Charlie "Cat" Canfield of Bastrop has a new CD out with 12 songs that he has written and performed entitled Faith, Hope, and Love. He classifies the CD as a blend of gospel and inspirational.

Canfield is a composer, vocalist, and recording artist. He was influenced by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dick Haymes, and Perry Como who excelled in the pop field and were considered crooners. He was also influenced by Eddy Arnold, Ernest Tubb, and Hank Williams, Senior.

Canfield took music appreciation while attending Northeast Louisiana State University in Monroe and learned song writing by listening and studying different styles of music. He learned various guitar chords from different individuals and from diagrams in song books. Canfield composes and sings by ear and uses sight reading to help him sing in the choir at Memorial United Methodist Church in Bastrop.

Canfield’s music is a product of Louisiana meant to be enjoyed by the average man on the street. He hopes the songs in his new CD Faith, Hope, and Love will touch peoples lives in a special way for years to come.

The accompaniment on Canfield's latest CD is by Bill Tharpe, who tours with Ace Cannon. Canfield refers to Cannon as “The One Man Band" since he provided all the music using a keyboard.

The engineering was done by Wayne Freeman, a Bastrop musician who has performed professionally for more than 40 years throughout the United States. Freeman is a BMI songwriter and has produced numerous CDs and recordings for other artists. In March 2008, Freeman was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame; other members include Martina McBride and Melissa Ethridge.

Canfield said he enjoyed working with Cannon and Freeman because both are multi-talented individuals.

The highlight of Canfield's musical career was when he appeared on the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport in 1955 along with Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves, and Johnny Horton. A year later, he appeared with Ernest Tubb in the Howard Auditorium at Louisiana Tech in Ruston.

He has appeared on several local TV shows including McCall Comes Calling, KNOE-TV, Monroe,  and Big 10 Jamboree, KTVE, TV El Dorado, Ark. He has also performed on the Twin City Jamboree at the fairgrounds in West Monroe and was a regular for two years at the Dixie Jamboree in Ruston.

In 1996, Canfield was nominated for the prestigious Trailblazer award.
His current plans include an appearance on the Gospel Music Hour which airs over KJLO-l 04 radio every Sunday morning at 7 a.m.

Canfield was born in Bastrop in 1928 and started singing when he was 6 years old. He finished high school in 1945 and graduated from Louisiana Tech in 1949 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and a minor in Economics.
He joined the Navy during the Korean War in 1950.

While stationed on Guam, Canfield formed his own band and continued writing songs. He played at all the night clubs and NCO clubs on Guam for 18 months. When he returned to the States, he won a talent contest in Oakland, Calif. He sang in Great Lakes, Ill. and Boston, Mass. He also sang at most of the night clubs in Key West, Fla.

After his honorable discharge in 1954, he made his first recording on Jiffy Label located in West Monroe, and the two traditional country songs became local hits. The songs were "Irvin's Lake” and "Cry, Cry On". The song "Cry, Cry On" got as many hits on area juke boxes as Pat Boone's "Ain't That A Shame".

After his stint in the military, Canfield worked for the Legislative Auditor's Office of Louisiana in Alexandria and retired on Dec. 31, 1989. In Alexandria, he said, he learned to combine the music traditions of southern and northern Louisiana.

At 80, Canfield is currently touring homes for the elderly in the Bastrop area , showcasing his new CD Faith, Hope and Love.

The CD sells for $10.00 and can be purchased at Blessings in West Monroe, Touch Point Book Store at First West, Arnett's in Bastrop, Whit's in Bastrop and Village Pharmacy in Mer Rouge.
You can also purchase the CD using a money order payable to Charles R. Canfield, 711 Julia Street, Bastrop, LA 71220. If in the Bastrop area, he will deliver.

For additional information call 318-281-5072.