Yes, MacColl sometimes was born in Auchterarder, but more often was born in Salford. Just as his mother's name used to be Mrs Betsy Miller but more recently became Mrs Betsy MacColl in Singout magazine.
To put it another way, differing stories have reached print, MacColl claimed to be entitled to sing both Scots and English songs as a native, and is unspecific in his autobiography, but the odds and opinions favour Salford. He had a very good Scots singing accent, but English speaking voice.
Yes, I too have that City Waites album up in the loft, and love it dearly. Those odd strangulated singing voices - so like my own! The thing is, McColl had a very sardonic and satiric sense of humour in his own songs and singing. The notion of him singing 94 Today, or indeed any broad self-caricature of being Scots is truly startling. He took the Scots side of his nature very seriously indeed. Maybe that's why you find his singing 'painful' at times.
Anyway, I was as much startled by the image of a wheelchair bound Gertrude Lawrence singing opera and being Australian. That is a different puzzle again.