Intro: Gail Nobles
Story by: Gail Nobles
Photo: Phil King - Image on Flickr Uploaded by UAwiki
Usage: CC BY 2.0

Let’s talk about a real soul sister, a dynamite rhythm queen! We're talkin' about the one, the only, Candi Staton!

You  know I dig a song with heart, with soul, with a little bit of grit in it, and Candi Staton, she's got it all! We all know Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man", a country classic. But when Candi Staton got a hold of it in 1970, She took that song, injected it with pure, unadulterated soul, and gave it a whole new heartbeat!

She poured out her heart, sang it with a conviction that cut right to the bone. Listen to those lyrics!

"Sometimes it's hard to be a womanGiving all your love to just one manOh, yeah, you'll have bad timesHe'll have good timesDoing things thatYou don't understand"

Yeah, she lays it on the line. It ain't always roses and sunshine! There's struggle, there's hurt, there's times you gotta bite your lip and hold on tight. But that's real life.
And then she belts it out:

"Stand by your manGive him two arms to cling toAnd something warm to come toWhen nights are cold and lonely"

Candi Staton took that "Stand By Your Man" message, added a whole lotta soul fire, and turned it into something brand new! She gave it vulnerability, she gave it strength, she gave it that raw, unfiltered emotion that only a true queen of soul can deliver! It's a song about loyalty, about love, about the hard work it takes to make a relationship last.

And let me tell you something, Candi Staton's version, it connected with a whole generation! It showed that standing by your man ain't always easy, but it can be worth it. It's a demonstration to her power as a singer, as a performer, and as a woman!

So, next time you hear that Candi Staton rendition of "Stand By Your Man," remember the soul, the heart, and the pure, unadulterated emotion that she poured into every single note. That's what makes it a timeless classic! That’s Candi Staton for you. A true original!
And that’s all for now folks!

I'm Gail Nobles. You're listening to the Country Soul Show.