George Curtis Cameron is an American

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

and R&B singer perhaps best known as the lead singer of The Spinners on their 1970 hit " It's a Shame" and for his 1975 hit " It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday". He is credited with having "six different voices."

The Spinners

After serving in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

with the

Marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

, Cameron joined

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

act The Spinners as lead singer (although original lead singer Bobby Smith also retained his lead position). He sang both lead parts on their first big hit, 1970's " It's a Shame", co-written and produced by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

. However, when The Spinners left Motown the next year, Cameron remained with Motown as a solo artist. Cameron rejoined The Spinners in 2000, after then-current frontman

John Edwards Johnny Reid Edwards (born June 10, 1953) is an American lawyer and former politician who represented North Carolina in the United States Senate from 1999 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the vice presidential nominee under ...

suffered a stroke. Cameron remained with The Spinners well into the early 2000s; during that time he appeared with them on a

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

music special, singing his 1970 hit " It's A Shame", before leaving again to join

The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

in 2003.

Solo artist

Releasing several solo singles in the early 1970s, he became known for his ability to sound like other artists such as

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...

on his song "(Don't Wanna) Play Pajama Games",

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...

on "No Matter Where", and

The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American soul group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...

on his duet with Willie Hutch "Come Get This Thang". Although Cameron was not a major-seller for the label, he did have a hit with " It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday", the theme song of the 1975

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

'' Cooley High'', which was later covered by

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men ( ) is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. Formed in 1985, they have been a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris, tenor Wanya Morris, Wanyá Mo ...

. Cameron left Motown after the 1970s and toured as an independent artist. He recorded a critically acclaimed album for Malaco Records in 1983 and his career was revived in 1989 with recordings for

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

record companies Ardent (owned at the time by Paul Mooney) and

Motorcity ''Motorcity'' is an American animated television series created by Chris Prynoski. It is produced by Titmouse, Inc., Robin Red Breast, Inc. and Disney Television Animation. The series premiered on Disney XD on April 30, 2012, and concluded on Ja ...

(owned by

Ian Levine Ian Geoffrey Levine (born 22 June 1953) is a British songwriter, producer, DJ, and prominent Doctor Who fan. A populariser of Northern soul music in the UK, and a developer of the style of hi-NRG, he has co-written and co-produced records with sa ...

). He also recorded another solo album titled ''Shadows''. ''Shadows'' was co-produced by Ben Obi of Savannah Street Music.

The Temptations, 2003–2007

G.C. Cameron left the group in June 2007 to focus on his solo career.

2008 to Present

On Saturday, May 17, 2008, Cameron made a special guest appearance at a benefit concert for Hold on to Education Foundation Inc. in

Cherry Hill Cherry Hill often refers to: * Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a township in Camden County, New Jersey * Cherry Hill, Prince William County, Virginia, a census-designated place Cherry Hill may also refer to: Places Canada * Cherry Hill, Nova Scotia, a ...

which is in

South Jersey South Jersey, also known as Southern New Jersey, comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, ...

. He received proclamations from New Jersey State Senator Diane Allen; and Jacqueline Jennings, mayor of Willingboro, New Jersey with Councilman Eddie Campbell Jr. of Willingboro. Cherry Hill High School West

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

vocal group Men of Note and Ms. Marilyn Marshall paid tribute to Cameron in honor of his contribution to American popular music and his dedication to youth education. In late 2008, he appeared on the

special ''Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia'', singing The Spinners' hit "The Rubberband Man". In 2008, G.C. Cameron began working with reggae band Dub Nation on their album ''Rising Force For Change''. Released in early 2012, the album features reggae renditions of his hits " It's A Shame" and " It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" in addition to a collection of new songs. In 2009, Cameron released the album ''Enticed Ecstasy''.

Discography

*1971: "Act Like a Shotgun" *1972: "Don't Wanna Play Pajama Games" *1973: "No Matter Where" *1974: "Let Me Down Easy" *1974: ''Love Songs & Other Tragedies'' *1974: "Topics" *1975: "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" *1976: ''G.C. Cameron'' *1977: ''You're What's Missing in My Life'' *1977: '' Rich Love, Poor Love'' with

Syreeta Syreeta Wright (born Rita Wright, February 28, 1946 – July 6, 2004), known mononymously as Syreeta, was an American singer-songwriter, best known for her music during the early 1970s through the early 1980s. Wright's career heights were songs ...

*1983: ''Give Me Your Love'' *1991: ''Right or Wrong'' *2001: ''Shadows'' *2009: ''Enticed Ecstasy'' *2012: '' Rising Force for Change'' with Dub Nation

References

External links

An interview with Soul Express in October 2018
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, G.C. Living people Motown artists Musicians from Jackson, Mississippi American soul singers 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers The Temptations members The Spinners (American group) members People from Franklin County, Mississippi 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century American male singers 1945 births