Though not born in Canada, songwriter Cal Cavendish (1940-2023) grew up in Alberta after his father -- an itinerant nature photographer -- moved to Calgary in 1959 and laid down roots so that his children could grow up under the aegis of the British monarchy. A quiet man with a humble, self-effacing disposition, Calvert Cavendish became a notable figure on Canada's early 1970s country scene, dutifully crafting topical songs with regional themes -- about coal mining, trucking, cattle ranching and bush-pilot aviation -- but he infused his work with a distinctive, folk-flavored style and notably gentle acoustic guitar work. A bit of Gordon Lightfoot in his DNA, certainly, but also with the potential to bloom into a more idiosyncratic artist, in some ways a prototype of the "lo-fi" indiepop artists in the decades that followed.
Cavendish and his family were sympathetically profiled in a short 1973 documentary film, Cavendish Country (which can be streamed for free on the National Film Board website). In it, the singer is revealed to be a fairly forlorn personality, simultaneously withdrawn and yet oddly self-possessed, and possibly a little bit spectrum-y. At the time, Cavendish was working as a security guard at a local K-Mart, a job he valued for the long stretches of privacy and quiet, in which he was able to write and work on his music. The zinger of the movie was the disclosure that Cavendish lived part-time in a state-run mental health facility, having endured a series of nervous breakdowns over the years, illustrating to viewers the intersection between Canadian-style self-effacement and Cavendish's own personal quirks. He emerges, however, as a compelling figure, an amiable, almost Nick Drake-ian artist, perhaps in some ways trapped in a high plains cowtown, yet happy to play the local rodeos while destined to dream about the stars.
That film, and Cavendish's strangely captivating twist on contemporary country music were enough to win me over, but his legendary status was solidified by the rest of his biography. On April 11, 1975, stung by his lack of commercial success and partly motivated by political grievances, Cal Cavendish kind of flipped out a little bit. A licensed bush pilot, Cavendish loaded up his small plane with a box of his own records and a 100-pound sack of manure, then buzzed over downtown Calgary where he dumped the entire load over a stretch of Ninth Avenue. He then flew out over the countryside until he ran out fuel, landed in nearby Brooks, Alberta, and sought out a Mountie to whom he could surrender himself. Cavendish was fined a few thousand dollars, lost his pilot's license, and became something of a national legend. (Playwright David Van Belle wrote a play -- Buzz Job -- about Cavendish's life and the fabled "manure bomber" incident, with singer Kris Demeanor portraying Cavendish in the 2009 production.)
Cal Cavendish continued to write and self-record his music for years to come. With three full-length LPs under his belt in the early 'Seventies, his future albums mainly came out as cassette-only releases, which he put out on his own private labels. Here's a quick look at his work...
Cal Cavendish "Mountain Road" (Birchmount Records, 1969) (LP)
This was Cal Cavendish's debut album, packed entirely with his own original material. Although he often focussed on some seemingly humdrum topics -- regional pride songs about the prairies, cattle ranching, coal mining, trucking -- Cavendish had a distinctive musical style, performing with an introspective, contemplative feel, his lyrics colored by some fairly fancy finger-picking guitar work which was doubtless influenced by the 'Sixties folk scene, and by Gordon Lightfoot and his guitarist Red Shea.
Cal Cavendish "The Prairies Sing, Part One" (Cascade Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Ernest Klumpp)
Cal Cavendish "This Is Cavendish Country" (COP Records, 1973-?) (LP)
His third album was a self-produced LP, released on his own C.O.P. label, which also yielded a string of 'Seventies singles (see below). Cavendish also released an unknown number of self-released cassette albums later on.
Cal Cavendish "Truckin' Trip" (COP Records, 1980-?) (Cassette)
Cal Cavendish "Another Truckin' Trip" (COP Records, 198--?) (Cassette)
Cal Cavendish "High White Clouds: The Beauty And The Humor Of Flight" (1990) (Cassette)
Cal Cavendish "Star Of America: Flying Songs By Pilot/Songwriter Cal Cavendish" (Jester Records, 1994) (Cassette)
This is pretty much the same album as the tape above,
Cal Cavendish "Fire Fightin' Volunteers" (1999-?) (CD-R)
Cal Cavendish (Quality Records, 1969) (#1940-X) (7")
A: "Mountain Road" (c: Cal Cavendish)
B: "Big Stampede" (c: Cal Cavendish)
(Producer not identified)
This may have been his first single: "Mountain Road" was the title track from his debut LP, while the B-side was a non-album track.
