The group, The Duntinos, quickly made a name for themselves performing regularly at local Beale Street and area venues. "Red" taught the guys to perform, and they learned to entertain under the tutelage of Rufus "Walking The Dog" Thomas, while working the "Chittlin Circuit" with him and his band, The Bearcats. After Curtis and Eliehue graduated, the Duntinos moved to Buffalo, New York with Curtis' relatives, looking, for the "Bright Lights" of New York, but found that Buffalo was very cold, and a long way from "The Big Apple". After working a few jobs in Buffalo, the group return to Memphis to do some backup vocals for Carla and Rufus Thomas and other artist recording at a new studio, then called Satellite Records.
In 1961 the group recorded their first release "You Make Me Feel So Good"(Curtis -lead), a song that Curtis wrote b/w "As You Can See"(Eliehue-lead), written by Eliehue Stanback. The group's name was changed to The Chips for this release, named after producer, Chips Moman. In 1961, Curtis joined the Air Force, but continued to record when on leave from the Military. In 1963 the group's name was changed again to The Astors for the next release, written by guitarist, Larry Lee who played with Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock and later played with Al Green for years. That record was " What Can It Be" b/w "Just Enough To Hurt Me"(Curtis-lead). "What Can It Be is my favorite of all the songs we recorded", says Curtis.
In 1965, Stax Records, formerly Satellite, released a song on the group "Candy" that was recorded while Curtis was on leave.
"Candy"(Curtis-lead), written by Booker T & MG's guitarist Steve Cropper and Isaac Hayes, was their biggest record. The song b/w "I Found Out" , written by Eliehue, climbed to #12 on the Billboard Top 100 R&B charts, and #63 on the Top 100 Pop charts. As "Candy" moved up the charts, The Astors performed on shows at the Uptown Theater in Philly, the Howard Theater in D.C., The Regal Theater in Chicago, and The Apollo Theater in New York. The other performers on these shows included The O'Jays, The Coasters, Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions, and Redd Foxx to name a few. The Astors also spent 2 1/2 months performing on tour with The James Brown Review.
In late Summer of 1965, the group traveled to Los Angeles, CA with the first Stax Review to perform in Watts, and spent 13 days their filming TV shows during the day ("Where the Action Is" a Dick Clark production, and "Hollywood A-Go-Go", a syndicated dance show and Shivaree, another dance TV show). Nights, the group performed at nightclubs on The Strip in Hollywood. A 2-night stand at the 5/4 Ballroom Club in Watts was the climax of this tour, and was recorded live.
The complete Stax Review included Carla and Rufus Thomas, Booker T. and The MG's, William Bell, The Mad Lads, Wilson Pickett, and The Mar-Keys. These shows were recorded and can be heard on "Funky Broadway: Stax Live At The 5/4 Ballroom" (SCD-8567-2). The 1965 "Watts Riot" started about this time. "We could see the smoke from the riot while we were flying out of LA." says Curtis.
The follow-up record to "Candy" was "In The Twilight Zone" (Curtis-lead) written by Isaac Hayes, David Porter, and Sidney Bailey b/w "Mystery Woman" written by Cropper & Hayes.
Later, Richard decided to leave the group to spend more time with his family, and Curtis' brother, Harold Johnson, joined the group. In 1967 the group recorded and released a song written by Booker T. Jones and William Bell, "Daddy Didn't Tell Me" b/w More Power To You" written by David Porter and Curtis. Eliehue and Sam were drafted into the military thereafter, and the group broke up.
In 1992, Fantasy Records, who took over the Stax catalogue, after Stax closed it's doors for good, released a Box Set of 9 CDs that included 5 Astors songs, and in 1995 reissued The Astors music on the CD " The Astors Meet the Newcomers: Sweet Soul from Memphis" that include 11 songs by the group. Many compilation CDs have been released over the past 8 years that also include songs the Astors recorded at Stax, some of them were never released before.
Candy
The Astors Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Have you seen my girl
Gee, whiz
She's out of this world
She's got lips so sweet
Candy red
Honey bees flying all
Around her head
Candy, Candy
Ooh, wee
She's got a heart so warm
Ooh, wee
She's like a lucky charm
She's got eyes so bright
Sky blue
A voice so soft
Just like a morning dew
She's just a lump of sugar
And sweetened my tea
And one of these days
She's gonna marry me
Gee, whiz
She's got everything
Gee, whiz
She should be a queen
She's got a loving heart
Gold pure
One of these days
I'll make her mine
I'm sure
Candy, Candy
Candy, Candy
The Astors' song "Candy" is a sweet love song that talks about the singer's affection for his girl. The lyrics describe the girl's physical attributes and personality, portraying her as someone attractive and charming.
The opening lines, "Gee, whiz, have you seen my girl, she's out of this world," sets the tone for the song, suggesting that the singer's girl is exceptional and amazing. The lyrics proceed to describe her as having lips so sweet, which are compared to candy red. It also mentions the honey bees flying all around her head, portraying the girl's attractiveness and the effect that she has on those around her.
The song's chorus repeats the word "Candy," emphasizing the girl's sweetness and desirability. The other verses describe the girl's characteristics, such as her heart being warm, eyes being bright sky blue, and having a voice soft as morning dew. The singer also mentions that the girl is like a lucky charm and that she has a loving heart, which is pure gold.
Overall, the song's lyrics convey a sense of adoration and appreciation for the singer's girl. It depicts her as someone who has captured his heart and who he desires to marry someday.
Line by Line Meaning
Gee, whiz
Wow
Have you seen my girl
Have you seen the woman I love?
She's out of this world
She's amazing and extraordinary
She's got lips so sweet
Her lips are very sweet and attractive
Candy red
The color of her lips is like candy
Honey bees flying all around her head
People are attracted to her like bees to a flower
Candy, Candy
She is like candy to me, very sweet and irresistible
Ooh, wee
Wow, she's amazing
She's got a heart so warm
She is very kind and caring
She's like a lucky charm
Being around her makes me feel lucky and happy
She's got eyes so bright
Her eyes are very beautiful and lively
Sky blue
The color of her eyes is like the sky
A voice so soft
Her voice is very gentle and soothing
Just like a morning dew
Her voice is refreshing like the morning dew
She's just a lump of sugar
She is very sweet and lovely
And sweetened my tea
She has made my life better and happier
And one of these days
Someday in the future
She's gonna marry me
We will be married and spend our lives together
She's got everything
She is perfect in every way
She should be a queen
She is so amazing that she deserves to be a queen
She's got a loving heart
Her heart is full of love and kindness
Gold pure
Her love is genuine and valuable like pure gold
I'll make her mine
I will win her heart and be with her forever
I'm sure
I am confident that we will be together
Candy, Candy
She is still like candy to me, very sweet and irresistible
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVE CROPPER, ISAAC HAYES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind