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Local Celebrity, “Lord Canary” soars to the great beyond
Lord Canary in his younger days
By Abena Rockcliffe- Campbell
One of Guyana’s greatest speakers of the universal language, Malcom Corrica “Lord Canary” has passed on. The song bird, 78, succumbed to diabetes which he battled for quite some time.
A few years ago, he lost his right leg to the ailment, but still did not lose his zest to contribute to Guyana.
The son of Inez and William Corrica is remembered by all those who were lucky to have met him as a patriotic soul whose first love was always music.
Musicians like Bonny Alves, Sean Bhola and Eze Rockcliffe were all in shock yesterday at the passing of the son of the soil.
Rockcliffe, who shared many stages with Canary, described him as a possessor of real talent. The musician said that Canary represented a compilation of a melodious voice, tremendous writing skills and sharp dance moves. He was truly brilliant and was a people’s person. Guyana has lost a good one. His name will live on.”
Bhola, who spoke to Kaieteur News even as he was still trying to regain composure, recalled that Canary was a dear friend of his. He said that the song bird was the last of the vintage crop of calypsonians in Guyana. He said that luckily Canary has shared his knowledge about the music business “with many of us. We learnt from him.”
Alves said that the passing of Canary represents a blow not only to Guyana but to the world of Calypso.
Alves would have played keyboard for Canary on many occasions. The keyboard player, who is very meticulous, said that Canary was among the best he has ever worked with. He went as far to say that Canary was the “finest Guyana has ever produced.”
Alves recalled the successes of Canary and noted that he was among the few who earned bragging rights of defeating the Mighty Sparrow in a calypso competition. Alves recalled that that was the “high point” of Corrica’s career in 1968 when he won the Calypso King of Kings in Saint Thomas, US. Virgin Islands. He said however that Canary was not able to wear the crown as those who thought that a “non-Trinidadian shouldn’t win called for a recount and a Trinidadian, Mighty Duke, beat him by a half of a point.”
Initially, Canary called himself “The Destroyer”. But the name was as short-lived. The stage names then moved from reflecting fear to indicating the sweetness of the voice so you had names coming out like Lord Melody and then Sparrow.
He decided to call himself Lord Canary because a canary was a popular caged Guyanese bird.
The entertainer won several Mashramani competitions and made sterling contributions towards the art form and its enhancement and longevity in Guyana.
He penned some of the most popular songs, which include “Cockle,” “A Woman is a Woman”, “Tribute to Woman”, “Wicked Cricket”, and “Doctor Beckles,” “the People will Talk and, “A tribute to Martin Luther King.”
Canary performed before an audience of thousands at the Madison Square Garden in New York and the Queen’s Hall in Trinidad.
He also served as Minister of Culture, as Parliamentary Secretary of Works and Minister of Trade and Consumer Protection in the People’s National Congress administration.
He also served as a judge for several calypso competitions nationally and regionally.
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