Background and career
Matthew David Cameron (born November 28, 1962) is an American drummer and songwriter from San Diego, California. He is most known for his work with the Seattle-based rock bands Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. Cameron joined Soundgarden in 1986 and appeared on each of the band's studio albums. He joined Pearl Jam in 1998 after Soundgarden's initial breakup the year prior and remained a member of the band until announcing his departure on July 7, 2025. Following Soundgarden's reunion in 2010, Cameron was simultaneously a member of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. He remained with Soundgarden until its second breakup after the death of lead singer Chris Cornell in 2017. Additionally, Cameron was a member of Temple of the Dog (with fellow Soundgarden and Pearl Jam bandmates) and has served as the drummer for the side project bands Nighttime Boogie Association, Hater and Wellwater Conspiracy, also acting as the lead singer for the latter. Prior to joining Soundgarden, Cameron was a member of the Seattle rock bands Bam Bam and Skin Yard. In 2016, Rolling Stone ranked Cameron 52nd on its list of the "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time". Cameron is a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: he was inducted with Pearl Jam in 2017, and with Soundgarden in 2025. Cameron has won two Grammy Awards as a member of Soundgarden.
Matt Cameron was born and raised in San Diego, California. He also grew up in Chula Vista, California. Cameron began playing drums at an early age. At the age of thirteen, he and some friends played in a cover band called "Kiss" (with the word imitation written underneath the name, in small print). During this stunt, he met Paul Stanley. However, after a letter from the management of the band Kiss threatened the boys with legal action if they did not cease their infringement, the band desisted. Cameron attended Bonita Vista High School. In 1978, under the pseudonym "Foo Cameron", Cameron sang the song "Puberty Love", which was featured in the movie Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. The nickname "Foo" came from Cameron's older brother Pete, who pronounced Matthew as "Ma Foo".
In 1983, Cameron moved to Seattle, Washington, where he got a job working at a Kinko's. His first professional work as a drummer was for Bam Bam, fronted by early grunge lead singer Tina Bell and guitarist Tommy Martin, the parents of Academy Award winning documentary film director TJ Martin. He next played in the local instrumental band feeDBack with musician Daniel House. Following feeDBack, Cameron joined House in 1985 in the newly formed Skin Yard. The band had been formed in January 1985 by House and Jack Endino. Cameron stayed with the group for almost a year. In 1986, Skin Yard contributed two songs to the now-legendary Deep Six compilation. This album was the first to showcase the early grunge sound. The band released its first album in 1986, Skin Yard. Cameron wrote the song "Reptile" for the band, which appears on its first record. (More of Cameron's work with Skin Yard can be found on the 2001 rarities compilation, Start at the Top.) Shortly after the release of Skin Yard, Cameron left the band, later joining Soundgarden.
By September 1986, Cameron had gained so much notoriety in the local music scene that he was chosen to play for Soundgarden, replacing drummer Scott Sundquist. Soundgarden was made up of vocalist/guitarist Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell said, "When I first met Matt, he was already the best drummer in town ... He just seemed very confident and well-adjusted." The band signed with the independent label Sub Pop and released the Screaming Life EP in 1987 and the Fopp EP in 1988. In 1988, the band signed with legendary punk record label SST Records and released its debut full-length album Ultramega OK. The album earned the band its first major award nomination, a Grammy Award, in 1990. The band subsequently signed with A&M Records, becoming the first grunge band to sign to a major label. In 1989, the band released its first album for a major label, Louder Than Love. Following the release of Louder Than Love, Yamamoto left the band to finish his master's degree in Physical Chemistry at Western Washington University. He was replaced by former Nirvana guitarist Jason Everman. Everman was fired following Soundgarden's tour supporting Louder Than Love. In 1990, the band was joined by a new bassist, Ben Shepherd. The new line-up released Badmotorfinger in 1991. The album brought the band to a new level of commercial success, and the band found itself amidst the sudden popularity and attention given to the Seattle music scene and the genre known as grunge. Badmotorfinger was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1992. The band's next album was to be its breakthrough. Superunknown, released in 1994, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and launched several successful singles, including "Spoonman" and "Black Hole Sun". Cameron's drumming is showcased throughout the album, as he provides the complex backbeat (and plenty of improvisation) to the unusual time signatures present on many of the tracks. