Biography
Eddie Vedder's long stint with Pearl Jam made him one of the more recognizable rock singers of his era. Born in Evanston IL, Vedder moved with his family to the San Diego shortly before his teens, music and surfing both became his passions. While in high school Vedder learned that the man he'd thought was his father was actually his stepfather, and that his biological father had died of multiple sclerosis. His shock over this news would be reflected in songs he'd write as an adult. After dropping out of high school Vedder sang in a handful of short-lived bands, including Indian Style and Bad Radio. Through drummer friend Jack Irons (then a former Red Hot Chili Pepper), Vedder learned of a Seattle band that needed a singer. He went surfing that day and had a burst of inspiration, writing lyrics for three connected songs; he imagined these as part of a rock opera loosely based on his parental revelation. These songs became the Pearl Jam favorites "Alive," "Once" and "Footsteps"; he sent them to Seattle and was invited to join the band, which was then going by the name Mookie Blaylock. Some of the members were also working on a side project, Temple of the Dog, which also recruited Vedder for some vocals. He made his vocal debut on their track "Hunger Strikes," sharing the lead with Soundgarden's Chris Cornell. By now Mookie Blaylock had signed to Epic, changing their name to Pearl Jam to avoid getting sued. 1991 brought the landmark debut album Ten, a popular peak for the grunge movement and one of the more influential rock albums of the '90s. The singles "Even Flow" and "Jeremy" joined Vedder's audition song "Alive" as the hits, all three marked the compassion for misfits that became one of Vedder's trademarks, along with his dramatic baritone voice. Not always comfortable with arena-level success, Pearl Jam tested the boundaries by sometimes refusing to make videos, and by famously boycotting Ticketmaster. Nonetheless each new album-- even deliberately noncommercial ones like 1996's No Code and 2000's Binaural-- strengthened Vedder and the band's position as superstars. Vedder made numerous appearances outside the band, appearing on disc with Bad Religion and R.E.M., and onstage with the Who, Neil Finn and the Ramones (the entire band also did a celebrated tour and album, Mirror Ball, with Neil Young). He also promoted environmental causes and supported the campaigns of Ralph Nader in 2000, Barack Obama in 2008 and Bernie Sanders in 2016; he's been equally passionate in his support of the Chicago Cubs. His two solo albums both fall outside the Pearl Jam template, 2007's Into the Wild being a film soundtrack and 2011's Ukelele Songs being just that (He became the first rock superstar to do an all-uke tour behind it). 2018 brought another string of stadium dates for Pearl Jam, who promised an album in 2019.
