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Bobby Cameron is a riveting live performer in tandem with his
powerful, original music.
From acoustic to electric, from a whisper to a scream, the
guitar in the hands of Bobby Cameron can evoke the full
range of human emotions in a listener. He combines
breath-taking technical virtuosity with emotional
directness and honesty. Bobby stands alone playing and
singing his songs with the consuming passion of someone
burning to be heard.
Bobby’s playing is anchored in the Celtic soulfulness of his
Cape Breton, NS, upbringing and takes full flight into
the heartlands of Roots, Folk, and Blues-Rock. While
encountering these textures in his newly adopted home of
Edmonton, Alberta, the sum of his many influences is
music with a unique twist and style.
It was in Edmonton, Alberta that Bobby formed his first
original band entitled “The Bobby Cameron Band”. He
began touring and gigging constantly across Canada
building his fan base one city at a time. Full of drive
and determination, Bobby was on a mission to shake up
the Canadian Music Industry and then eventually
establish himself globally.
BMG
Canada Inc.
chose October Skies, written by Bobby
Cameron, Luke McMaster, and Jenna Gawne, to appear on
the debut CD release by the Canadian Idol competition
winner, Ryan Malcolm. Bobby Cameron and
Luke McMaster were also hired by BMG to produce the song
for Ryan, which was recorded at Phase One Studios
in Toronto. Out of 110 songs written during the Canadian
Idol Writing Camp, only 13 songs made the final cut,
making this a formidable achievement for Bobby. At the
writing camp, Bobby had the opportunity to collaborate
with some of the world’s finest songwriters, including
Francis and Lepoint from Sweden, best known for their
work writing for the Back Street Boys. Ryan
Malcolm’s debut album was released on December 9, 2003.
Bobby recorded his third and latest album, Emotional
Drift, in Nashville from October
to December of 2002. An inspired collection of original
Blues, Roots, and Folk numbers, the album was recorded
live off the floor with very little overdubbing. It was
produced by the legendary Miles Wilkinson, and mastered
by Mark Wilder at Sony Studios in New York City
in August of 2003. These Nashville sessions include
Coffee Cup, Fighter Who Believes,
Emotional Drift, What Are We Here For,
No Regrets, Everyday and Night,
The One, and Angel,
and this collection of eight songs will likely be
considered Bobby’s best effort to date.
Bobby’s second album, Drowning on Dry Land,
takes the listener on an emotional journey through the
soulful Celtic heartland of his Cape Breton, N.S.
upbringing. Mixed by the renowned engineer Mike
Plotnikoff, who has worked with high profile acts such
as The Cranberries, Bryan Adams,
and Kiss, among others, this album reflects
Bobby’s steady growth as a songwriter, featuring his hit
single Release Me, and the haunting
instrumental Cape Breton.
Bobby recently inked a deal with Carlin America Inc.,
a publishing company based in NYC, founded by the
legendary Freddy Beinstock. Freddy might best be known
for his work as the former Chairman of Chapel & Co.,
where he was responsible for choosing the hit songs
which contributed to the success of such notable artists
as Elvis Presley. Freddy eventually oversaw the merger
of Chapel and Co. with Warner Communications.
Carlin America Inc. purchased Golden Phoenix Music
Publishing in Toronto from industry legend Jerry
Renewych. Aideen O’Brien, who now runs Carlin’s Canadian
office, and Steve Scharf, out of Carlin’s New York
office, are both enthusiastic about guiding Bobby’s
talents out into the mainstream of the music world.
Recently,
Bobby had the rare opportunity to tour with the
venerated blues icon “Long John” Baldry.
He was Baldry’s special guest and guitar slinger for 10
sold-out shows across Eastern Canada, a tour which began
in Toronto on July 6th, 2002 and wound up in
Halifax, N.S. on July 17th, 2002. One of the
high points of that tour was an explosive performance at
the renowned Ottawa Blues Festival, to a captivated
audience of 10,000 enthusiastic fans. Sharing the bill
that day were Steve Earl and J.J. Cale.
“Long John” Baldry felt strongly enough about Bobby’s
talent to feature him during the set, giving Bobby a
chance to expose a large audience to some of his
original numbers, as well as to his unique gift as a
live performer. The fans loved it, and after the show,
J.J. Cale came up to Bobby backstage to let him know how
much he enjoyed his set. At the Edmonton Folk Festival,
August 10, 2002, Bobby, with Baldry at his side,
received a standing ovation from the enthusiastic
audience. It was reported that Bruce Guthro
caught Bobby’s set at that show and remarked that Bobby
was an “amazing” guitar player. Bobby will be touring
with “Long John” Baldry again in the near future.During
the North by Northeast Music Festival in Toronto June 6th
2002, Jeff Healy sat in on Bobby’s
original showcase. While Bobby played his original
songs, Healy added his own unique guitar accompaniment,
and the two jammed for several hours to a delighted,
sold-out audience. Jeff Healy was introduced to Bobby’s
talent years ago as Healy was a judge during the Much
Music Guitar Warz Competition in Toronto. After winning
that competition, Bobby opened for The Jeff Healy
Band on many occasions … more proof that he has
earned the respect of well-known musicians from a wide
variety and large pool of successful artists. As well,
Bobby has appeared and performed onstage with many of
North America’s biggest acts, including Chris De Burg,
Colin James, Lee Roy Parnell, Burton Cummings, Big
Sugar, Loverboy, April Wine, and The Kentucky
Headhunters, to name but a few. During one of his
sets in an Edmonton club, he was joined onstage for an
impromptu accompaniment by keyboardist Chuck Leavell,
bassist Darrel Jones, and vocalist Bernard
Fowler, just off their “day job” gig performing with
The Rolling Stones. For those who know of
his music and his inspirational performing skills, Bobby
is widely considered a “musician’s musician.”
