Sam Chatman

CTL-E-0528 · Person · 1970–1996

PROVISIONAL evidence grade of this record

DJ/promoter Sam Chatman, known as the 'Godfather of Steppin',' coined the name 'Stepping' for the Chicago partner dance in 1974 after announcing at a party that a dancing couple looked like they were 'stepping.'

Notes

Merged into canonical KG 2026-10-03 from MUSIC-001; source entity IDs: CTL-DR-MUSIC-001:music-001-person-060, CTL-DR-MUSIC-001:music-001-infra-027; source research type(s): person. Description completed 2026-10-03 from the source research record (claims) during the KG completion pass.

Sources

WLS-TV Chicago stepping coverage (URL not captured in this pass)
Old Town School of Folk Music (https://www.oldtownschool.org/concerts/2018/02-09-2018-gdp-black-history-month/)
Wikipedia, 'Chicago stepping'; The TRiiBE (2026-09)

Record CTL-E-0528 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · evidence grade: PROVISIONAL · 3 sources · CTL research: MUSIC-001.
Directory: all entity records · the knowledge graph

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Cite as: CultureTechLens, “Sam Chatman (CTL-E-0528),” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph, October 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-0528/

Chicago: CultureTechLens. “Sam Chatman (CTL-E-0528).” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph. Chicago, IL: CultureTechLens, 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-0528/
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MLA: CultureTechLens. “Sam Chatman (CTL-E-0528).” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph, 2026, https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-0528/

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Children at the table in a kitchenette apartment, Chicago, 1941Photo: Russell Lee, FSA-OWI, Public Domain, via Library of Congress

Children asleep in a kitchenette apartment, Chicago, 1941Photo: Russell Lee, FSA-OWI, Public Domain, via Library of Congress

Children at a meal, Chicago, 1941Photo: Russell Lee, FSA-OWI, Public Domain, via Library of Congress

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