John Allan Cameron

John Allan Cameron

Inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007.

Inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007

Birth: December 16, 1938 – Glencoe Station, Nova Scotia

Death: November 22, 2006 – Toronto, Ontario

John Allan Cameron Biography

Born in Cape Breton to a very music family, John Allan Cameron was known as the “Godfather of Celtic music in Canada”, a mantle he wore with easy grace. Cameron introduced a brand of what would become known as “Cape Breton music” in the 1960s when he started picking traditional Scottish pipe tunes on his twelve-string guitar. He brought Celtic music to the masses, and blazed a trail of success for other East Coast artists to follow.

Cameron was a regular on, “Singalong Jubilee” in the 1960s and was later host of two Canadian television series: The Montreal-produced, “John Allan Cameron” on CTV from 1975-76, followed by “The John Allan Cameron Show” which ran from 1979-81.

His lifetime of music and commitment to the arts rendered him a national treasure, and before his death in 2006, John Allan Cameron had toured the world and released albums on the Cynda, Columbia, Freedom and Glencoe record labels, charting four singles on RPM Charts during the early 1970s, including the top hit, ‘Sit Down Mr. Music Man’, one of his many original compositions.

In 2002, Cameron was inducted into the Order of Canada in recognition of his efforts for over 30 years in establishing and growing the wonderful Celtic music scene in Canada. He was also the recipient of the East Coast Music Award’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.

John Allan Cameron passed away on November 22, 2006 at the age of 67.