Biography Wikipedia
Wikipedia:
Candye Kane (born November 13, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter and performer best known in the blues and jazz genre. She has been included in the Rolling Stone Guide to Jazz and Blues, Elwoods Blues by Dan Aykroyd, The Blueshound Guide to Blues, Allmusic and other blues books and periodicals. She also had a brief career as a pornographic actress during porn's golden age.
Early life
Kane was born in Ventura, California and raised in Highland Park, a Los Angeles suburb.
Music career
She was accepted into the USC's music conservatory's junior opera program in 1976 but disliked opera and dropped out. She became part of the punk rock music scene of the early 1980s. She started country punk bands and befriended and shared the stage with musicians as diverse as Black Flag, Social Distortion, James Harman, The Circle Jerks, Los Lobos, The Blasters and Lone Justice. In 1985, she caught the attention of CBS/Epic A&R Head, Larry Hanby. She was signed to a developmental deal and recorded her first demo with Grammy Winner Val Garay. Kane was initially marketed as a country singer but CBS dropped her when they found out about her controversial past: At 17 she got pregnant with her first son. When she turned 18 she turned to adult modelling and stripping to make some cash, appearing in videos and over 150 magazines from 1983 to 1985. Eventually she worked as a columnist for Gent as well.
In 1986, she moved from Los Angeles to San Diego. She married bass player Thomas Yearsley (of rockabilly power trio The Paladins) with whom she had another son. She majored in women's studies at Palomar Community College. She continued to write songs and accidentally discovered the brash blues stylings of Big Maybelle, Ruth Brown, Big Mama Thornton, Etta James and Bessie Smith.
In 1991, she self-released Burlesque Swing, her first recording since A Town South of Bakersfield. In 1992 was signed by Clifford Antone to a record deal with Antones Records. Her first CD, "Home Cookin'" was produced by Cesar Rosas (of Los Lobos) and Dave Gonzales and Thomas Yearsley (of the Paladins). It was released in 1992 followed by Knock Out. She then signed with Discovery Records releasing Diva La Grande, produced by Dave Alvin and Derek O'Brien. Next, she was signed by record mogul Seymour Stein during the height of the swing revival.
She released Swango which was produced by Mike Vernon for Sire/London Records (her only major label debut to date.) This was followed by Kane's Rounder/Bullseye release, The Toughest Girl Alive produced by Scott Billington. Next she released four CDs on the German Label Ruf Records. Subsequent titles include Whole Lotta Love produced by Val Garay and White Trash Girl produced in Austin by Mark Kazanoff. In 2007, she released Guitar'd and Feathered on the RUF records label. The CD was produced by former Muddy Waters guitarist, Bob Margolin. In 2009, she signed to Delta Groove records and released Superhero in June 2009.
A stage play about Kane's life debuted at San Diego's Diversionary Theater in January 2009, directed by Javier Velasco. The play is called The Toughest Girl Alive and is based on Kane's memoir about her turbulent life.
She was included on the 30 Essential Women of the Blues CD set released by the House of Blues record label and the Rock for Choice compilation. She appears with Lucinda Williams and Dwight Yoakam on a Town South of Bakersfield on Enigma Records.
Songwriting
Kane has written songs such as "The Toughest Girl Alive" (used on the Hidden Palms series for the CW network); "Who Do You Love", which was nominated for an OUT music award; "200 Pounds of Fun" (featured in the motion picture, The Girl Next Door); "For Your Love" (included on an episode of The Chris Isaak Show); "Please Tell Me a Lie" (used in the motion picture Heavy, starring Deborah Harry); "You Need a Great Big Woman" (used on the Oxygen Network series Strong Medicine); "The Lord was a Woman" (recorded by comedienne Judy Tenuta).
Current career and touring
Her eighth CD, released in May 2007, was titled Guitar’d and Feathered. Kane is now signed to Los Angeles's Delta Groove records. She tours worldwide more than 250 days a year. She has appeared on many prestigious festivals including the Ascona Jazz Festival, Midem, Paléo Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Dubai International Jazz Festival, Waterfront Blues Festival, Notodden Blues Festival among others. She has played for the President of Italy at the French Embassy in Rome and at the Cannes Film Festival. Her music is often featured on B. B. King's Bluesville on XM radio.
Awards
2011: Candye Kane is nominated for two National Blues Foundation - 2012 Blues Music Awards: BB King Entertainer of the Year & Best Contemporary Blues Female.
Kane was nominated for four National Blues Foundation Awards for the BB King Entertainer of the Year Award, Best Contemporary Blues CD for Superhero, and Best Contemporary Blues Female of 2010 She has won numerous awards, including the Best Blues Band award at the San Diego Music Awards seven times.
Other recent honors include Best Blues CD of 2005 at the San Diego Music Awards; the Trophees France International Award 2004 for Best International Blues Chanteuse and Artist of the Year. She unseated Jewel for Artist of the Year at the San Diego Music Awards and won the California Music Award for Best Swing-Cabaret Artist. In May 2007, Kane won an award for Best Original Blues composition by the West Coast Songwriters Association for her song, "I'm My Own Worst Enemy".
Personal life
Kane has two grown sons, one of whom, Evan Caleb, played drums in her road band. She appears often at gay pride festivals worldwide and identifies openly as a bisexual.
In March 2008, Kane revealed on her web site that she has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was undergoing treatment. The tumor was found to be a neuroendocrine tumor and was successfully resected on April 18, 2008 at UCSD Medical Center/Thornton Hospital.
