Matthew David Cameron (born November 28, 1962) is an American musician who is the drummer for the rock band Pearl Jam.

In 1998, Cameron was invited to join Pearl Jam's U.S. Yield Tour and then became a permanent member of the band, replacing Jack Irons.

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.

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).

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.

Following the release of Louder Than Love, Yamamoto left the band to finish his master's degree in Physical Chemistry at Western Washington University.

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.

"[23] 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.

[25] 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.

[26] Cameron said, "I got a phone call out of the blue, from Mr. Ed Ved, Stoney and Kelly (Curtis, Pearl Jam's manager).

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.

"[28] In 1998, Pearl Jam, with Cameron on drums, recorded "Last Kiss", a cover of a 1960s ballad made famous by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers.

Pearl Jam's contribution to the 2003 film, Big Fish, "Man of the Hour", was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2004.

In May 2022, Cameron was forced to miss his first shows in 24 years since joining Pearl Jam due to testing positive for the COVID-19 virus.

He tested positive again In September 2023 whilst the band were on a US tour forcing him to miss out on the first night in Indianapolis with Klinghoffer once again filling in for him this time for the whole show.

[35]Along with Cornell, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, McCready, and Vedder, Cameron appeared on the 1991 Temple of the Dog album.

The album paid tribute to Mother Love Bone vocalist Andrew Wood, who died of a heroin overdose at age 24.

Cameron has enjoyed a friendship with fellow drummer Jeremy Taggart of Canadian rock group Our Lady Peace.

Cameron, along with Pearl Jam bandmate Mike McCready, contributed two songs to Peter Frampton's instrumental album, Fingerprints (2006).

[38] In 2013, Cameron performed with drummers Janet Weiss of Sleater Kinney, and Zach Hill of Death Grips on an all-drum album entitled Drumgasm.

Their self-titled debut album, which they recorded at The Bait Shop in Bellevue, Washington with producer Jack Endino was released in April 2022.

[41] Also in 2021, Cameron and Thayil were featured on the track Only Love Can Save Me Now on the Pretty Reckless album, Death by Rock and Roll, with both appearing in the video for the song.

[42] Known for his creativity, power, and precision, Cameron's style is one that does not instinctively seek to dominate a song, but rather tease out a groove that will complement and support its atmosphere.

Examples include the spreading of the RLRR-LRLL pattern amongst ride and snare on Soundgarden's "Never the Machine Forever" (from Down on the Upside), "Unemployable" (from Pearl Jam), creating a driving shuffle; and "You Are" (from Riot Act).

Cameron also is well known for his use of tom grooves and tribal patterns, the most famous of which being the tour-de-force "Jesus Christ Pose" figure, as well as "Little Joe", "Gun", and "Spoonman".

Cameron revealed in a 1994 interview with Modern Drummer magazine that to greater emphasize the dynamic shift on the song "Like Suicide", both kits were used, the latter having shells both larger in depth and diameter.

Other examples include the use of all ride cymbals on "Black Hole Sun" and 3 drummers playing at the same time at the end of "Head Down", being Cameron, Soundgarden bassist Ben Shepherd and drum technician and craftsman Gregg Keplinger.

By the recording of 1996's Down on the Upside, and the album's subsequent tour, Cameron endorsed the Canadian custom outfit Ayotte,[46] a company Keplinger had teamed with offering mass-produced steel snares, and soon cohorts and fellow Keplinger fans Jeremy Taggart (Our Lady Peace), Matt Chamberlain (Pearl Jam, session), and Joey Waronker (Beck, Atoms for Peace) joined as well.

Following a corporate mutiny resulting in the resignation of Ray Ayotte from his own company and the subsequent end in partnership with Gregg Keplinger, Cameron switched to Yamaha in 2002, and Cameron's subsequent time with Pearl Jam is notable for his shift away from maple-shelled drums, arguably the most popular drum material for its overall even frequency response and overall melodic tone.