Gotta Dig It To Dig It: A Quick Review Of The New Compilation Of The Work Of Charles Stepney On International Anthem

The late Charles Stepney worked with legendary artists, and seems worthy of being a legend himself. The former Chess Records producer, arranged and wrote music for The Rotary Connection, Minnie Riperton, and Earth, Wind & Fire, among others. He was ahead of the curve in a big way in incorporating synths into soul and funk, and a pioneer in home recording. His daughters have assembled Step on Step as a record of their father's genius. The album, out today via the esteemed International Anthem, serves as a very personal piece of work, and a release that performs a public good in trying to elevate the name of Charles Stepney to a greater degree of familiarity.

This is one of the rare cases where the press materials do a better job at describing this than I can:

"All of the otherwise unrecorded, previously unnamed original compositions contained on Step on Step were given their titles by Stepney's daughters Eibur, Charlene, and Chanté Stepney, whose voices are also heard throughout the album, telling stories and sharing memories about their father. The Stepney Sisters, who produced this album over many years, have long been engaged in efforts to celebrate their father’s legacy and bring his work into brighter light."

Step on Step has a vibe that makes this feel less like a bunch of demos and home recordings, as it does a lo-fi gem. "Gimme Some Sugar" has a funk groove that's part Billy Preston, part Parliament, while "Gotta Dig It to Dig It" feels like something that Stevie Wonder would have loved to call his own. An early version of "That's The Way of the World" reveals a different direction for that melodic treasure that Earth, Wind & Fire would later ride to the top of the charts. "Black Gold" is elegant, the hooks here nearly Monk-like, and one can hear what drew The Rotary Connection and Minnie Riperton to this tune, one that they'd rework a bit later on. Even better is "Around the House", a proto-New Wave keyboard anchoring this one. So much here sounds like funk that would flourish later in the early Eighties, with Stepney's work on these compositions foreshadowing the enormous changes that would occur in the funk and soul genres between 1970 and 1985.

Ultimately, Step on Step is a love letter from children to their father. It's also a kind of love letter to genres of the past. Charles Stepney certainly needs to be better known, but there's also a kind of academic appeal here, as we hear someone experiment with home recording and rudimentary keyboards way ahead of the curve. This is DIY funk, before the term would ever have meant anything. Charles Stepney was a visionary in his own modest way, cranking out little gems that would become some of the best songs of the era. Step on Step is wildly entertaining, and, more importantly, it's superbly educational.

Step on Step is out today via International Anthem.

[Photo: Rubie Stepney]