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Charles Stepney

Charles Stepney was an American record producer, arranger, songwriter and musician. Stepney is noted for his work with artists such as The Dells, Ramsey Lewis, Rotary Connection and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Including tunes heard, bought and artists featured at this year’s We Out Here Festival in the UK

by Andy Crowther
September 5, 2025

New material from International Anthem, Gary Bartz, Brian Jackson, plus tunes from Charles Stepney and other artists from this year's We Out Here festival in the UK. Playlist Rotary Connection “Memory Band" from Rotary Connection (Cadet Concept) 00:00 Makaya McCraven “Butterscotch" from In The Moment (International Anthem) 03:39 Ramsey Lewis “Julia" from Mother Nature's Son (Cadet) 06:27 Clifford Jordan “Eddie Harris" from Glass Bead Games (Strata-East) 10:47 The Harold Land / Blue Mitchell Quintet “Mapenzi" from Mapenzi (Concord) ...

Album Review

Charles Stepney: Step By Step

Read "Step By Step" reviewed by Chris May

by Chris May
November 8, 2022

Chicago born, bred and buttered, the composer, arranger and producer Charles Stepney (1931-76) lived and worked on the porous boundary between jazz and funk which has existed since James Brown first got on the good foot. As a staff producer for the Chess label in the 1960s, and later as an independent, Stepney worked on recordings by Rotary Connection, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Terry Callier, Ramsey Lewis and Earth, Wind & Fire, among many others. Prominent among ...