Brenda Wootton
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Brenda Wootton (née Ellery) (1928 - 1994) was famous as a Cornish folk singer and was seen as an ambassador for Cornish tradition and culture.
She began her musical career as a young schoolgirl, singing in village halls throughout the remote communities of west Cornwall. Brenda became active on the folk scene in the early 60s and almost single-handedly kept the Cornish folk song tradition alive for many years.
Her early albums were recorded on Cornwall's Sentinel label, often with her singing partners John the Fish (also known as John Langford), Robert Bartlett and Richard Gendall. Her repertoire over the years covered folk, rock, blues, jazz and even hymns, but she is best remembered for her Cornish "standards" such as Lamorna, Camborne Hill, The Stratton Carol and the hauntingly beautiful ballads of Mordonnow and Tamar. Brenda was equally at home when singing in Cornish, Breton or English and was as famous in Brittany, which she visited regularly, as she was in her native Cornwall. She opened her own folk club, the Pipers Folk Club, at St Buryan, Cornwall and appeared in the first ever Lorient Interceltic Festival in Brittany.
Brenda was a member of the Gorseth Kernow, where she was known by her Bardic name of Gwylan Gwavas (English: Seagull of Newlyn).
[edit] Recordings
- Pasties & Cream with John the Fish
- Way Down to Lamorna
- Crowdy Crawn (1973) with Richard Gendall
- Starry Gazey Pie (1975) with Robert Bartlett
- No Song to Sing
- Children Singing
- The Voice of Cornwall (1996)
