To Candye–Love, Sue

Candy and Sue

On Friday night, May 6, 2016, we lost a force of nature. After an eight-year battle with cancer, Candye Kane passed away. Candye was my long-term musical partner for most of the ’90s and was a very dear friend. She took me all over the world, taught me how to perform to my fullest, inspired me to write music, absolutely delighted me, and made me laugh. We liked a lot of the same music, despite the difference in our ages (old country, ’40s swing, blues, and more). As soon as we began performing together, at the Belly Up Tavern in 1991, the band and the San Diego audience knew something special was happening. The chemistry, with Steve Wilcox on guitar, Candye, and me on piano, was obvious immediately. We drove to SouthxSouthwest in Austin, Texas, and she landed a record deal with the legendary Antones label. It was the world after that. We started out, going to Europe, without the band, and took care of each other, learning how to deal with this new chapter in our lives. Paris became our home away from home. Our manager, Jean Herve Michel, took us to big venues with 20,000 people in the audience (Le Mans, France), but also everyplace in between, in large cities, small villages, and theaters. The French were especially wonderful; they loved Candye and still do. Candy was a phenomenal artist in any situation, but just hearing her sing unamplified, with the piano, was my favorite thing to do with her. We were amazingly close, especially when we played music, following each other seamlessly in an unthinking oneness. She was a loyal, generous, and loving friend. I will miss her very much.

–Sue Palmer, Candye’s piano player