Fasten your seatbelts for electric violinist Doug Cameron & Family

Forget any preconceived notions you have about the violin. With 10 CDs to his credit, electric violinist Doug Cameron brings electrifying excitement to the instrument. Well regarded as one of the top jazz violinists, Cameron can easily morph into so many different styles and genres, from Jazz to Celtic, and from Country to Classical. An in-demand LA studio musician, Cameron has worked with many recording artists, including Tom Petty, George Benson, Doc Severinsen, Sammy Davis Jr., Kansas, Greg Allman, renowned producer David Foster, and many others. Now he brings his talented young sons to the stage — Sean, age 14, plays sax and violin; and Alex, age 16, plays the violin.

The group will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, at the Performing Arts Center, Hinman Auditorium, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd., Bonita Springs. Tickets are $44 Tier 1 / $36 Tier 2 / $31 Tier 3 and are available at artcenterbonita.org.

Cameron was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. His mother, Barbara Cameron was a singer and songwriter. She sang with Rosemary Clooney and the Clooney sisters, Bob Hope, Andy Williams, and others on a station called WLW back in the days when they actually sang live on the radio. The family moved to New York where Doug’s father Joe took a position as vice president of Warner Brothers Television. Doug’s father commissioned his mother Barbara to sing and write the Roadrunner cartoon theme song. Her biggest claim to fame (Beep Beep!)

Cameron’s career took an unusual turn when he was in college in Buffalo, New York. He was playing at a club in Buffalo when Greg Allman from The Allman Brothers Band walked in. Cameron asked Allman to join in. “I loved The Allman Brothers and could play all of Dwayne Allman’s guitar solos on the violin. Greg was so impressed with what I could do.” He was staying in Buffalo at the time, with a psychiatrist for drug rehabilitation. He would call me and invite me over to jam with him. Gregg asked Doug to come to LA and work and record with him. “At that time, Greg was married to Cher and so my introduction to LA was living at Cher’s house in Beverly Hills for the first few weeks!”

Doug’s CDs feature many jazz luminaries, including David Benoit, Lee Ritenour, Russ Freeman (founder of The Rippingtons), Boney James, Joe Sample, Gerald Albright, Vinnie Colaiuta (Sting’s drummer), and others. His best-selling CD, Mil Amores, went to number 1 on Billboard Jazz Charts. An interesting diversion was his CD, Celtic Crossroads-The Uncharted Path which featured jazz-influenced arrangements of Celtic favorites, including Riverdance, Lord of the Dance as well as tried-and-true jigs and reels. Featured on the record was an original composition produced by David Foster. “I learned a lot working with David. He is such a fine musician with an incredible ear. We recently saw him at Artis—Naples and visited with him afterward backstage. As we left, he said to my 16-year-old son Alex, ‘I expect greatness from you. You can be good in your sleep!’”

Doug Cameron met his wife Juliette, who is from Australia when he was performing on a ship sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. Doug’s parents lived in Fort Myers, and as they got older, he decided to bring his family from Los Angeles to live in Fort Myers to be closer to them. Doug’s folks sadly passed away about eight years ago, but he and Juliette decided to stay in Fort Myers and raise their boys there.

The Cameron boys have been performing with Doug for as long as they can remember. Doug’s most popular you-tube video (over 5 million views) is his younger son Sean following him around the stage with his violin as part of a performance on a ship when he was 3 years old. Sean plays both the violin and saxophone— Doug taught both boys since they first started playing. Alex is an amazing young violinist. He has won numerous concerto competitions and can play almost anything in his father’s show. He now also studies with Radu Poponiu, conductor of the Naples Symphony and Southwest Florida Orchestra. At the young age of 16, he has already wowed audiences on cruise ships, performing arts centers, and symphony orchestras literally all over the world. He now performs his own show! “It is like an out-of-body experience watching the boys perform with me. They take over my show and I sit back and grin like a Cheshire cat! They sound like me, and I am so proud of what they have achieved. They knock audiences dead every time!”

As an educator, Doug has two instructional series out for the violin and has an additional website called violinmastery.com. Alex helps his dad with his teaching, and you can see his and Doug’s instruction on the violin mastery website. “I feel it is more important than ever that young people are afforded the opportunity to be exposed to music,” says Doug. “Music programs are falling by the wayside, and it’s been proven that music actually increases brain function. I also believe music can bring kinder, more gentle people into the world. I’d rather see a kid bring a violin to school than a weapon or drugs! It is my hope that many young people will come to see our show at the Performing Arts Center in Bonita. I know they will truly enjoy it. I especially hope young musicians will join us and I’m sure they will be encouraged seeing Alex and Sean in action with me.”

Doug & Family will be joined by talented Miami pianist Jim Gasior, and bassist David Johnson (David is from Fort Myers and is well known to the area. He now lives near Orlando), plus Miami drummer Mike Harvey.