“When I get up on stage and sing the words “I’m a superhero” I keep on fighting. I’m ready to take on the World and whatever comes my way”– sleevenotes ‘Superhero’ 2009
In January 2008 Candye Kane recorded a concert in Bonn for RUF records and I interviewed her for the local (now defunct) website ‘Bonn English Network’. I still remember her sitting on the big leather sofa backstage at the Harmonie next to a colleague, Manfred Schmitt, who seemed dwarfed by her. Back then Candye was a big woman and proud of it. Drummer Denis Palatin dropped in with a bottle of Jack Daniels, Deborah Coleman put her head round the door but closed it again – when Candye was in a room she ‘owned’ it. Not by demand but by sheer presence. Up and coming Brit Bluesgirl Dani Wilde was also there on probably her first major European tour and Candye, always smiling, happily posed for pictures.
A month after the interview Candye was first diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. The eight years between this diagnosis and her death this week were hard ones but the interview she gave me shows the years before were pretty hard ones too. That Candye Kane will be remembered by so many for not just her music but her smile and her kick-ass attitude to life and what it throws at you is the measure of her talents – as both a very special singer and a very special human-being.
I hope you enjoy my interview with Blues Superhero Candye Kane.
There is a mountain of songs out there today that us ‘people of a certain age’ have heard so many times we could sing them pretty well in our sleep. Likewise there must be many tunes that any reasonably talented musician of that same ‘certain age’ could play in his/her sleep. That is most certainly true of ‘Money for Nothing’, ‘Brothers in Arms’, and pub-rock classic ‘Sultans of Swing‘. As a founder member of the mega-selling Dire Straits John Illsley should be able to play the old hits in his sleep by now – but does he send the audience to sleep too? I headed to the Harmonie recently to find out.
Jazz Tube has become an integral part of the Bonn Summer music scene. Budding jazzers from the local area can apply to be a part of this year’s event 
The last time I caught Royal Southern Brotherhood live was a pretty special event. Three of my favourite guitarists were onstage – Mike Zito, Sam Fish and Devon Allmann. All of them were missing this time around, sounds like a recipe for disaster, but don’t bet aginst the Brothers delivering. This was another hot show at the Harmonie.