Candye says she had a rough life growing up in E. Los Angeles, CA. as a child. As she entered adult life she became a 16 year old single welfare mother. At first she was a Phone Sex operator and later was persuaded to and entered the Burlesque world of striptease. She says that "It empowered me, it made me feel sexy, it made me feel desirable" proving busty fat chicks can be sexy as hell, later she was even voted the decade's most popular big-bust model. She would eventually pose for over 500 Adult magazines and even become a columnist for Gent Magazine for two years (called Candye's Corner).

   Candye is not one for doing what everyone else does. She says that " I danced to Joe Liggins and the Honeydrippers, Wynonnie Harris, and early Ray Price at a time when other strippers danced to Donna Summer and Disco tunes... I wore a cowboy hat and used six shooter squirt guns to squirt milk on my ample bosom and the audience as well... I would lick the milk off." She is quite the entertainer. :)

   Later she would do few Adult films with such Adult stars as Lotta Top, Kitten Natividad, and Christy Canyon to name a few, all the while using the money to support her then fledgling musical career (Candye Kane's Rawhide, Haywire) and her family. Candye always wanting to be a singer even at a young age, left the Burlesque world for a larger stage and started to sing and play the piano. Candye is also an active "sex activist," speaking at sex positive events.

   Originally people only used their eyes with Candye, but now use their ears as well. She's proud of her big beautiful bod but because of her large size and the turmoil the larger record producers would put her thru to lose weight she says, she found the Blues to be much more suited to her style of singing and see's herself more of a Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter etc. type blues singer... and we agree, she great!. Candye's a great road to success story now however and wins awards such as the "California Music Award for Best Swing/Cabaret Artist."

   She has recorded seven cds total for labels like rounder, antones, sire/london and discovery. Her current musical act is an entertaining mix of risque, showbiz, and swing. During a brief Lindy Hop revival during the mid 1990's, Candye did a swingin' CD called Swango (we here at Streetswing.com love Swing Dancin' and have danced to her music allot). These days she tours all over the world with her band, The Swinging Armadillos and plays the piano as her sultry, seductive voice belts out the tunes. Candye says she does not pose nude actively anymore but from time to time she does a few select modeling roles.

   Candye says "I'm proud to be included on your great site!!," and we are proud to have a success story like hers here as well.