Since the 1960’s, the small Northwest Alabama town of Muscle Shoals has been one of music’s most mystique locales in the south, producing a swampy R&B-infused vibe of rock n’ roll dubbed the Muscle Shoals sound. That’s exactly where Montgomery, Alabama native and 27 year-old emerging country-soul-rock singer & songwriter Cameron DuBois has spent a lot of her time after first developing her craft in Nashville. However, the multi-talented independent artist found herself along those muddy banks of the Tennessee River in Muscle Shoals, where legendary musicians like Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, Percy Sledge, Paul Simon and The Rolling Stones also found an avant-garde version of their original sound.
“I’m a country girl at heart, but I also have an appreciation for Soul and R&B music,” Cameron admits. “I have always been a fan of the earthy rhythm that came out of Muscle Shoals in the 60s and 70s and its impact on modern music.”
As testament to Cameron’s powerhouse talents as a writer, since 2018, she’s been collaborating – and creating the perfect country/rock/soul hybrid sound – at Muscle Shoals’ Wishbone Studios with two of the industry’s top songwriters and producers, Michael Curtis (Randy Travis, Fleetwood Mac, Blake Shelton) and Cindy Walker. Cameron recorded all the demos and tracked vocals there for her series of singles and her debut EP. The instrumental tracks were recorded at Ricky Skaggs’ studio just outside of Nashville.
“I’ve always considered myself a reserved kind of person, and as an artist I’ve spent the past few years growing, developing and figuring out who I want to be,” Cameron explained. “Working with Michael and Cindy has made me much more confident in all aspects and I am very excited about these new songs and the opportunity to share them with people.”
Cameron released a total of five songs, including three she penned with Curtis and Walker. Most prominent among these is the very personal, country flavored “The Home Place,” which she wrote as a Christmas present to her grandmother. It’s about a historic house and property that’s been in her family since 1908. Cameron’s grandmother and two sisters have recently sold the house which was the inspiration for the song. Several of the other tunes will feature the classic Muscle Shoals swampy soul/rock/country energy, complete with organ and a small choir of backup singers.
“I grew up a child of the new generation of country music, but I also loved pop, rock and R&B and have always incorporated all of those styles into my live performances,” Cameron says. “This soulful country blend we’re creating truly captures who I am as an artist sonically, while the songs perfectly reflect what I was going through in my life as we wrote them – and the overall message I want to get across. Michael and Cindy are great at helping bring out my authenticity. He knows how to take my words, stories and raw emotion and put them into powerful rhymes, and she is amazing with melodies. It’s so inspiring to work with writers who are so in sync with me.”
In addition, over the past few years, Cameron has been performing regular local and regional gigs, showcasing a mix of originals and country and R&B covers everywhere from BB King’s in Montgomery, The Exchange at the Renaissance Hotel, The Alley, the Double Branch in Troy, AL and several shows in Georgia. She has opened for Luke Combs, sung the national anthem to open the 2016 Toadlick Music Festival in Dothan, AL, and sang a gospel song as the opener for the band Alabama’s gospel show, which they put on for their fans in Fort Payne.
Then in 2017, during an informal after-hours performer’s circle at a Nashville competition sponsored by NACMAI (North American Country Music Association International), Cameron’s performance of Miranda Lambert’s “White Liar” got the attention of Bernard Porter, Founder and CEO of a leading artist development company, PCG Artist Development. After attending one of his seminars, she joined PCG to further develop her multitude of natural musical talents with top music industry mentors. Joining the Emerging Artists program, Cameron began co-writing with hit songwriters in addition to working on furthering her guitar and vocal skills and working with a performance coach and stylist. She is currently in her third year with the program, in which part of the focus is on how best to release and market her debut songs.
2018 and 2019 were Cameron’s breakout years where she continued to build momentum as a solo artist, releasing several songs which showed her versatility as a singer and songwriter. Her reminiscent ode about her upbringings “The Home Place” premiered in May, followed by a July release of the more upbeat and sassy rock number “Lipstick & Chrome,” and the December release of “Never Love Me Back,” a piano ballad about love and heartache. Cameron also opened for Dylan Scott at Chingawassa Days, Neil McCoy, Thompson Square, Easton Corbin, the Josh Abbott Band at the Crawford County Fair, and John Michael Montgomery at Rich Hill’s 4th of July Celebration in Rich Hill, Missouri.
2020 has brought about many challenges for musicians and artists everywhere in the age of COVID-19, but Cameron has continued moving forward. In May she released the uplifting, and praiseful “Peace,” something she describes as “country goes to church.”
In September, she’ll once again reveal her country, rock and soul musical roots, with “Bridges,” another upbeat country rock tune which she is very proud of. “The backbone of the story in ‘Bridges’ is that we all sometimes burn bridges in life,” Cameron said. “However, if we pay attention to those mistakes and learn from them, it can light our path to the future.”
For more information on CAMERON DUBOIS, visit:
www.CameronDuBois.com
www.Facebook.com/CameronDuBoisMusic
www.Instagram.com/CameronDuBois
www.Twitter.com/CameronDuBois
www.YouTube.com/Channel/CameronDuBois
Play.Spotify.com/Artist/CameronDuBois