John Allan Cameron

Infobox musical artist
Name = John Allan Cameron
Birth_name = John Allan Cameron
Born = birth date|1938|12|16|df=y
Died = death date and age|2006|11|22|1938|12|16|df=y
Origin = Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada
Genre = Celtic
Label = Glencoe Records

John Allan Cameron CM (16 December 1938 - 22 November, 2006) was a Canadian folk singer, known as "The Godfather of Celtic Music" in Canada. [cite web | url=http://www.folkworld.de/10/e/cameron.html | accessdate=2006-09-06 | title=Music Traditions in Cape Breton | publisher=Folk World | month=July | year=1999 | first=Michael | last=Moll ] He was noted for performing traditional music on his twelve string guitar. John Allan released his first album in 1968. He has released 10 albums and was featured on national television. He is the recipient of the East Coast Music Award's Lifetime Achievement Award. He received the Order of Canada in 2003. [cite web | url=http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=7359 | accessdate=2006-09-06 | title=Order of Canada citation: John Allan Cameron ]

Cameron was the first Canadian artist to reach national and international success performing traditional East Coast Celtic folk music, and has been hailed as an influence and a trailblazer by artists such as The Barra MacNeils, Natalie MacMaster, The Rankin Family and Ashley MacIsaac. John Allan's Uncle, Dan R. MacDonald, was a prolific composer and encouraged John Allan and his brother John Donald to play the fiddle.

Biography

Cameron was born in Inverness County, Nova Scotia.cite web | url=http://www.capebretonlive.com/news/16.htm | accessdate=2006-09-06 | date=20 May 2006 | title=John Allan Cameron made Celtic cool | first=Greg | last=Quill | publisher=Toronto Star/Cape Breton Live Radio ] cite web | url=http://www.cbmusic.com/queries/news.php?_function=article&news_id=899 | title=Honouring John Allan | accessdate=2006-09-06 | publisher=Halifax Herald/Cape Breton Music | first=Greg | last=Guy | date=17 May 2005 ] He moved to Ottawa, Ontario in 1957 where he became an ordained Roman Catholic priest through the Order of the Oblate Fathers. But in 1964, a few months after ordination, Cameron obtained a dispensation from the church to pursue studies in education at St. Francis Xavier University, and eventually a career in music. [cite web | url=http://www.cbmusic.com/queries/news.php?_function=article&news_id=902 | title=Concert for John Allan Cameron celebrates a life in Celtic music | accessdate=2006-09-06 | first=Chris | last=Connors | publisher=Cape Breton Post/Cape Breton Music ]

He was a regular on "Singalong Jubilee" in the 1960s and he was later host of two Canadian television series. The first was the Montreal-produced "John Allan Cameron" on CTV from 1975 to 1976. [cite web | url=http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/programming/television/programming_popup.php?id=153 | title=John Allan Cameron | publisher=Canadian Communications Foundation | accessdate=2006-09-06 | first=Pip | last=Wedge | month=February | year=2003 ] He would return to national television on CBC with the Halifax-produced "The John Allan Cameron Show" which enjoyed a longer run from 1979 to 1981. [ cite web | url=http://www.film.queensu.ca/CBC/J.html | title=John Allan Cameron (among listings) | publisher=Queen's University Directory of CBC Television Series | accessdate=2006-09-06 ]

Besides his numerous television and concert appearances, he performed at the Grand Ole Opry in 1970.

In January 2005, Cameron was diagnosed with leukemia. Several benefit projects such as concerts and a tribute CD were produced to support costs resulting from his treatment of this cancer.

On November 22, 2006, Cameron died of bone cancer in Toronto. [cite news | url=http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2006/11/22/cameron-obit.html | publisher=CBC | date=22 November 2006 | author=CBC News | title=John Allan Cameron: Celtic 'godfather' dies | accessdate=2006-11-22 ]

Discography

*"Here Comes John Allan Cameron" (1968)
*"The Minstrel of Cranberry Lane" (1969)
*"Get There by Dawn" (1972)
*"Lord of the Dance" (1973)
*"Weddings, Wakes & Other Things" (1976)
*"Fiddle" (1978)
*"Freeborn Man" (1979)
*"Good Times" (1987)
*"Wind Willow" (1991)
*"Classic John Allan" (1992, double CD)
*"Glencoe Station" (1996)
*"Getting Dark Again" (1996, video)

Footnotes

Links

[http://www.danrory.com Book on John Allan's Uncle Dan R. MacDonald]