Biography

Early years

At the age of eleven or twelve, Staton and her sister Maggie were sent to the Jewell Christian Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. Her vocal abilities quickly set her apart from the crowd; the school's pastor teamed the two sisters with a third girl (Naomi Harrison) to form the Jewell Gospel Trio. As teenagers, they toured the traditional gospel circuit in the 1950s with the Soul Stirrers, C. L. Franklin and Mahalia Jackson. They recorded several sides for Nashbro, Apollo and Savoy Records between 1953 and 1963.

Solo career

In 1968, Staton was introduced to Rick Hall by Clarence Carter and launched her solo career as a Southern soul stylist, garnering 16 R&B hits for Rick Hall's Fame Studios and gaining the title of "First Lady of Southern Soul" for her Grammy-nominated R&B renditions of the songs "Stand by Your Man" and "In the Ghetto". Staton appeared on the September 23, 1972 edition (Season 2, Episode 1) of Soul Train. In 1976, Staton began collaborating with producer David Crawford on disco songs such as "Young Hearts Run Free", which reached #1 on the US R&B charts, #2 in the UK Singles Chart and went Top 20 on the Pop Hot 100 during the summer of 1976. It was remixed and re-released in 1986 reaching the UK Top 50. Follow up song "Destiny" hit the Top 50 in the UK. Candi's version of "Nights on Broadway" hit the UK Top 10 in 1977; it had been a US Billboard hit for the Bee Gees over a year before. In 1978, she scored another Top 50 hit in the UK with "Honest I Do I Love You". In 1979, from her album "Chance" Staton released album single "When You Wake Up Tomorrow" (co-written by Patrick Adams and Wayne K. Garfield) and the title song "Chance", a TOP 20 R&B charted record. Other Dance club chart hits included "When You Wake Up Tomorrow" and "Victim". In 1982, Candi again hit the UK chart with a version of Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds". In 1996, singer Kym Mazelle recorded "Young Hearts Run Free" for the film adaption Romeo + Juliet of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

In 1982, Staton returned to gospel music. She married her fourth husband, John Sussewell (drummer for Ashford & Simpson and also Dory Previn's sixth album). Together they founded Beracah Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia with help from Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's PTL Ministries. She has since recorded eight gospel albums, two of which received Grammy Award nominations.

In popular culture Lambchop's "I Would Have Waited Here All Day" Staton is the subject of the song "I Would Have Waited Here All Day" by Lambchop. Helen Hoffner's "Summer of Love" In Hoffner's 1993 hit "Summer Of Love", reference is made in the lyrics to "Young Hearts Run Free"; see Helen Hoffner's album Wild about Nothing.

In 1991, she returned to popular mainstream charts by lending her vocals to the Source's Top Ten British hit, "You Got the Love", a club-styled dance hit that sold two million copies and that is still considered a seminal classic of that era, leading to many remixes and cover versions being created. Staton signed with Intersound Records in 1995. In 2000, she released her eleventh album, Here's a Blessing. In 2004, the British record label Honest Jon's released a compilation CD of her country-soul work from the late 1960s and early 1970s, the self-titled Candi Staton, and Staton followed it up with a secular project in 2006 entitled His Hands, produced by Mark Nevers of Lambchop and with the title track written by Will Oldham. Two of Staton's children, Cassandra Hightower (background vocals) and Marcus Williams (drums), joined her on the CD. A second studio album for Honest Jon's, titled Who's Hurting Now?, appeared in 2009.

Staton's television show New Direction aired on TBN. Staton has also made appearances on the Praise the Lord telecast with Paul Crouch and his wife Jan Crouch.

Personal life

Staton has been married five times:

• Joe Williams (1959-1968) (divorced) 4 children;
  • Marcus Williams
  • Marcel Williams
  • Terry Williams
  • Cassandra Hightower
• Clarence Carter (1970-1973) (divorced) 1 child;
  • Clarence Carter Jr.
• Jimmy James (1974-1977)
• Joe Williams
• John Sussewell (1980-1998) (divorced)
• Otis Nixon (2010-2012) (divorced)

Discography

Main article: Candi Staton discography

Albums

• I'm Just a Prisoner (1970)
• Stand By Your Man (1971)
• Candi Staton (1972)
• Candi (1974)
• Young Hearts Run Free (1976) UK #34
• Music Speaks Louder Than Words (1977)
• House of Love (1978)
• Chance (1979)
• Candi Staton (1980)
• Nightlites (1982)
• Make Me an Instrument (1983)
• The Anointing (1985)
• Sing a Song (1986)
• Love Lifted Me (1988)
• Stand Up and Be a Witness (1990)
• Standing on the Promises (1991)
• I Give You Praise (1993)
• It's Time (1995)
• Cover Me (1997)
• Outside In (1999)
• Here's a Blessing (2000)
• Christmas in My Heart (2000)
• Glorify (2001)
• Proverbs 31 Woman (2002)
• His Hands (2006)
• The Ultimate Gospel Collection (2006)
• I Will Sing My Praise to You (2008)
• Who's Hurting Now? (Release: spring 2009)
• Life Happens (2014)

Singles (non comprehensive)

• "I'd Rather Be an Old Man's Sweetheart (Than a Young Man's Fool) (1969) R&B #9 US #46
• "I'm Just a Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin')" (1969) R&B #13 US #56
• "Sweet Feeling" (1970) R&B #5 US #60
• "Stand by Your Man" (1970) R&B #4 US #24
• "He Called Me Baby" (1971) R&B #9 US #52
• "In the Ghetto" (1972) R&B #12 US #48
• "Do It in the Name of Love" (1973) R&B #17 US #80
• "As Long as He Takes Care of Home" (1974) R&B #6 US #51
• "Young Hearts Run Free" (1976) US #20 UK #2 R&B #1 (1986 re-release #47, 1999 re-release #29)
• "Destiny" (1976) UK #41
• "Nights on Broadway" (1977) UK #6 R&B #16 US #102
• "Honest I Do Love You" (1978) UK #48 R&B #77
• "Victim" (1978) R&B #17
• "When You Wake Up Tomorrow" (1979) R&B #13
• "Suspicious Minds" (1982) UK #31
• "You Got the Love" (1986) UK #95 R&B #88
• "You Got the Love" (The Source featuring Candi Staton - 1991) UK #4 (1997 re-release UK #3 (Now Voyager Mix), 2005 import release UK #60, 2006 "You Got the Love (New Voyager Mix)" (featuring Candi Staton - re-release) #7 UK)
• "Love On Love" (1999) UK #27
• "Young Hearts Run Free" (re-recording) (1999) UK #29
• "I Just Can't Get to Sleep at All" (2000) Energise Records, UK; limited release
• "Love Sweet Sound" Groove Armada featuring Candi Staton (2007)
• "Wilder Side" Rasmus Faber & Alf Tumble featuring Candi Staton (2010)
• "Hallelujah Anyway" (2012)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]