Mark Cameron
Biography Mark Cameron
Mark Cameron
Minnesota based singer, songwriter and guitarist Mark Cameron has been active in live music for over thirty years. Mark began his performing career in the rich folk-rock scene of the early 1970s and brought this influence into several bands he founded during the 1980s and 1990s. Today his focus is centered on crafting original Blues songs with strong melodies and memorable lyrics. The range of Mark’s material stretches the Blues beyond safe limits with a focus on “foot stompin', butt shakin'” music that is built for a live audience.
After five studio releases in the 1980s and 90s, Mark turned his focus to the Blues with “Life of Illusion” in 2009. The song “Boxcar Blues” became an instant classic and packs the dance floor at live performances every time! In 2011 Mark released the ambitious project “Built to Bust” which featured the hipster-swing classic “Do Lovin' Right” and the Chicago-Blues romp “Tough All Over”. 2014's “One Way Ride to the Blues” delivered a raucous Blues anthem “Life is Good When You’ve Got the Blues” and the gospel inspired classic “In This House”. The album “Playing Rough” (2016) was released in both digital and classic vinyl formats, as were later records “On a Roll” (2019) and “Nasty Business” (2023). The Mark Cameron Band has made hundreds of appearances at nightclubs, concerts and festivals throughout the country. MCB is consistently a top finisher in Blues competitions and was featured on the 2012 Minnesota Blues All-Stars album.
Known as a charismatic front man and soulful guitarist, Mark engages his audience directly in live performances and delivers his original compositions with a mix of sincerity, honesty and often a touch of humor. He is equally at home on acoustic or electrified instruments and retains writer/arranger credits on all of his recorded projects. Marks vocal range stretches from basement baritone to full-on growl and his original lyrics draw the listener in and paint a picture of the many worlds within the Blues.
Bill Keyes
brings killer harmonica and smooth harmonies to the Mark Cameron Band. He has been performing for years at venues and festivals throughout the Twin Cities, upper Midwest, and Southeast, and has been a guest artist on iconic blues and jazz stages around the United States, including Terra Blues and Arthur’s Tavern in NYC, Buddy Guy’s and Rosa’s in Chicago, and the Bourbon Bandstand in New Orleans. Bill has entertained blues fans worldwide with his crunchy harmonica tone and powerful vocals - from Sicily to Spain, and from Beale Street in Memphis to Chiang Mai, Thailand!
Bill joined MCB in 2013, and after a five year hiatus for further education and cancer recovery, was thrilled to return to the band in 2024. Based in MN for over 20 years now, Bill hails from Peoria, IL, where he grew up in a musical family that produced a whole band’s worth of professional musicians! Inspired by his brother Dave (Willy DeVille, Renaissance, Kevin Osborne Band), Bill plays in the style of blues greats Little Walter, Rick Estrin, and William Clarke. His harmonica mentors include Joe Filisko, David Barrett, and Ronnie Shellist. He credits his vocal coaches Bobbi Miller (blues/pop), Ellie Dehn (opera), and Andrea Mirenda (performance/movement) for helping him to achieve new vocal and performance heights. His animated stage presence and audience engagement adds energy to every show!
Dan Schroeder
channeled his energies into playing drums from a very young age. His parents soon recognized that the constant tapping of feet and playing on knees was a sign and encouraged him to pursue his passion for percussion. Dan has been playing in bands since 1976, sharing the stage with an impressive variety of Hall of Fame performers across a wide range of genres. From Don Williams and Carl Perkins to Bret Michaels and Foghat, Dan has played with the best and is known for delivering inspired performances that get people out of their seats and onto the dance floor!
In later years Dan scaled back his full-time performance schedule to focus on raising a family. He soon recognized the family-friendly environment within the Blues and has adopted a whole new family along the way. Passing on his drum skills to the next generation, Dan has added teaching to his long history as a full time musician. Dan is known for having “the best hair in the Blues” according to Cameron, and his addition to the Mark Cameron Band has “raised the bar” according to Blues writer Gary Eckhart.
Ask Sheri Cameron
and she will tell you she is not a musician. Ask her husband and band mate Mark and he will tell you that is precisely why she works so well as a member of the Mark Cameron Band: “Sheri does not have a musician’s inflated ego and will do whatever a song needs to sound better, without going overboard”.
After years of watching her husband play live music and record albums she finally decided: “If I am going to help haul this stuff I might as well play it too!” Sheri has proved to be a crowd favorite over the past few years as a flute player and percussion guru.
Sheri's first studio recording was the memorable flute solo on the 1990 release “Can’t Take Another Night.” This song from the CD “Range of Emotion” became a popular song on Minneapolis radio and first brought Sheri to the stage as a member of the 1990’s Minneapolis band “Citizen’s Patrol.”
Today, Sheri plays more instruments than the rest of the band put together: sax, flute, bongos, shaker, guiro, tambourine, washboard, chimes and whatever else a song might call for. Sheri provides female vocal parts and lyrical input in the recording studio as well. She puts the “tasty” in the Mark Cameron Band!
