Candi Staton has one sister called Maggie Staton. Born in Hanceville, Alabama, Staton and her sister, Maggie were sent to Nashville, Tennessee at around age 11 or 12 for school.
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While attending Jewell Christian Academy, Staton’s vocal abilities were soon noticed by her peers and the school’s pastor. Amazed by her voice, the pastor paired Staton and her sister with a third girl, Naomi Harrison, and they formed the Jewell Gospel Trio.
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Image Credit: The Guardian
As teenagers, the group toured the traditional gospel circuit during 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.
Staton appears on the United Nations Register of Entertainers, Actors and Others Who Have Performed in Apartheid South Africa. Creatively, Candi has moved between soul and R&B, gospel, disco and even EDM before returning to her roots as an elder stateswoman.
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