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 1995. Two singles from Superunknown, "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman", won Grammy Awards, and the music video for "Black Hole Sun" won a MTV Video Music Award and a Clio Award. Superunknown was ranked number 336 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and "Black Hole Sun" was ranked number 25 on VH1's list of the 100 greatest songs of the '90s. In 1996, the band released its fifth studio album, Down on the Upside; while successful, the album could not emulate the precedent set by Superunknown. Tensions within the group arose during the Down on the Upside sessions, with Thayil and Cornell reportedly clashing over Cornell's desire to shift away from the heavy guitar riffing that had become the band's trademark. In 1997, Soundgarden received another Grammy nomination, for the lead single "Pretty Noose". In 1997, the band broke up due to internal strife over its creative direction. In a 1998 interview, Thayil said, "It was pretty obvious from everybody's general attitude over the course of the previous half-year that there was some dissatisfaction." Cameron later said that Soundgarden was "eaten up by the business." On January 1, 2010, Cornell announced on his Twitter that Soundgarden would be reuniting. The official website relaunched soon thereafter. The band had begun recording a new album in February 2011, which was later released in November 2012, known as King Animal. While a member of Soundgarden, Cameron wrote the following songs for the band:
"He Didn't" (Ultramega OK) ... music "Jesus Christ Pose" (Badmotorfinger) ... music (co-written) "Room a Thousand Years Wide" (Badmotorfinger) ... music "Drawing Flies" (Badmotorfinger) ... music "New Damage" (Badmotorfinger) ... music (co-written) "Birth Ritual" (Singles soundtrack) ... music (co-written) "Exit Stonehenge" ("Spoonman" single) ... music (co-written) "Mailman" (Superunknown) ... music, and played mellotron "Limo Wreck" (Superunknown) ... music (co-written) "Fresh Tendrils" (Superunknown) ... lyrics (co-written) and music "Jerry Garcia's Finger" (Songs from the Superunknown) ... music (co-written) "Rhinosaur" (Down on the Upside) ... music "Applebite" (Down on the Upside) ... music, and played Moog synthesizer "A Splice of Space Jam" ("Blow Up the Outside World" single) ... music (co-written) "By Crooked Steps" (King Animal) ... music (co-written) "Eyelid's Mouth" (King Animal) ... music The task of figuring out the time signatures for Soundgarden's songs was usually left to Cameron. Regarding his drumming with Soundgarden, Modern Drummer stated that Cameron "always injected a maturity into Soundgarden's music. His ghost-note grooves and the uncanny ability to make odd time feel like straight time have already earned him status among rock's drumming's elite pacemakers." On November 15, 2013, Cameron announced that he would not be touring with Soundgarden in 2014, due to prior commitments promoting Pearl Jam's album Lightning Bolt.
Almost a year after Soundgarden's breakup, in summer 1998, Cameron was invited by rock-colleagues Pearl Jam to drum on its U.S. Yield Tour after the band's drummer Jack Irons left due to the touring scheduling conflicting with his health issues and a desire to spend more time with his family. Cameron had worked with members of the band before on the Temple of the Dog project and had helped them record some early instrumental demos in 1990. Cameron said, "I got a phone call out of the blue, from Mr. Ed Ved, Stoney and Kelly (Curtis, Pearl Jam's manager). I was ambushed. It was really short notice. He called and said 'hey what are you doing this summer?'" Guitarist Mike McCready said, "We knew him from being around the same scene and seeing him on tour. It had a lot to do with it. We knew he was a normal cat too, a normal guy." Cameron learned over 80 songs in two weeks. He was hired on an initially temporary basis, but soon, during the tour, he was invited to become a full-time member. Cameron stated, "The guys made me feel real welcome and it wasn't a struggle to get it musically, but my style was a little bit different, I think, than what they were used to. And they've been through so many different drummers, I don't even know if they knew what they wanted. So, I just kind of played the way I played and then eventually we kind of figured out what worked best for the band."
