Hamilton’s ‘Covid-Elvis’ quit his job at 40 for a life of music and kindness

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Published September 9, 2022 at 2:56 pm

covid elvis hamilton
Photo courtesy of Cameron Michael Caton

Not many people would leave a secure job with a pension at 40 years old to pursue a career in music but that’s just what one Hamilton performer did.

Dubbed Covid-Elvis at the beginning of the pandemic, Cameron Michael Caton, 56, has actually been singing for 17 years at retirement homes.

But growing up in Hamilton, Caton says his family wasn’t musical.

“I never studied music never trained in any way,” he says. “Never took any kind of vocal lessons. And there isn’t a person in my immediate family that can hold a note in a wet paper bucket.”

A self-described as a “character”, Caton liked to sing growing up but was shy about doing it in public.

That changed when he was about 17 years old and his sister heard a neighbour’s band playing in a garage. She told them her brother could sing better than their lead singer and soon enough Caton joined the band.

They sang together for about 10 years as Axis and then Hit and Run, performing at Hamilton venues.

But music doesn’t usually pay the bills so Caton got work in the chemical industry. He filled drums with chemicals — it was a steady job but not fulfilling for Caton.

He sang occasionally and one day a thank you note from an audience member started to change his perception. The note said how much they loved Caton.

“And I left that place thinking to myself, you know, maybe this is something I should be doing.”

Quitting his job

Five months later, just after turning 40, he quit his job to sing full time.

“That was quite the bold move actually,” he says. “Not everybody walks away from a pension and $20 an hour job at 40 years old to go sing for people.”

He sang old hits from musicians such as Al Jolson, Johnny Cash and Dean Martin, mostly at retirement homes and eked out a living.  But then COVID-19 hit and all the homes shut down.

“In the beginning, when everything was shut down, I really didn’t know what to do with myself.”

Becoming Covid-Elvis

That’s around when Covid-Elvis made his first appearance. In late March, a woman he knew from his retirement home gigs asked if he could sing for her mother’s birthday. The party was cancelled but she asked if he could sing at the end of her driveway.

Caton had an Elvis jumper so he put it on and performed some classic tunes. That performance led to calls for more. He even sang for friend Sonya Gilmour, wife of Hockey Hall of Famer Doug Gilmour.

“And then all of a sudden everybody wanted Elvis,” he says. “So I just dyed my hair black grew some sideburns started singing Elvis.”

Caton knew about 15 Elvis songs when he started now he knows more than 170.

@elviscameroncaton I sing as Elvis and have food drive. we have collected over 72,000 pounds of food for food banks in a little over 2 years. #community #canada #country #usa #europe #australia #korean #mexico #brasil #love #uk #Elvis #music #dog #puppy #singing #dancing #hamont ♬ original sound – Cameron Michael Caton Elvis

He started doing charity pop-ups as Elvis collecting donations for food banks.

“I got to thinking to myself, geez, maybe while I’m out here I can do something different and I started collecting food.”

A radio host gave him the name Covid-Elvis and it has just stuck. Caton never planned to be an Elvis performer.

“It just happened organically,” he says. “I’m not into competitions or anything like that. I’m not trying to be the next greatest Elvis or anything like that. It just happens to be something I’m good at, not to toot my own horn, but I enjoy it and people feed off kindness, so it’s just a wonderful thing we get to do and help the community.”

Since he started, the food drives have generated about 72,000 pounds of food. He has also helped get donations of duffel bags for people living in tents, and bags of women’s hygiene products for women in shelters.

His girlfriend, Chantal Girard, manages his social media, and now the Canton’s Facebook page has more than 25,000 followers, and his TikTok has around 40,000 followers.

For now, Caton plans on continuing to perform as Covid-Elvis while also doing other gigs as himself.

“People want to be a part of good things because there’s so much ugly going on right now that if you can be part of something good then be part of that,” he says.

He often ends his messages with this quote: “If you can only manage to do one thing today, let that one thing be kindness.”

There are still a few chances to catch Covid-Elvis food drives in 2022 before the weather gets too cold to perform outside.

Here is the Covid-Elvis schedule:

  • Tuesday, Sept. 13, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Allison Park, 51 Piano Dr., Hamilton
  • Friday, Sept. 16, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Denick Park off Peachtree Lane, Grimsby
  • Tuesday, Sept. 20  6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Mount View Park, 115 San Antonio Dr., Hamilton
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