Candi Staton is a talented gospel and soul artist whose career began in the 1950s, spanning five generations during which she left her indelible mark on millions of fans of pop and gospel music.
Staton was born on March 13, 1943 in Hanceville, Alabama and grew up in a rural setting on a farm. He started singing at the tender age of four and from an early age he recognized that he had a quality in his voice that can captivate, inspire and even make adults cry; a situation young Staton had a hard time accepting. She says, “At the time, I didn’t even know why they were crying. One time, I remember, the audience got so excited, they threw their paperbacks at my feet, etc., that I got really scared and ran over to my mom.”
The Staton household was headed by an alcoholic father who abused his mother and Staton’s own musical development began after his parents’ divorce. Just before becoming a teenager, young Candi, along with her sister Maggie, was sent to the Jewel Christian Academy in Nashville. Her vocal repertoire was quickly recognized and she, along with her sister, were selected in the Jewel Gospel Trio. This gave Staton an invaluable musical education and exposure to leading exponents of gospel music, including Aretha Franklin, the Staple Singers, and the Soul Stirrers, whom the Jewel Gospel Trio had the opportunity to accompany on tours.
Staton worked for six years with the Jewel Gospel Trio before setting off in search of a new direction in his life. Shortly after leaving the Jewel Gospel Trio, she entered into a relationship with Joe Williams, whom she married and had four children. Bearing similarities to his parents’ marriage, Staton’s marriage also finally ended after prolonged abuse. Abandoned to care for her four children, Staton began to rekindle her music career by singing in nightclubs.
Her big break came in 1968 when she was spotted at a talent show by soul star Clarence Carter, who put her in touch with her producer, Rick Hall, owner of the Fame record label. Staton married Carter and later signed to Rick Hall’s Fame label. His first recognized success came in 1969 with the song “I’d rather be an old man’s love (than a young man’s fool).”
Staton worked with the Fame label for the next five years, during which time he was inspired by country music and recorded sixteen chart singles. By the mid-1970s, she had divorced Carter for infidelity and directed her music toward the increasingly popular disco beat. He joined the Warner Brothers label and released 5 albums, including the popular 1976 release “Young Hearts Run Free” and “Nights on Broadway,” along with other successful releases that gained permanent international recognition among dance music fans, many. of which she will be remembered forever for her collection of classic disco hits from the 1970s era.
Staton’s career was smooth sailing and, in the late 1970s, he received an invitation to perform at the White House for President Jimmy Carter. However, unbeknownst to many, he had become increasingly dependent on alcohol to the point that it eventually threatened his career.
Staton’s salvation came when he realigned his musical and spiritual expression to gospel music during the 1980s and well into the 1990s. She remarried John Sussewell, a former drummer, and featured Say Yes! a popular religious television show. Her popularity within the gospel music fraternity led to two Grammy nominations.
In 2007, she was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame. Candi Staton has an enviable marathon career spanning nearly half a century during which she worked with six record labels, releasing numerous gospel and pop hits, a feat that testifies to her rare and enduring ability to appeal to both secular and gospel audiences. .