Cal Cavendish (Westmount Records, 1972) (# WSTM-4508) (7")
A: "U-Haul Trailer" (c: Cal Cavendish)
B: "Cajun Boy" (c: Cal Cavendish)
(Produced by P. Bentley)
Cal Cavendish (COP Records, 1972) (#008) (7")
A: "The Breath-a-lyzer Blues" (c: Cal Cavendish)
B: "Here Comes The Home Team" (c: Cal Cavendish)
(Producer not identified)
The C.O.P. label was, I believe, owned by Cavendish himself, and released a string of non-album singles in addition to his third LP, This Is Cavendish Country. Both songs on this seven-inch were non-album tracks, recorded live at KLAD-AM, a radio station located in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Cal Cavendish (COP Records, 1972) (#OP-100) (7")
A: "Just Say Hello" (c: Cal Cavendish)
B: "Government Inspected" (c: Cal Cavendish)
(Producer not identified)
More non-album material, including an A-side sung by a Nova Scotian gal named Sally Dee, one of the few outside artists to record on COP. The following year she released a full album of her own, which included three of Cal Cavendish's songs, including "Just Say Hello" as the title song.
Cal Cavendish (COP Records, 1974) (#COP-102) (7")
A: "Pushin' And Shovin' " (c: Cal Cavendish)
B: "Minimum Wage" (c: Cal Cavendish)
(Producer not identified)
Cal Cavendish (COP Records, 197--?) (#COP-142) (7")
A: "Mother (Here I Stand Your Son)" (c: Cal Cavendish)
B: "KIZZY (CF-KIZ)" (c: Cal Cavendish)
(Producer not identified)
The A-side originally came out on the album This Is Cavendish Country, while the flipside "Kizzy" was a combination religious ode and love song to an airplane, which was included on his 1990 album, High White Clouds, possibly in a re-recorded version.
Cal Cavendish (COP Records, 1974) (#COP-26321) (7")
A: "Driven On" (c: Cal Cavendish)
B: "His Ever Lovin' Plan" (c: Cal Cavendish)
(Producer not identified)
Cal Cavendish (Alberta Arab Records, 19--?) (#ST-58030) (7")
A: "Wild Rose" (c: Cal Cavendish)
B: "Rig Pig" (c: Cal Cavendish)
(Produced by Cal Cavendish)
Similarly, this self-released single has no date, but if I had to guess, it was a late 'Seventies release. Cavendish continued to write and record for several decades, though as far as I know, his later albums were all cassette-only releases. These two songs also came out on a tape called Truckin' Trip.
Cal Cavendish (Tach Card Records, 1980-?) (#80006-1830) (7")
A: "Sammy The Sand Truck" (c: Cal Cavendish)
B: "Daddy's Diesel" (c: Cal Cavendish)
(Produced by Cal Cavendish)
This appears to have been another private label owned by Cal Cavendish, who provided an address in Burnaby, BC, for Cavendish Productions HQ. No date on the disc, but I think it may have been from the early 1980s. "Daddy's Diesel" was also included on the album Truckin' Trip, which seemed to have gathered tracks from several of his vinyl singles, covering the mid-1970s to possibly the early 'Eighties. A second cassette album, Another Truckin' Trip, came out with a new brace of songs, and featured Cavendish parenthetically billing himself as "Supercal."
Sally Dee "Just Say Hello" (Westmount Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by P. Bentley)
This was the third album from Nova Scotian-born Sally Dee, featuring three songs penned by Cal Cavendish, including the title track, "Just Say Hello," which was previously released as a split single with Cavendish on the other side. She also covers a couple of Ray Griff songs, as well as several non-Canadian contemporary hits like John Denver's "Country Road," "I Can See Clearly Now" and Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through The Night." The backing band were all northern lads: J. Barge (steel guitar), R. Barge (piano), C. Fass (bass), L. Frere (organ), Larry Kunkel (guitar), and F. Munoz on drums. No info as yet about her previous two albums, or her later career.
