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Born on December 31, 1991, in Phoenix, AZ, Jonathan Candler came into this world with a lot of obstacles and developmental delays to overcome. He was born at 24 wks gestation weighing 1 lb. 10 oz. and spent the first 4 months of his life in Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Az. He had a trach tube at 2 months old and knew the possibility of blindness, which happened soon after the birth. He had failure to thrive and received a feeding tube at the age of 2, which was removed at the age of 5. He used sign language to communicate up until about the age of 6 when he began to speak in words. 

Jonathan was always intrigued by music and the world of audio. Our home had lots of wind chimes Jonathan would listen to. He would love to get wind chimes for Christmas and birthdays. We knew his uniqueness with music when he could tell you the key the wind chime made. Grandma and Grandpa would usually find for him the noisiest musical toys they could. At about 5 years old he started taking an interest in his dad’s acoustic guitar. Jonathan would lay it on the floor and he would play it that way. That is why the lap guitars and steel guitars are such a familiar concept. His sister began piano lessons at the time Jonathan was 5 years old. He started picking up the songs she was playing and then practicing. Her piano teachers would let him play at her piano recitals for the parents. He was playing piano before he could even talk. When he was 6, he started piano lessons. He excelled in piano and you knew he was gifted. During this time he also taught himself how to play the harmonica.
He would play the harmonica with the church’s worship team with his Dad playing guitar. One day his Grandma and Grandpa Melton shipped him an accordion and he began playing that. A friend of his had an old broken down saxophone and he was able to figure it out, but was more difficult to play because of his trach.

At church, Jonathan wanted to move on from the harmonica and accordion to playing drums. He played drums for about 3 years with the team before he learned steel. One day a friend of ours, Hap Young, who played on the worship team with Jonathan played the pedal steel guitar at the church and that’s when his life changed dramatically. (Once Jonathan learned the steel he played that in church also)

 
Jonathan made several trips to Hap’s house to listen to the steel and to even play a little. Hap checked on the Steel Guitar Forum to inquire of any blind steel guitar players. He got a reply from a couple of kind- hearted gentlemen that were willing to donate, refinish and ship Jonathan his first pedal steel guitar. In September, 2003 Jonathan received a Sho Bud Maverick student model E9 with 10 strings, one knee lever and three pedals. Hap proceeded to show Jonathan some triads and teach him a few songs after that he really 'took off on it'. We took him to the steel guitar show in Mesa, Arizona and some of the local jam sessions in Phoenix, Arizona. At a particular jam session where David Wright and Hal Rugg were, Jonathan had his little Sho Bud set up and played his little heart out. David seen him play and he immediately came over to Jonathan’s dad and said that Jonathan was going to be playing a brand new MSA guitar soon. That same day he had the opportunity to play on a showcase with both David and Hal, what a treat! Jonathan was 11 years old when he first put a set of finger picks on.

Since Jonathan began playing the steel he has been many times to the St. Louis, MO. show  & the Dallas, TX. Show. He was invited to Ottawa, Canada for the Ottawa Blues Feast to play with the Royal Crowns. He likes to play in the California mountains of Julian. He has played in Nashville at the Nashville Tennessee Guitar Association & in Spokane WA, (Northeast Steel Guitar Association).  He is a member of the SWSGA (South West Steel Guitar Association) and plays the shows in Mesa, Arizona. He also participates in his hometown (Yuma, AZ) and around the area at various events.

His influences have been, of course, Hap Young, who got him started...Billy Easton, one of the first steel players he ever met. The first question Jonathan asked Billy was "Are you a Christian?" And the second was, "Can I have one of your CD’s?"....... David Wright who made it possible for him to be playing a Cadillac of a guitar, MSA. The other influences in his style of playing are Hal Rugg, Randy Beavers, Doug Jernigan and Mike Sigler. I’m sure there are others I failed to mentioned. We have had such an amazing experience with so much kindness from all the steel guitar community. One of his best buddies through this journey has been Austin Stewart. He and Jonathan are close to age and have become good friends and fellow steel players. Jonathan has a sister Nicole, who is 2 ½ years older than he and a brother Andrew that is 4 years younger. Jonathan has always been home schooled and does very well. His mother, father and the family are very proud of him.