Seldom, has there been an artist that has achieved a spanning career that has flourished and oozed innovation over decades, but in this instance Candi Staton proves that an excessive love for music and commitment can prevail all.

Having countless hits, 'Young Hearts Run Free', 'You Got The Love' and 'Stand By your Man' Candi still continues to reign the charts. Through her personal depiction of life, love and soul Candi Staton has gained global status. Now with her new album, 'His Hands' set to brace our airwaves the disco fever still continues.

Pain and sorrow once tainted the icon. Reminiscin' caught up with Candi Staton to find out why such despairing emotions are now a thing of the past.

How did your love for music come about?
I guess I was born with it. As long as I can remember I have been singing since I was five years old. I started singing in the church every time the church doors were opened. That was all we did - sing. My desire was to sing. That desire to work was planted in me particularly at that time; I just kept doing it. I never dreamed of being where I am today. I just kept on doing it and being faithful to it.

Where did your inspiration and musical creativity stem from?
In our little country town in Alabama there were three radio stations - one was a country station, the other a blues station and the third one was a gospel and blues. Then there was country, rhythm and blues and gospel; I guess between the three of them I kind of made my own style. I would sing country with the country people, I would sing gospel with the gospel people and blues with the blues people. So I guess when you put all those together you come up with your own style. I mean, when I was coming up it wasn't cool to sing like anybody else- who needed two Aretha Franklin's and Gladys Knights', so you kind of just come up with what is inside of you. So I kind of stuck with what I felt inside that is how I can up with my style.

Who have been your greatest musical influences?
A lady by the name of Carol Ward also Davis Sisters, Ruth Davis and Aliah Jackson - basically gospel. Then I would have singers that I really really loved BB King; BB King was one of my favourites. Then on the country station there was this guy, but I forget his name he would sing, 'I am sending you a big bouquet of roses'. It was a little country song we used to always sing it to each other my sister and me. Tennessee Ernie Ford, I thought he was so neat. Johnny cash, I mean there were many many artist back then that I loved.

How did you propel yourself into the music scene?
Well, it started with gospel. Back when I was 13, I started singing professional gospel with a group out of Nashville by the name of the Dual Gospel Trio and that is how I became professional in the gospel field. In the secular field, I met Clarence Carter after I divorced my first husband. He had Etta James; Etta James had just dropped her contract and signed with someone else. He needed a female vocalist and Clarence Carter recommended me, he met me and liked the way I sang. The first day he met me we went in the studio and recorded three songs. It was amazing! It was like a whirlwind-you just thought that would never happen to you on that scale. My first record was, 'I rather be an old man's sweet heart then a young man's fool' it was written by George Jackson originally for Aretha Franklin, but he never got it to Aretha, I did it.

Considering you launched your singing career in the early 60's - did you ever believe years on you would still be a prominent figure in today's music industry?
Well, you know I stopped for a little while when I started having my children; I was just settling to being a housewife, but the marriage didn't last. I was almost forced to try and do something because I only had a high school education and I didn't have the skills to get a good paying job and I had four kids as well. The only thing I knew how to do was sing, so I started singing in nightclubs and I played a little piano. I would play for the church and so I was making money from the church and also making money in the nightclubs. I was living two lives, three lives with the housewife part - I was a busy lady.

You performed regularly at New York's number one hotspot Studio 54 - What was your fondest memory?
Just watching all the people and all the stars come in and sitting around looking at them dance on the floor. All the top DJ's in New York City would come in -it was a great place to meet and greet. If your record wasn't already on the charts or play list, you would go in there have a few drinks with the top DJ's and a few days from there you had your record on the charts. So it was good place; there was a lot of good networking going on.

You have shared the stage with a variety of talent from Diana Ross, Little Richard to Aretha Franklin - who has been the most memorable artist to perform with and why?
I guess maybe James Brown. James is so funny; I toured with him for a while, it was just fun watching him. And that was when he could still do the splits. I don't know about now if he can do the splits anymore. He's a friend, I like James.

