Batchelor, Cal Band

Websites:  No
Origin: Victoria, British Columbia, 🇨🇦 → London, England → Vancouver → James Bay, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Cal Batchelor (1946–2015) was a Victoria-born guitarist, singer, and songwriter whose career carried him from Vancouver Island dancehalls to the heart of London’s rock scene and back again. Growing up on Vancouver Island, Batchelor cut his teeth in the local R&B and rock clubs before moving to the UK in the late 1960s, where he quickly found himself in the thick of a vibrant musical world.

In London he co-founded Quiver in 1970 with Tim Renwick, Bruce Thomas, and Willie Wilson, a band that would later merge with the Sutherland Brothers to become Sutherland Brothers & Quiver, best known for their hit “Arms of Mary.” Though Batchelor departed before the group’s mainstream success, his guitar work helped shape their early sound. He went on to tour and record with a wide circle of musicians, including a stint in Kevin Ayers’ band (appearing on The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories, 1974) and contributing guitar to Ronnie Lane’s 1980 album See Me, recorded with friends like Eric Clapton.

By the 1980s, Batchelor had returned to Canada and settled in Vancouver, where he became a fixture of the city’s blues and R&B circuit. Fronting the Cal Batchelor Band, he built a reputation for fiery live shows and soulful, guitar-driven songs. His independent releases reflect both grit and craft: Now Playing (1998), a horn-driven set of blues-rock originals, and Roadworthy (2003), a tougher, R&B-leaning outing recorded with longtime collaborators Jim Fergusson (drums) and Mike Wedge (bass and guitar). The album also featured Vancouver Hammond master Robbie King (Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers, Skylark, Brahman, The Hometown Band, Hans Staymer Band), captured in one of his final sessions, and Helene Duguay, a pioneering bassist and vocalist from New Brunswick who rose to prominence in the 1960s with trailblazing girl groups Les Beatlettes and Les Planètes before establishing herself in Vancouver’s music community. Keyboardist Dale Wallace added further depth to the arrangements, rounding out a lineup that embodied Batchelor’s mix of grit, soul, and blues-rock energy.

Later in life Batchelor resettled in James Bay, Victoria, where he continued to play with friends and local musicians. He passed away in December 2015, just days after the death of his wife Yvonne. Remembered as a passionate guitarist, a generous collaborator, and a musician who bridged continents while staying true to his roots, Cal Batchelor left behind a body of work that still carries the spirit of both London’s rock explosion and Vancouver Island’s enduring blues tradition.
-Robert Williston

Related performers:
Helene Duguay: https://citizenfreak.com/titles/326966-duguay-helene-by-request
Robbie King: https://citizenfreak.com/titles/329309-king-robbie-showtime-in-the-main-lounge

Cal Batchelor: guitar, vocals
Jim Fergusson: drums, percussion
Mike Wedge: bass, rhythm guitar (“Forget the Rest”)
Robbie King: Hammond organ (In loving memory, 1947–2003)
Dale Wallace: keyboards
Helen Duguay: background vocals