The young violinist Basil Cameron was discovered by a Miss Knocker in 1901. She arranged for Basil to study with the renowned Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim in Berlin. There he led the Hochschule violas (an instrument he had in common with other conductors such as Eduard Van Beinum and Anthony Collins). In 1904 he returned to England well trained but unknown. He no longer wanted to be a violinist but spent five years in London as an orchestral violinist before securing a conducting post in Torquay. Although the staple diet of seaside orchestras were light classics Cameron was prepared to programme Stravinsky and hold Wagner and Richard Strauss festivals in Torquay.

Cameron, who was born Hindenburg (his father was German piano tuner and his mother who died when Basil was only 3 years old was Scottish) served in the Great War with the 13th London Regiment (the Kensingtons) as a second lieutenant. In August 1918 he returned to England as one of the many war wounded. Following the Armistice, Cameron conducted the Brighton Regal Orchestra where he championed contemporary British (and one notable Australian) composers. In 1924 he moved to Hastings an orchestra that also performed in Harrogate during the summer leaving Hastings to the tender mercy of military and brass bands during the holiday season. Soon guest conducting in London became part of Basil Cameron's musical life.

In 1930 following an engagement to guest conduct, Cameron became music director of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, followed by a similar post with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

Not long after his return to England Sir Henry Wood invited Cameron to assist with conducting the Promenade Concerts. Proms were to be a feature for the rest of Cameron's conducting career, only retiring in 1964 at the age of eighty.

Percy Grainer, who had taken part in 1914 Torquay music festival described Cameron as possessing a "peculiar quality of excitement and exhilaration". Sir Henry Wood described Cameron as having a "real grip over the orchestra". Quiet and reliable especially when orchestral balance was important Cameron was the opposite of Sir Thomas Beecham both on and off the rostrum. Bill Newman describes Cameron as "gentle, undemonstrative, kind and consistently helpful to soloists."

Whilst Cameron was beloved by soloists, members of the London Philharmonic, to which he was de facto assistant conductor during the Van Beinum and Boult years, could make things difficult during rehearsals. Cameron always a sensitive man would become very upset by the ragging the orchestra gave him and return to his dressing room until the atmosphere cooled down.

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