Lauderic Caton

Lauderic Caton (August 31, 1910, Arena, Cedros, Trinidad and Tobago - February 19, 1999, London) was a Trinidadian guitarist. He was an early proponent of the use of electric guitar in Britain, particularly in jazz music. [Val Wilmer, "Lauderic Caton". "The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz" online.]

Caton was an autodidact on guitar, which he played professionally from age 17. He was also proficient on saxophone, double bass, and banjo. After spending time in Guadeloupe and Martinique, he moved to Europe in 1938, playing in Paris with Martiniquan musician Oscar Alemán and then in Brussels with Ram Ramirez, Jean Omer, Harry Pohl, and Jamaican Joe Smith. While in Antwerp he played with Gus Clark and Tommy Brookins.

Caton, influenced by Lonnie Johnson and Charlie Christian, first began using an amplifier in May of 1940. He played in England with Don Marino Barretto and led a house band at Jig's Club. He worked with Cyril Blake, Johnny Claes, Bertie King, Harry Parry, Dick Katz, and Coleridge Goode. Late in the 1940s he played with Ray Ellington and Ray Nance, playing under the pseudonym Lawrence Rix for legal reasons. Later in his life he also taught and built custom amplifiers.

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