Pearl Jam Bio

The very first Pearl Jam line-up was Jeff Ament (bass), Stone Gossard (guitar), Mike McCready (guitar), Eddie Vedder (vocals) and Dave Krusen (drums). The line-up lasted from June 1990 until Krusen quit in 1991. The first name chosen by the band was Mookie Blaylock, after the then New Jersey Nets basketball player. The bands debut album "Ten" is named after the number of Blaylock's jersey. After "Ten" had gone gold in the States, Jeff Ament sent Blaylock a gold disc. The star reciprocated by sending the bassist a pair of basketball shoes painted platinum when "Ten" had sold a million copies. The name Pearl Jam was suggested by Eddie after an hallucinogenic preserve made by Pearl, his great grandmother, who was a Native American. Eddie Vedder's real name is Edward Louis Severson Jr., although he grew up as Eddie Mueller, the surname of his stepfather. He was born on December 23 1966. Vedder is his mother's maiden name. Before Pearl Jam formed Eddie had been in 3 bands: Surf and Destroy, The Butts and Bad Radio. The first song Eddie ever played with Pearl Jam at his first rehearsal was "Alive". The bands first ever gig was on December 22 1990, supporting Alice in Chains at the Moore theatre in Seattle. The band had only been called Pearl Jam for 3 weeks when they landed their record deal with Epic Records. "Ten" was mixed in England, at Ridgefarm Studios in Surrey. Eddie once climbed through the suicide nets at the top of Seattle's space needle tower, just to get two of the bulbs on the outside of the building. One currently resides o his mantlepiece, the other he sent to a female journalist. Eddie once performed with the three remaining members of the Doors at the eighth annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame awards. They played "Roadhouse Blues", "Break On Through" and "Light My Fire". Vedder and McCready also appeared at Bob Dylan's 30th anniversary concert. They played an acoustic version of "Masters Of War". "Vs." the follow up to "Ten" sold 950 378 copies during it's first week of release. The first gig on the "Vs." world tour had the band billed as fellow Seattle-ites Green Apple Quickstep. Eddie appeared on stage wearing a mask of the cult poet Charles Bukowski. At the same gig, Soundgarden's Chris Cornell was denied access when he turned up late and there was no room left at the venue. Eddie was arrested in New Orleans at the end of 1993 for a fight in a bar whilst out drinking with Urge Overkill. Guitarist Mike McCready is an avid Kiss fan. He has claimed that he only started playing guitar because of the band, and once played Kiss covers in a band called Warrior. Former drummer Dave Abbruzzese, the last member of the band to join the line-up that released "Vs.", was also the first one to depart early in 1994. The first drummer to stand in for the errant Abbruzzese was Eleven and ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers sticksman Jack Irons, the man who introduced Eddie Vedder to Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament. The drummer has been with the band through the release of "No Code" and "Yield" but is taking a break during the 1998 tour to gather his thoughts. Currently filling in as drummer is ex-Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron.

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