Candye Kane

by Stewart Mason
A former stripper and men's magazine model who also did the occasional X-rated video shoot back in the '80s, Candye Kane would be the blues version of the Andrea True Connection, but for one vitally important fact: this woman can really sing! An updated version of Bessie Smith with a wicked sense of humor and a gleefully omnisexual persona, Candye Kane and her backup band the Swingin' Armadillos aren't just a novelty act, but a sassy, smart, and always-entertaining mix of sex, showbiz, and swing.
Los Angeles-native Kane started her musical career with 1994's spotty Home Cookin', but really hit her stride with 1995's Knockout and, especially, 1997's excellent Diva la Grande. The short-lived swing revival led to a major-label deal for 1998's Swango, but that cocktail-influenced swing record didn't give her jump blues brassiness its due, and when Sire gave Kane her walking papers, she settled in the far more hospitable environs of Rounder, which released the much improved The Toughest Girl Alive in 2000. Three years later, Kane released Whole Lotta Love, an album made available via Germany's Ruf Records.
2005's White Trash Girl, produced by WC Handy Award nominee Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff, included collaborations with Gary Primich, Preston Hubbard and Riley Osborn.