ve got to try to figure out how to spend less.

    Harwood: Entitlements? Social Security, Medicare?

    Stivers: Yeah, I mean, what I think we need to do is get some people who are now on government programs jobs, we have more open jobs than we have people on unemployment. So if we could get people to go from unemployment, or a government program, to become a taxpayer, it’s a twofer because not only are they getting less government assistance, they probably have a better life economically and they’re actually paying taxes.

    Reply
  32. rikyrah says:
    August 21, 2018 at 7:48 am

    What went wrong with Trump’s ‘salute’ to ICE, Customs and Border Patrol
    08/21/18 08:00 AM
    By Steve Benen

    The point of Donald Trump’s event in the White House yesterday was to “salute the heroes” of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). And while I’m sure the attendees welcomed the presidential appreciation, the celebration was not without flaws.

    For example, when trying to applaud the CBP, Trump said “CBC” – eight times. This was not the speechwriters’ fault – the teleprompter said “CBP” – and he never quite got it right.

    ……………..

    It was supposed to be a White House salute to the heroism of immigration agents who put their lives on the line to protect Americans. But on Monday, President Trump appeared to have something else on his mind: the ethnicity of one of the men he was honoring.

    “Speaks perfect English,” Mr. Trump blurted out as he encouraged Adrian Anzaldua, a Hispanic-American Border Patrol agent and dog handler from Texas, to join him onstage in the East Room. Mr. Anzaldua recently arrested a smuggler in Laredo who had tried to bring 78 people into the United States illegally inside a truck trailer.

    When he wasn’t commenting on Anzaldua’s ethnicity, Trump seemed preoccupied with turning the event into an overtly partisan affair. “The Republicans were with you all the way, all the way,” the president told the officials on hand, needlessly politicizing the gathering. He went on to call Democrats the “opposition,” who “don’t mind crime.”

    Trump added, in reference to the midterm elections, “I think we’re going to have much more of a red wave than you’re going to see as a phony blue wave. Blue wave means crime. It means open borders. Not good.”

    Remember, this wasn’t a partisan fundraiser or a campaign rally; it was an official White House event to honor public officials.

    And then, of course, there were the lies.

    Reply
  33. rikyrah says:
    August 21, 2018 at 7:40 am

    Awe

    Drake visits 11-year-old heart transplant patient after she posts ‘KiKi Challenge’ video
    POSTED 3:50 PM, AUGUST 20, 2018, BY MELISSA ESPANA, UPDATED AT 09:45PM, AUGUST 20, 2018

    CHICAGO — One young Drake fan’s birthday wish came true on Monday after a video she posted gained popularity.

    Sophia Sanchez, a patient at Lurie Children’s Hospital, got a surprise visit from the artist after a video she posted of her doing the “KiKi Challenge” was shared on social media.

    Meeting Drake was just one of Sophia’s birthday wishes. She’s waiting for a heart transplant, so she hopes to get a new heart soon.

    Drake posted photos of the visit on his Instagram page on Monday with the caption, “Me and my love Sofia talking about Bieber and Owls and Basketball.”

    Drake was in town over the weekend for his concert at the United Center. It just so happened that Sophia’s 11th birthday was on Saturday.

    Reply
  50. rikyrah says:
    August 21, 2018 at 6:19 am

    Good Morning, Everyone 😄😄😄

    Reply

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