Candi Staton

Soul - R&B - disco - gospel singer - record label owner

Born on 13th March 1940, Hanceville, Alabama, U.S.A.

She was married to [a=Clarence Carter] (1970 - 1973) and [a=John Sussewell] (1980 - 1998). Mother of [a=Cassandra Hightower] and the drummer [a=Marcus Williams (2)].

As a young girl she was "discovered" when she and her sister Maggie sang an impromptu song in church. The pastor, Bishop M.L. Jewell, formed the [a2839248] around them and added Naomi Harrison to the lineup. Candi left the group when she was seventeen, partly on the advice of [a295202]. Around 1968 she recorded a duet with country singer Billy Walker entitled "The Judgement" on the [l51351] label, but it flopped. Her big break came after a dare from her brother to sing on amateur night at the 27/28 Club in Birmingham. She sang "Do Right Woman" and won a booking to open for R&B singer [a=Clarence Carter]. He invited Candi to tour with him which eventually led her to sign on with [l299088]. In 1969 she debuted with [m=335285]. Over the next five years Candi reigned as the "First Lady of Southern Soul", scoring with R&B covers of country hits such as [m=1103525], [m=148775] and [m=148776].

She signed with Warner Bros. in 1974 and started making dance music with strong ballads. In 1976 [m=133445], a song about a neglected housewife quickly became and remains Candi's biggest U.S. hit. It topped the R&B chart, peaked at #20 Pop and #2 in England. By 1982 after hitting rock bottom and nothing left but to return to the chitlin' circuit she left secular music and with the aid of televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker she and her husband at the time [a=John Sussewell], launched their own gospel label, [l325622] in Atlanta.

The biggest hit of Candi Staton's career is largely unknown in the United States. Recorded with a group called, [a548143], "[m=137260]" is an inspirational dance groove, charted at #88 R&B in 1986. But by 1991 it had become an international smash, hitting #4 in England selling about 2 million copies throughout Europe. In 1994 she published her autobiography, [i]This Is My Story[/i], which vividly discusses her personal and professional highs and lows.