There are some incredible artists appearing this weekend at The Black Deer. There are few Festivals that can boast the line up at this year’s event. Legends like Van Morrison will line up next to brilliant Indie artists like Jake Bugg and musicians’ favourite Imelda May, one of the best live artists you will ever see. Looking through the line up, you will be blown away by the artists on offer. Ward Thomas have long been festival favourites at any self-respecting Americana offering and The Felice Brothers are another must see act. In fact, I could go on and on about so many of the artists on offer but there is one name in particular that UK music fans might not know but is quite simply a must see this weekend.
Grammy nominated Cam is an American Country artist who began her career writing for artists as diverse as Sam Smith and Miley Cyrus. She has been Grammy nominated for the brilliant song ‘Burning House’ a double platinum record that still gets played regularly on any of the Country music stations and on many others too.
Having been born in Huntington Beach, California, she was exposed to Country music from an early age in Oceanside, California where her grandparents operated a ranch. They helped develop Cam’s interest and appreciation for Country music. Early song writing success encouraged her to move to Nashville and when she released her debut album ‘Untamed’ which included the hugely successful ‘Burning House’, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it at number 15 in their 40 Best Country albums of that year and commented “for an artist at the start of career, Cam already sounds like one of the most secure in the game”. The single ‘Diane’ garnered further success for Cam and was A listed on BBC Radio 2 as well as being No.1 on iTunes for 5 weeks. Cam continued to write too and co-wrote Sam Smith’s ‘Palace’ and supported him on his US Tour along with sharing the stage with Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Harry Styles.
2020 saw a long awaited new album ‘The Otherside’ and she continued to push boundaries. She has a new label and a determined new attitude. With her soaring voice and definite opinions on things, she can’t wait to start this new chapter which has been pushed back by the pandemic. It included the brilliant ‘Diane’ and a title track penned with the late Aviici. She told Billboard magazine:
“The reason I wanted ‘The Otherside’ to be the title track is because when you’re in the thick of something, it’s hard to see the forest through the trees. This whole chapter of my life starts to make sense now, looking back on all of the things I had to go through. It feels very purposeful now – I see the threads of light and optimism in my songs”.
I remember seeing Cam play Country2Country in 2019 on the main stage and on the Spotlight stage in 2015 and both times she absolutely smashed it. Highlights from that main stage performance included the brilliant ‘Diane’, the pounding revenge anthem ‘Runaway Train’ and outstanding track ‘Forgetting You When I’m Alone’. She also delivered a breath-taking version of ‘Palace’. Nobody who sees Cam play live can fail to be amazed by her soaring vocals; she has been patient and hard working in building a large and loyal fan base in the UK and has taken the first opportunity post pandemic to come back to see us at The Black Deer. Well done to the festival organisers for making that happen and thank you Cam for coming straight back. There are many great artists appearing at this wonderful Festival but please don’t miss Cam. You won’t be disappointed and please let me know what you think if you’re lucky enough to be there.