Is there any other artists' you still keep in contact with?
Yeah, I talk to Al Green. I talk to Stevie Wonder, I just saw him in LA. Mostly Gladys Knight, Roberta Flack and Gloria Gaynor. You name them. I still keep in touch with quite a few artists.

During your career you have recorded over 21 albums - How do you keep your music original and innovative?
I tried to be consistent; I just try to be me. In every record I make, I just try to be me. I want to feel what I am singing. I love to read. When I go to the studio even though I know the song I put my paper up there with my lyrics and read it, when I read the word, it just comes to life or I can put on different feelings on that particular word. I am a soul singer and I sing from my mind, will and emotions. I just keep doing it until I get it right; until I feel like it moves me then I know its gunna move somebody else. When I am singing it and it moves me then I know we have got something.

Your lyrics in your music has always been very profound is it in some ways autobiographical?
It is ok to sing little meaningless songs when you having fun; you might just want to sing simple songs. I mean, I write simple songs but there are times when I just really want to sing a song. I just want to sing some lyrics, I wanna sing a story. A lot of my songs are autobiographical things that I have gone through- most of that is stuff that I have gone through and experienced. If I didn't experience it then members of my family did. You just write from experience.

Did your experiences make you grow as an artist in regards to the relationships and upbringing you encountered?
The experience always have depth; you are not just singing just to be singing, you are singing something that you have experienced and a lot of time experiences are not good at the time. But like I told someone last week I wouldn't change not one because each one of them took me to another level in terms of feeling, in terms of experience and in terms of delivery of song. I look at the young artists coming on, they sing soul but there is something not there because they have not experienced a lot of hurt or pain. They have experienced some; everybody goes through it but to the extent that we did in the sixties and seventies -we went through real pain, survival pain, the live or die kind of thing. That leaves an indelible mark in your life forever and you can sing from that forever. That is why BB King can sing the blues the way you want to cry.

'Young Hearts Run Free' is regarded as one of the most uplifting tracks-what is your take on it?
That is the most beautiful song-I mean it. It has a teaching element in it. It is like the older women teaching the younger girls to make sure before you get hung up with somebody that he is gunna be the one. So before you start having babies, you better know he is gunna be there to help you out. That is what the bottom line of the song. David Crawford wrote that song for me during one of the weirdest times, oh man, devastating times of my life, when I was trying to getaway and divorce someone that was very violent. I had kids and you can't run fast or get away when you have got three or four children, especially when you are getting threatened everyday and your children as well. That was what the song was all about, young hearts run free never be hung up like this - stay single, stay free, until you know you have got a good man who is gunna be there for you and take care of your children.

Like all careers, it can take its toll, when you were at your lowest and resorted to alcohol - how did you breakout from alcoholism and re-establish yourself as an artist?
I got into the church; I guess with determination and the help of god I was able to kick that habit. I realised how that habit was killing me, it was actually killing me. It was something I couldn't help, I tried many many times to stop drinking but I couldn't, it was beyond my powers. I was so timid when it came down to people on stage, I was very timid, but when I had alcohol in me I felt very confident, I felt like I could do anything. That was another reason that kept me tied to the bottle. After I got into the church and started reading the bible, I began to build my self-esteem up and understand the words of the bible and words of god. I just began to build up and didn't need anything. When I go on stage now; I get some water or maybe suck on a lemon for a minute and I am ready top go.

In the early 80's you created a niche genre called 'gosco' (gospel music with disco) - Why did you decide to fuse the two?
Well, its because you can dance to it. You can dance to gospel music and I thought that was really interesting because we take it too seriously. It is a serious genre but it is also a joyful genre of music. Gospel music doesn't always have to be tear jerking and you feel like you're just in a cave somewhere- you don't have to feel that, you can feel joy. There is joy in there. That's why I invented 'gosco' let's dance a little bit. It's all good.

