Candice Caleb, known professionally as Candye Kane, was an American adult film star, and later a blues singer.
27 Facts About Candye Kane
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Candye Kane loved to sing as a young girl and appeared on "The Gong Show," as a child.
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Candye Kane dreamed of a successful music career and performed at some music gigs, but worked in the adult entertainment industry briefly in the early to mid 1980s during pornography's golden age to help finance her music career.
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Candye Kane was raised in Highland Park, a Los Angeles suburb.
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Candye Kane was accepted into the University of Southern California's music conservatory's junior opera program in 1976, but she disliked opera and dropped out.
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Candye Kane became part of the punk rock music scene of the early 1980s.
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Candye Kane 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.
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Candye Kane was signed to a developmental deal and recorded her first demo with Grammy winner Val Garay.
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Candye Kane was marketed as a country singer, but CBS dropped her upon learning of her controversial past.
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Candye Kane married bass player Thomas Yearsley, with whom she had another son.
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Candye Kane then signed with Discovery Records, releasing Diva La Grande, produced by Dave Alvin and Derek O'Brien.
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Candye Kane made a "topless" video for the song "All You Can Eat" during which she pounded the keyboards with her bare breasts.
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Candye Kane dropped this routine from her act after her first bout with cancer, which caused her to lose over 100 pounds and reduced her bust from 44H to 38D.
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Candye Kane was included on the Essential Women in Blues CD set released by the 'House of Blues' record label and the Rock for Choice compilation.
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Candye Kane appeared on the 1988 compilation A Town South of Bakersfield Part II on Enigma Records, which included tracks by Jim Lauderdale, Katy Moffatt, Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakam and several others.
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At the time of her death, Candye Kane was signed to Vizztone Label Group.
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Candye Kane toured worldwide more than 250 days a year and appeared in many festivals, including the Ascona Jazz Festival, Midem, Paleo Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Dubai International Jazz Festival, Waterfront Blues Festival, Byron Bay Blues Festival in Australia and Notodden Blues Festival.
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In 2011, Candye Kane was nominated for two Blues Music Awards by the Blues Foundation, BB King Entertainer of the Year, and Best Contemporary Blues Female.
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Candye Kane was nominated for four Blues Music Awards, for the BB King Entertainer of the Year Award, Best Contemporary Blues CD for Superhero, and Best Contemporary Blues Female of 2010.
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Candye Kane has won numerous awards, including the Best Blues Band award at the San Diego Music Awards seven times.
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Candye Kane unseated Jewel for Artist of the Year at the San Diego Music Awards and won the California Music Award for Best Swing-Cabaret Artist.
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In 2014, Candye Kane was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the category "Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year".
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Candye Kane had two sons, one of whom, Evan Caleb, played drums in her road band for almost 10 years, and on a few of her records.
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Candye Kane appeared often at gay pride festivals and identified openly as a bisexual.
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Candye Kane had become an activist and philanthropist in her later years.
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In March 2008, Candye Kane revealed on her website that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was undergoing treatment.
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Candye Kane died from the disease at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on May 6,2016, aged 54.