Veteran soul singer Candi Staton ("Young Hearts Run Free") learned of legendary soul singer Johnnie Taylor's ("Who's Making Love"/"Disco Lady") death today from Lou Rawls. "I had called Lou because I heard he was doing a gospel album and I wanted him to be on my TV show ["Say Yes" on the Trinity Broadcasting Network]," says Staton. "When Lou called me back, he was devastated. He told me Johnnie had had a massive heart attack the night before and died."

The three soul singers have a long history together. In the 1950s they were all teenagers performing in professional gospel groups. Staton performed in the Jewel Gospel Trio, Rawls in the Pilgrim Travelers and Taylor replaced Sam Cooke in the Soul Stirrers. They toured on big gospel caravans together with Mahalia Jackson, the Clara Ward Singers and others. "We all started off in gospel together and then, we all made the transition over into secular music together in the 1960s," Staton recalls. "Sam Cooke told us that we would never be appreciated in gospel music and that we would never make any money in gospel music. He was our ringleader. He encouraged all of us to do R&B.

It was Johnnie Taylor, Lou Rawls, Aretha Franklin, Mavis Staples, Bobby Womack and me. We all hung out together and grew up together in those gospel shows and went into R&B at the same time."

After making a series of great soul numbers in the sixties and early seventies, 1976 was a banner year for all three artists as they all hit #1 on the R&B charts after brief career slumps. Staton had "Young Hearts Run Free," Rawls had "You'll Never Find (Another Love Like Mine)" and Taylor enjoyed "Disco Lady" which also hit #1 on the pop charts and was the first certified double platinum single.

Throughout the 1970s Staton and Taylor often performed together until she returned to gospel music in 1982. She last saw him two years ago at the Gospel Music Workshop of America Convention when Taylor and his brother, Spencer, also a gospel singer, performed. "We talked and caught up on old times," she says. "He looked so good. He kept his weight down and looked to be in great health. His voice was as great as ever. I asked him if he was happy and he said he was and that he still had a lot more he wanted to do with his life. I'm so sad that he was taken away from us so soon. He was a really sweet guy and an awesome talent."