by Scott YanowDoug Cameron is an excellent electric violinist who thus far has been content to perform mostly in the crossover and pop/jazz field. Growing up in New York, Cameron started on the violin when he was five. He developed quickly and was still in grammar school when he played in the Westchester Conservatory Orchestra and the New York State Youth Orchestra. He mostly studied classical music up to high school (including leading a group called the Baroque Bums), then became interested in improvising and was particularly fond of the recordings of the Allman Brothers. Attending the University of Buffalo, Cameron often played in local clubs. One day Gregg Allman sat in and he was so impressed by Cameron that the violinist joined him for a tour and a recording. Graduating from college in 1978, Cameron settled in Los Angeles. Since then he has worked in the studios and with such musicians as David Benoit, George Benson, Earth, Wind & Fire, Doc Severinson's fusion band Xebron, Jose Feliciano and many others. As a leader, Doug Cameron has emphasized instrumental pop in his music, recording sets for Spindletop (starting in 1986), Narada Equinox and Higher Octave.