Charles Stepney was born March 26, 1931, and grew up in a musical Chicago family, an adept pianist and vibraphonist by the 1950s who studied music theory at Wilson Junior College. Working as a staff arranger and producer at Chicago's Chess Records, he first crossed paths with pianist Ramsey Lewis when Lewis recorded Stepney's own tune, "Close Your Eyes and Remember," on a 1960s Chess LP. Stepney went on to work directly on Lewis's Chess-era recordings and, later, his 1975 gold Columbia album Sun Goddess, which peaked at No. 12 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums; Ramsey Lewis's own career is covered in full in his JazzProfiles.com profile.

Beyond Ramsey Lewis, Stepney did orchestral arrangements for the Dells' Chess recordings and for other acts on the label's roster, and worked with a pre-stardom Minnie Riperton, first as part of the girl group the Gems and later as a vocalist with the eclectic rock/R&B sextet Rotary Connection. He co-wrote the song "Rotary Connection" with label co-owner Marshall Chess.

Stepney died of a heart attack on May 17, 1976, just as Earth, Wind & Fire's Spirit, an album dedicated to him, was being completed.

Stepney's orchestral arranging brought a genuine studio sophistication to Chess Records' Chicago soul catalog, including his uncredited but decisive role in Sun Goddess, one of Ramsey Lewis's signature crossover-jazz records.