John Allan Cameron

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Allan Cameron <tr style="text-align: center;"><td colspan="3">Image:JohnAllanCameron.jpg </td></tr>
Background information <tr><td>Birth name</td><td colspan="2">John Allan Cameron</td></tr><tr><td>Born</td><td colspan="2">16 December 1938</td></tr><tr><td>Origin</td><td colspan="2">Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada</td></tr><tr><td>Died</td><td colspan="2">22 November 2006</td></tr><tr><td>Genre(s)</td><td colspan="2">Celtic</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right: 1em;">Label(s)</td><td colspan="2">Glencoe Records</td></tr>

John Allan Cameron CM (16 December 1938 - 22 November, 2006) was a Canadian folk singer, known as "The Godfather of Celtic Music" in Canada.<ref>Moll, Michael (July 1999). Music Traditions in Cape Breton. Folk World. Retrieved on 2006-09-06.</ref> 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.<ref>Order of Canada citation: John Allan Cameron. Retrieved on 2006-09-06.</ref>

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.

[edit] Biography

Cameron was born in Inverness County, Nova Scotia<ref name=CBLive>Quill, Greg (20 May 2006). John Allan Cameron made Celtic cool. Toronto Star/Cape Breton Live Radio. Retrieved on 2006-09-06.</ref><ref name=CBMusic>Guy, Greg (17 May 2005). Honouring John Allan. Halifax Herald/Cape Breton Music. Retrieved on 2006-09-06.</ref>. 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.<ref name=CBMusic /><ref>Connors, Chris. Concert for John Allan Cameron celebrates a life in Celtic music. Cape Breton Post/Cape Breton Music. Retrieved on 2006-09-06.</ref>

He was host of two Canadian television series. The first was the Montreal-produced John Allan Cameron on CTV from 1975 to 1976.<ref>Wedge, Pip (February 2003). John Allan Cameron. Canadian Communications Foundation. Retrieved on 2006-09-06.</ref> 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.<ref name=CBMusic /><ref>John Allan Cameron listing. Queen's University Directory of CBC Television Series. Retrieved on 2006-09-06.</ref>

Besides his numerous television and concert appearances, he performed at the Grand Ole Opry in 1970.<ref name=CBMusic />

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

On November 22, 2006, Cameron died of bone cancer in Toronto.<ref>CBC News. "John Allan Cameron: Celtic 'godfather' dies", CBC, 22 November 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-22.</ref>