Kamen was born in New York City, USA and studied at the High School of Music & Art in New York (now Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts), then at Juilliard's School for Music Dance and Drama in New York, where he learned to play the oboe.

He founded the New York Rock & Roll Ensemble in the late 1960s, which played classical-rock music presaging bands such as Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). Kamen played oboe and keyboards as well as composing. One of his songs, "Sing Lady Sing", was renamed "Them Changes" and parlayed into a hit by Buddy Miles.

He worked briefly with Leonard Bernstein, when his rock ensemble appeared at one of Bernstein's concerts for young people.

His successes include his work with Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, Roger Waters (he is one of the few people to have been invited to work with both former Pink Floyd members, after their acrimonious split), Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Eurythmics, Queensrÿche, Rush, Metallica, Queen, Herbie Hancock, Bryan Adams, Sting and Aerosmith.

In 1990 Kamen joined many other guests for Roger Waters' massive performance of The Wall in Berlin.

Kamen wrote eleven ballets, and provided scores for the films Brazil, Highlander, X-Men, Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, Licence to Kill and the Lethal Weapon, Die Hard series, Mr. Holland's Opus, and many others. He also composed scores for both the From the Earth to the Moon and Band of Brothers series on HBO. He was nominated for two Academy Awards and won three Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, two Ivor Novello Awards, an Annie and an Emmy. In television, his best known work was on the 1985 BBC Television serial Edge of Darkness, on which he collaborated with Eric Clapton to write the score. The pair were awarded with a British Academy Television Award for Best Original Television Music for their work.

His involvement with Mr. Holland's Opus, a film about a frustrated composer who finds fulfillment as a high school music teacher, led Kamen to create The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation in 1996. The foundation supports music education through the donation of new and refurbished musical instruments to underserved school and community music programs and individual students in the United States. In 2005 the foundation created an emergency fund for schools and students affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Kamen was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1997, although he reportedly died from a heart attack. His last recorded work appeared on Kate Bush's album Aerial in November 2005.

He was survived by his wife, Sandra Keenan-Kamen and daughters Sasha and Zoe.

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classical, instrumental, soundtrack, soundtracks, composers