Candi Staton's First Grammy Nod in Four Decades

Candi Staton has earned her first Grammy nomination in 40 years, a late-career acknowledgment that arrives with particular weight. The 85-year-old soul singer released Back to My Roots in February 2025, a twelve-track Americana set featuring Staton-penned originals and well-chosen covers.

The album, produced with her son Marcus Williams and sweetened by Mark Nevers of Lambchop, brings Staton full circle. Her sister Maggie Staton Peebles joins her for two duets, and the haunting "1963" recounts Staton's first-hand memory of the September 15, 1963 Birmingham church bombing.

Younger audiences are also discovering her music on TikTok, proving that survival in this business demands both reinvention and stubborn fidelity to the source. Staton has chosen the latter.