Candi Staton

When you talk about Candi Staton, you really need to specify which Candi Staton you’re referring to. Born in 1940 in Alabama, Staton has led several parallel lives throughout a career that’s spanned over half a century. There’s the gospel star who began singing in the church as a teen and became a fixture in Christian music for decades to come. There’s the dance-music maven who ruled discotheques with her 1976 chart-topper, “Young Hearts Run Free,” and then, 10 years later, infiltrated rave culture through her cameo on The Source’s club classic “You Got the Love.” And then there’s the righteous R&B singer who put her sultry stamp on Patsy Cline and Elvis standards in the early ’70s, before being rediscovered by a new generation of record collectors through a 2004 compilation released on hip British imprint Honest Jon’s. That revival led to 2006’s His Hands, on which producer Mark Nevers of Lambchop and contributing songwriter Will Oldham helped further cement Staton’s status as a Southern soul pioneer.