Emotional Drift

Recorded in Nashville in October and December of 2002, this powerful collection of Blues, Roots, and Folk numbers was mastered by Mark Wilder at Sony Studios in NYC in August of 2003. Produced by the legendary Miles Wilkinson, these sessions were recorded live off the floor, with very little overdubbing. The Nashville sessions include Coffee Cup, Fighter Who Believes, Emotional Drift, What Are We Here For, No Regrets, Everyday and Night, The One, and Angel. From an artist who continues to grow and develop as a songwriter, this collection may soon be considered his best effort to date.

The line up for Bobby’s recording sessions reads like the Who’s Who of the music industry. Including the amazing Dan Dugmore on guitar and lap steel (Dan has played with Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Neil Diamond, to name but a few); the passionate Kenny Malone on drums (Kenny’s drumming can heard on the hit recordings of artists such as Crystal Gayle, Allison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, and Dobie Gray); Dave Pomeroy and Mark Prentice – The men with the Big Tone -  on bass (Chet Atkins,Trisha Yearwood, The Chieftans, Earl Scruggs, and Sting, as well as many others); and, last but not least, the incredible Reese Wynans on Hammond organ. Reese is best known for his work from 1985 to 1990 with Stevie Ray Vaughn, and he became the fourth member of Stevie’s band Double Trouble. Producer Miles Wilkinson has worked with most of the greats, including Ann Murray, Emmylou Harris, Barbara Streisand / Kris Kristofferson, Darrell Scott, Bette Midler, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Bonnie Rait, Linda Ronstadt, Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark, Mark Koenig, and “Long John” Baldry, to mention but a few. Bobby’s sessions were recorded, once again, in Darrell Scott’s Brown Recluse Studios, Blueberry Hill Studios, in Nashville. Darrell is one of Nashville’s hottest songwriters. Most recently, his song “Long Time Gone”, covered by the Dixie Chicks in their multi-platinum “Home” album, was nominated for a 2003 Grammy in the Best Song category.

Drowning on Dry Land

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.

In collaboration with my old friend and Producer / Engineer Marek Forysinski, I tracked this second CD at Beta Sound Recorders in Edmonton, Alberta. As Co-Producer, I wanted to emphasize the acoustic side of my music and I kept this focus throughout the CD. Where I might normally have used an electric guitar for solos, on this album, I used an acoustic guitar and played it as I would an electric.

Doug Radford was my bassist … a silent and gentle storm who plays the bass with the heart of a tornado. Doug is a gifted musician, and he’s very low maintenance! Doug has played with me on and off for many years, and he’s been a great friend on that long road. On drums, I called upon Sandro “The Closer” Dominelli – a massive talent with a strong passion for life. Sandro is the only drummer I know who can smoke a cigarette, open a beer, and bust a groove, all at the same time! Last, but not least, is my blood brother, Mark Puffer. In my opinion, Mark is one of the greatest talents ever to come out of Edmonton, and he consistently delivers with amazing precision, every time he steps up to the mike. Mark has ridden shotgun for me throughout my career, and we’ve shared a lot of laughs along the way.

To mix the album, I called upon the legendary Engineer Mike Plotnikoff, who has worked with everyone from Bryan Adams to The Cranberries. In fact, while he was mixing my project, he was summoned to England to finish The Cranberries’ CD. Thankfully, he came back, and we completed the mixes at Hipposonic Studios in Vancouver. We mastered the album in Toronto, at Metal Works Studios, with the assistance of the incredibly talented Nick Bologna. I really feel that Nick brought this project to a whole new level, and he was extremely accommodating, as was the rest of the staff at Metal Works.

On the inside cover of this CD, there is an old snapshot of my mother and me, taken when I was six years old. I wrote the instrumental piece “Cape Breton” for her. For me, the song embodies the sense of community and love I feel for my home and my family, and in my mind, nothing is more important in life.

Bobby Cameron - Self Titled

This was Bobby's debut CD. It passed through many hands before its completion. In its early stages, Bobby was working with a young Producer / Engineer named Marek Forysinski, who was living in Edmonton at the time, and has since relocated to Los Angeles. Marek is truly a great talent with an amazing ear for achieving great sounds in a recording studio. They worked together, on and off, over a period of 3 to 4 years.

From there, Bobby had the opportunity to work with Legendary Engineer / Producer Randy Staub. Randy is a Juno Award Winning Engineer / Producer who has worked with Bob Rock for many years. He has been involved in projects for bands ranging from U2 to the present day Nickleback. Bobby's involvement with Randy was launched through a song-writing competition Bobby entered called “Mix 96 Super Session”. It was his lucky day when Randy, after hearing all the entries, chose Bobby as the artist he wanted to record. Bobby said he had so much fun recording with Randy; the atmosphere was conducive for creativity and freedom, which was ideal for his personality. Much was accomplished and they always found time to laugh. Bobby thought he drove Randy crazy with the constant repetition of his John Wayne impression. On the Master DAT Recordings, between takes, Bobby can be heard attempting said impression. Bobby's reaction was, "What can I say; I am a true Cape Bretoner".

Bobby recorded this project at Beta Sound Studios and Homestead Studios in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Mixing the CD took place at The Green House Studios in Vancouver. He was accompanied by the amazing Darrel Mayes on Drums, Dennis Marcenko on Bass, and Rick Hopkins on Hammond B3. This crew of rockers was noted for their great work and years spent performing with Colin James and Bobby considers them to be great people and great friends. He also employed the amazing Bass talents of Mike Lent, and of course the magic of Guitarist / Singer / Producer, Mark Puffer. Marek Forysinski, along with engineering and producing, played additional Hammond B3. Gary Koliger, owner of Beta Sound Studios, played acoustic guitars, pedal steel, and piano. He performed an amazing pedal steel track on If I Wait There For You.

Bobby remembers being in Los Angeles, mastering this CD with the legendary Bernie Grundman. He was sitting beside Bernie when he noticed some master reels lying on the floor with the name Michael Jackson written on them. Trying not to look excited, he realized this was Jackson’s new master of his single “Scream”. That was a big thrill for Bobby, never to be forgotten. Apparently, Bernie had worked on material for Michael Jackson that week and Elton John the week prior. The big smile on Bobby's face was confirmation that he knew he was in good hands!