Matthew David Cameron (born November 28, 1962 in San Diego, California) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the American rock bands Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.
Matt Cameron was born and raised in San Diego, California and began playing drums at an early age. He attended Bonita Vista High School and after graduating moved to Seattle, Washington.
He tested the rock-waters with bands Bam Bam and Skin Yard, but he first gained fame as the drummer for the grunge rock band Soundgarden, which he joined in 1986. Soundgarden was made up of vocalist/guitarist Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto.
The band signed with the independent label Sub Pop and released the Screaming Life EP in 1987 and the Fopp EP in 1988. Also in 1988, the band signed with legendary punk record label SST Records and released its debut full-length album Ultramega OK.
In 1991 Cameron played with future Pearl Jam colleagues Mike McCready, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, and Eddie Vedder and Cornell in the band Temple of the Dog. The band was formed to honor Andrew Wood, lead singer of Mother Love Bone who had recently overdosed. They released the eponymous Temple of the Dog in 1990.
At the same time Soundgarden kept Cameron busy with releases Louder Than Love, Badmotorfinger, Superunknown, and 1996's Down on the Upside. Following Louder Than Love, Yamamoto left the band and was ultimately replaced by Ben Shepherd. By the time Down on the Upside was released, tensions in the band and the demand of being rock stars had begun to weigh heavily and the group disbanded in 1997.
During this time Cameron served as the drummer for Queens of the Stone Age and appeared on the Gamma Ray EP, which would become the first recorded material by Queens of the Stone Age. Cameron played drums at the band's first show on November 20, 1997 at the infamous OK Hotel in Seattle.
Around the same time Cameron was asked to join Pearl Jam on a temporary basis shortly thereafter. The summer of 1998 saw Pearl Jam touring behind the release Yield. Cameron learned 80 songs in two weeks and by the middle of the tour, he was asked to join the band on a full-time basis. He accepted and has played on every Pearl Jam release since. Additionally, served as the drummer for the side project bands Hater and Wellwater Conspiracy, also acting as the lead singer for the latter.
Cameron was described by Greg Prato of Allmusic as "unquestionably one of rock's finest and most versatile drummers." Cameron's style is one that seeks not to dominate a song but rather tease out a groove that will complement and support its atmosphere. Despite a career in rock music, Cameron stated in a 1989 radio interview that growing up he "wasn't a big rock fan..." and that his musical tastes during his youth were "more into jazz."
In January, 2010 Soundgarden announced that they were reforming and in the fall released Telephantasm.
Cameron is married with two children and lived in the greater Seattle area.
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