Brenda Wootton

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The Voice of Cornwall

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, The White Rose, 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).

Recordings

Brenda Wootton in concert (1980)

• Piper's Folk with John the Fish & Piper's Folk (1968) Private pressing, produced & distributed by Piper's Folk
• Pasties & Cream with John the Fish- Sentinel Label SENS 1006 (1971)
• Way Down to Lamorna
• Crowdy Crawn with Richard Gendall- Sentinel Label SENS 1016 (1972)
• No Song To Sing (1972) with Robert Bartlett and "guest" Alex Atterson on piano - Sentinel Label SENS 1021
• Pamplemousse (on the French Barclay label - 1973) with Robert Bartlett
• Tin In The Stream (on the German Stockfisch label, 1974 and voted then West Germany's folk album of the year) with Robert Bartlett
• Starry Gazey Pie (1975) with Robert Bartlett
• No Song to Sing
• Children Singing
• Boy Jan ...Cornishman, con David Penhale (voce, chitarra e bazouki) e Richard Gendall (compositore) per la Burlington Records, BURL 005, 1980
• La Grande Cornouaillaise, per la Burlington Records, BURL 007, 1980
• Gwavas Lake, con il Four Lanes Male Choir, per la Burlington Records, BURL 008, 1980
• The Voice of Cornwall (1996)