Your music has transgressed so many different genres: disco, soul, gospel-what is your personal favourite?
Of course I love gospel that is my first love, but I think to live in a church 24 hours a day there are other areas life also needs to be cared for emotionally. We do live in relationships regardless of who we are and what church we go to. We are gunna have some up's and down's in relationships and love -falling in and out of love, hurt, so you just wanna say that in music sometimes. It hurts but you get through it. That is exactly what I am saying-if I got through it then baby you can too. You can get through it and you will.

Besides venting out your emotions through your lyrics you are also in the process of writing a book, 'Hitchhiker-Men Who Ride For Free' -can you tell us more about it?
Well, it is about men that come into your life. First of all, a hitchhiker has no resources; he is just with a bag of clothes on his back, standing on the corner of the highway thumbing a ride. And if you are stupid enough to stop and pick him up then you are gunna be responsible for him. If he does come into your home; he is a guest at first then he starts to take more and more space and before you know it he moves into your home and household and he doesn't call it your home any more it is 'our' house. And if your not careful he will put you out. So you have got to be careful, women have to be careful. They eventually take over- trust me I know (laughs).

Let's talk about your forthcoming album, 'His Hands' -how does this album differ from your previous releases?
It's almost like the compilation album from Honest Jon that was released last year. It has some of the elements of that album. It is a great album. Mark Angley from Honest Jon came to my dressing room the last time we did Jazz Café and asked me if I would be interested to do another one- I told him yeah, why not, let's do it! It was a great experience. It was good.

Is there a re-occurring theme in this album?
Yeah, hurt and abuse in tracks like, 'When Hearts Grow Cold' and 'How Do I Get Over You'. It is not easy letting go. It is like a relationship that you know you need to terminate, but you are just hanging on for familiar sake. A lot of times we get into relationships because we are so familiar with everything; we are familiar with the hurt, familiar with the pain. We are creatures of habit and we keep on doing the same thing over and over. The theme is relationships - hurt and pain. I have one song in there called, 'I Will Sing A Love Song To You', which is a good song and 'When Will I' is also a good song - it is like there is light at the end of the tunnel. I call it life music.

If you could collaborate with any artist today who would it be and why?
I really don't know, I have been thinking about that. I would like to do something with a male artist maybe Peabo Bryson or maybe Stevie Wonder. It would be good to do something with Stevie.

When you are not in the studio recording how do you like to relax?
I relax with my family - I am very family orientated. When at home we would go out to the mall. I go walking out to the mountains and it is beautiful. There are beautiful little gardens and lakes and stuff like that. It really is like a resort area and I spend some time there. My daughter lives in Monroe which is like 45 minutes away from me, so when I feel like going out I will take my car and drive out there and spend my day. Sometimes I spend the night with my babies and grand babies and all of us will go to a movie or somewhere together - we have dinner. Other then that I am normal (laughs).

Lastly, having such a long and established musical career what has been your highlight and biggest achievement so far?
Oh my goodness that is a good question. I have so many highlights, mainly getting nominated for Grammy's and to be out there with all those stars. I just did Dionne Warwick's 45th anniversary special that was a really good. Oh goodness there is so much, may be lifetime achievements awards that I got in Nashville - so many things. I look at my life and my career as one - I am such an upbeat person, a person that is so thankful for just being here - so many of my peers have gone. I guess the highlight of my life is just waking up in the morning and just saying, hey I don't have cancer or diseases or anything. I am just happy being here. I have to take everything as a grain of salt they come and they go. I might be here today and tomorrow I don't know where I might be. It 's a wonderful experience being alive.

Related Link:
> www.candi-staton.com
> Candi Staton CD - Amazon.co.uk


* Title: Candi Staton portrait - Artist: Candi Staton - Photographer: Alan Messer - Date: 01 Dec 2005 - Copyright: Alan Messer / Honest Jons