President Deane Cameron Resigns From EMI Music Canada

Deane Cameron, long time music industry veteran and promo icon has resigned from his position at EMI Music Canada after 35 years with the iconic label.

For those of us who have spent decades in this industry, it is the end of an era. As a Music Director myself for many years, names like JP Guilbert, Doug Chappell, Charlie Camilleri, Stuart Ravenhill, Roger Desjardins and Deane Cameron are all part of a wonderful mosaic of how the industry was built all those years ago. (My apologies for those who were not mentioned here.)

Deane Cameron was the youngest of them all to make it to the top of his game, becoming president in 1988, and holding that position for 24 years. To his credit he was one of the forces behind the success of many Canadian artists like Nickelback, Anne Murray, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Glass Tiger, Tom Cochrane, Stompin' Tom Connors, The Rankin Family, The Tea Party, Moist, Johnny Reid and Serena Ryder to name a few.

In 2010 Cameron was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada, one of the country's highest honours for his contribution to arts and music in this country. April 2011, he received the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at the 40th anniversary of the Juno Awards.

Deane Cameron was actually a musician himself, playing drums in a band called Harvest, with Tom Cochrane, with Capitol Records paying for their first demos, one of life’s strange twists.

Working his way up from working in the warehouse, Cameron held various positions as a manager, talent seeker, and finally promoted to vice-president of A&R. He cemented his career with the signing of many acts that included Montreal’s Luba and Corey Hart, where I first met Deane way back when. He was a music man through and through and had the passion for his artists. In 1988 the company was wise enough to see his talent and gave him the title of president where he has remained until his recent decision,

 I am sure we have not seen the last of Deane Cameron; he still currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) and Unison Benevolent Fund.