Isla Cameron (c. 1930 - 1980) was a Scottish singer and actress. She was, f… Read Full Bio ↴Isla Cameron (c. 1930 - 1980) was a Scottish singer and actress. She was, for much of the 1950s, a singing partner of Ewan MacColl. In her time she was one of Britain's most popular woman folk singers, performing regularly in clubs throughout the British Isles. Her pioneering work in the 1950s paved the way for such figures as Sandy Denny and opened English folk music to a wider audience than it had been perceived as having.

Isla Cameron was born in Scotland but was brought up in Dorset and Somerset. While trying to become an actress she joined Joan Littlewood who had co-founded the Theatre Workshop in 1945. Joan’s husband at the time, Ewan MacColl was to become Isla’s singing partner for much of the 50s.

During 1953-4, Peter Kennedy produced a series of Sunday morning BBC radio programs called “As I Roved Out”. Two of these were later issued on the Folktrax label, with Isla singing three folk songs, Seamus Ennis playing uilliann pipes and tin whistle, Ewan MacColl singing some songs and Bob & Ron Copper also singing.

In 1956 Isla Cameron appeared in another radio program “Ballads and Blues: Sea Music”. In 1960 “The Singers Club” opened in “The Princess Louise” pub in Holborn, London. It was run by Ewan MacColl and his new wife Peggy Seeger. Isla Cameron became a resident at this folk club, but by this point her film career had taken off. She acted in a number of movies, with her biggest acting role being in the 1969 version of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie where she could use her Scottish accent to advantage.

She continued singing and recording during the 1960s. In 1962, Isla Cameron and Tony Britton recorded “Songs of Love, Lust and Loose Living”. In 1963, Peter Kennedy recorded Isla singing with accompaniment by Jack Armstrong on Northumbrian pipes. She sang songs by Bob Dylan and Bertolt Brecht but rarely sang after 1966, when acting took over her life.

She died in an accident in her home in 1980.

As I Roved Out
Isla Cameron Lyrics

We have lyrics for 'As I Roved Out' by these artists:

Altan Oh as I roved out one bright summer's morn Down by…
An Cat Dubh As I roved out Then who are you my pretty fair…
Bobby Clancy As I roved out on a May morning On a May…
Bourbon & Shamrocks When you look at all those faces Do you look them…
Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell As I roved out on a May morning On a May…
Cobblestones And who are you, me pretty fair maid And who are…
Countdown Lately I've been runnin' Into our old friends And somewhere …
David Hammond As I roved out on a May morning On a May…
Divers / Loreena McKennitt Who are you, my pretty fair maid, Who are you, me…

F.I.L As I roved out on a bright May morning To view…
Fiddler's Green And who are you me pretty fair maid And who…
Fiddler´s Green And who are you me pretty fair maid And who…
Greenfields Who are you, me pretty fair maid, and who…
Hill/Wiltchinsky Guitar Duo I get out, I'll get out of all your boxes I…
Jane Siberry As I roved out one bright May morning To view the…
Kate Rusby As I roved out one fine May morning, To view the…
Loreena McKennitt Who are you, my pretty fair maid, Who are you, me…
M. O'Connor C. Hayden S. O'Dowd Many of our people Stealing Gambling Many of our people t…
M.É.Z. Many of our people Stealing Gambling Many of our people turn…
Margo Hennebach & Mark Saunders When I lived in London, I used to love singing…
Mrs. Sarah Makem From our lives beginning on We are pushed in little forms No…
Paddy O' Connor & Friends Another man has snapped Watching children play With a weapo…
Planxty As I roved out on a bright May morning To view…
Playing Rapunzel As I roved out on a bright May morn, Monday morning…
Quilty And who are you, me pretty fair maid And who are…
Rankin Family The As I roved out on a May morning On a May…
Ré Hey I know your listening to the radio right now But…
Robbie O'Connell/The Clancy Brothers As I roved out on a May morning On a May…
St. James Gate I'm gonna wash that man right outa my hair, I'm gonna…
Tears for Beers And who are you, me pretty fair maid And who…
The Clancy Borthers & Tommy Makem As I roved out on a May morning On a May…
The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem As I roved out on a May morning On a May…
The Clancy Brothers And Tommy Makem As I roved out on a May morning On a May…
The Clancy Brothers And Tommy Makem And Their Families As I roved out on a May morning On a May…
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Maken As I roved out on a May morning On a May…
The Clancy Brothers David Hammond And Families As I roved out on a May morning On a May…
The Countdown Singers Lately I've been runnin' Into our old friends And somewhere …
The Deep Dark Woods as (C)i roved (G)out one (C)summer (F)night to (C)view the …
The Fables As I roved out on a May mornin′, On a May…
The High Kings As I roved out on a May morning On a May…
The Hooligans As I look back All I can find Are the slip-ups But then…
The Mary Wallopers And who are you, my pretty fair maid, And who are…
The Rankin Family As I roved out on a May morning On a May…
The St. Louis Ocarina Trio I'm gonna wash that man right outa my hair, I'm gonna…
The Woods Band As I roved out on a May morning On a May…
Tommy Makem As I roved out on a May morning On a May…

We have lyrics for these tracks by Isla Cameron:

Bushes and Briars Through bushes and through briars I've lately made my way Al…
Let No Man Steal Your Thyme Come all you fair and tender girls That flourish in your…
The Fireman's Not For Me Come all you young maidens take warning by me Shun all…

The Water Is Wide We lay my love And I Beneath the weeping willow But now alon…

The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos

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