By: Donny Jarvis

Bio:  Born Edward Louis Severson III on December 23, 1964  Grew up in Evanston, Illinois (suburb of Chicago)  American musician and singer/songwriter  Best known for being the lead singer of Pearl Jam and one half of Temple of the Dog  Ranked #7 on the list of “Best Lead Singers of All Time” by Rolling Stone Magazine

 Parents divorced in 1965 (he was 1), mother remarried Peter Mueller who Eddie was raised to believe was his biological father. Mother divorced again when Eddie was in his late teens. He found out about his real father (who had died) and legally changed his last name to Vedder which was his mothers maiden name.  In the late 80s he bounced between a few different bands (Surf and Destroy, The Butts, Indian Style, Bad Radio)

 Temple of the Dog founded by Chris Cornell (later of Soundgarden)  Eddie sent them a “mini-opera” titled “Momma- Son” about a story of a kid that was lied to about his paternity and then grew up to become a serial killer  Eddie wrote three songs for that piece. Those songs would later become Pearl Jam’s “Alive”, “Once”, and “Footsteps”  The first song Eddie collaborated on with Chris was “Hunger Strike” that studio performance solidified Eddie’s place in the band. PLAY  PLAY

 Pearl Jam formed in 1990 under the name Mookie Blaylock, which later Epic Records made them change due to legal reasons.  They were basketball fans, and fans of Mookie Blaylock. Even their first album “Ten” was named after his jersey number.  Pearl Jam was at the forefront of the grunge movement.  The first single off the album was “Alive” which they gave away a copy to anyone that wanted it. PLAY  PLAY

Influences  Eddie Vender’s influences include: The Doors The Who R.E.M. Neil Young Ramones Bruce Springsteen John “Cougar” Mellencamp U2 The Jackson 5 The Beatles Frank Zappa Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Elvis Costello Sonic Youth Tom Waits Huey Lewis Bob Dylan The Pixies

Discography of Eddie Vedder  Temple of the Dog Temple of the Dog (1991)  Pearl Jam Ten (1991) Vs. (1993) Vitalogy (1994) No Code (1996) Yield (1998) Binaural (2000) Riot Act (2002) Pearl Jam (2006) Back Spacers (2009)  Eddie Vedder Into The Wild (2007) Ukulele Songs (2011)

Grunge Music  Subgenre of “Alternative Rock”  Sometimes referred to as “Seattle Sound”  Started in the mid 80s in the Seattle area  Term coined by Mark Arm of Seattle bands “Green River” and “Mudhoney” using it to describe his bands sound.  Bruce Pavitt of Sub Pop Records was the first to use the term as a genre. He used it to describe Green River and bands like them with a similar look and sound.

 Grunge is generally characterized by: Guitar played with a high level of distortion, fuzz, and feedback effects Fuses elements of hardcore punk and heavy metal Lyrics are typically angst-filled and deal with topics like social alienation, apathy, confinement, and desire for freedom Musicians were famed by their unkempt appearances and rejection of theatrics as opposed to other forms of music PLAY  PLAY

References  “Pearl Jam: Twenty.” Dir. Cameron Crowe Perf. Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament. Vinyl Films Blu-ray.  Pearl Jam. “Pearl Jam: Twenty.” Oregon: Simon & Schuster, Print.  “Eddie Vedder.” Biography.com. A+E Television Networks. n.d. Web. 2 Dec