Other notable Bobby Cameron appearances and accomplishments
include:
His performance during the Edmonton Fringe Festival in
August, on the CBC Radio One’s Drought Aid Show.
Hosted by Calgary’s Margie Taylor and Rod
Kurtz from Edmonton, that show raised over $84,000
to assist distressed Alberta Farmers.
Much Music crowned Bobby as Canada’s National Guitar Wars Winner.
Among the 1,000 entries from coast to coast, Bobby was
labelled Canada’s Best Unsigned Guitar Player.
The Alberta Recording Industry Association (ARIA)
nominated Bobby in seven categories and awarded him the
title Best Rock Artist on Record, two
years in a row. ARIA also presented him with
Socan’s Songwriter of the Year award for his hit
single Human Fortress.
Bobby was the Prairie Winner of Socan’s National
Songwriter Competition held in Toronto, he was a
finalist in Yamaha’s National Talent Search,
and was first runner-up in Edmonton radio station
K-97’s Homegrown Competition (as selected by
judges Allen Frew of Glass Tiger, Jim
Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, and songwriter
Desmond Child, who has written for Aerosmith
and Bon Jovi).
In addition to these awards and nominations, Bobby has
released, to national radio, four singles off his last
two CDs. Two of these tracks made it to the Canadian
Adult Contemporary Charts (Human Fortress
made it to #46 and If I Wait There for You
reached # 62), and his song The Other Side
entered the Canadian AC Future Adds at #5. These three
tracks were off his first, self-titled Indy release. The
other single Release Me, off his second
album Drowning on Dry Land, reached #1 on
the Canadian AC Future Adds. All these chart numbers
were taken from The Record. At one point,
Bobby was the only Indy act to appear on the AC chart,
and he was receiving more airplay than much more
established artists such as Elton John, Stevie
Nicks, Billy Joel, and The Wallflowers.
CHUM Radio in Toronto has been a big supporter of
Bobby’s music, and at one point, they were giving
Human Fortress 21 spins per week. RPM
Magazine also recognized Bobby’s talent for
songwriting, and they placed his single If I Wait
There for You in the low 30’s on their Adult
Contemporary Chart.
Bobby has released three music videos, for the tracks
If I Wait There for You, The
Other Side, and Worn Out, which
have increased his national and international exposure.
All three videos have been featured on CMT Television,
some receiving regular rotation, and Much Music
has featured these videos frequently during their
Rapid Fax segment. Much Music has also
covered both of Bobby’s CD launches with full interviews
and live footage.
As well as releasing singles, producing videos, recording
CDs, co-writing with other talented songwriters, and
performing with other famous artists, Bobby continues to
tour tirelessly across Canada, expanding the legion of
devoted believers in his unusual talent and
inspirational energy. His magnetic live act has, time
and again, won him the invitation to perform during
Canadian Music Week, Music West, The East Coast Music
Awards, North by North East, and an ever-growing
list of other music festivals and events. He continues
to develop his gift for music, and there is no doubt
that we will be seeing and hearing more great things
from this inspired artist in the near future.
The
word is out: Canada’s best kept secret is now ready to
take his music to the world.
Bobby
Cameron’s Future is Now! |
"Extraordinary singer/songwriter/guitar player"
Graham Hicks
Edmonton Sun
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“Bobby, the hardest working performer in show biz, is a human dynamo when he hits the stage.”
Peter North
Edmonton Journal
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“An extremely well-rounded performer with intriguing songs, multi-faceted vocals, and onstage confidence that’s irresistible.”
Helen Metella
Edmonton Journal
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"Multi-instrumentalist and superb songwriter Cameron also has a smoky rich voice that reminds me of Mark Cohn’s “ Walking in Memphis”
Shane "Sled Dog" Michaels
The Bear
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“Drowning on Dry Land, Bobby Cameron’s latest release, has a sound that could compete with any mainstream rock record out there.”
Mike Bell
Calgary Sun
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“He’s a terrific guitarist and very good singer worthy of serious industry attention.”
Socan [Words and Music]
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“Bobby Cameron only found out he was opening for Chris De Burgh on Monday, but the local guitar hero rose to the occasion like a pro. He displayed impressive guitar chops and his well crafted original songs”
Mike Ross
Edmonton Sun
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“Congratulations to you on winning the National Guitar Championship. I know for you it is like winning the Stanley Cup”
Mark Messier
New York Rangers
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"Singer-songwriter Bobby Cameron's Drowning On Dry Land is 24-Karat, folk rock gold. Highlighting his superb vocals with acoustic and slide guitars, this runs the full gamut of emotions. From the opening vocals on "Inside Out" to the slashing chord changes of Grass is Never Greener, you'll be hooked"
Emusic
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"Strong vocalist, good playing, good energy"
Jim Cuddy
Blue Rodeo
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“While Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood remained at the hotel after leaving the show, longtime Stones Keyman Chuck Leavell, new bassist Darryl Jones, singer Bernard Fowler and the Stones horn section Roomful of Blue, went down to the Sidetrack to sit in on a couple of numbers with the special house band featuring heavy local regular Bobby Cameron”
Jeff Craig
Edmonton Sun
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“Bobby is such an incredible talent. He’s truly one of those guys, that with the right connections, he’s going to be so well known. People from outside Edmonton who know him absolutely love his stuff. We’re definitely going to play him."
Steve Jones
Director of Programming
K-Rock and Mix 96
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