Eddie Vedder, the story of the Pearl Jam frontman who didn't want fame and grew up thinking his stepfather was his father

Whenever we talk about rock music, we think of some young guys with long hair, tall and with a thicker voice. But, over the years, the industry of this music has evolved a lot and the formation of new groups has caused some new standards to be set. This evolution began in the nineties, when, in addition to the classic rock that we are used to listening to, groups with other currents, but based on rock, began to appear on the scene.

One of these groups is "Pearl Jam" from Seattle, that with their unique style, the vocalist with a very characteristic voice, Eddie Vedder, managed to steal the hearts of millions of rock music fans from all over the world.

The success of this group is best shown by the numerous awards they have won. And the hits, such as "Jeremy", "Alive", "Even Flow", "Porch" and "Black", have made this group in the lead with the vocalist Vedder that even after 26 years since they recorded these songs in the studio, to sing them in their concerts.

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Vedder is regarded as one of the most popular and sought-after voices in the world of rock music. This is due to the fact that in every live performance he has managed to amaze his fans with his energy and unique voice. But what makes this group more special is their consistency, which has managed to withstand the changes of the market over the years, refusing in any way to submit to commercial music, and staying forever loyal to it. of their genre with which they have become known - Grunge.

Life and framing in music

Eddie Vedder is an American musician who plays many instruments and is the frontman of the legendary band "Pearl Jam". He is known for his powerful baritone vocals, while he has a very successful music career behind him, while a large part of his everyday life is included in his songs.

The rocker was born on December 23, 1964 in the Evanston suburb of Chicago. His parents, Karen Lee Vedder and Edward Louis Severson, Jr. they baptized him with the name Edward Louis Severson III, while in terms of origin, he has German and Danish ancestry. However, while he was a baby, his parents divorced (in 1965).

Before long, Vedder's mother married a man named Peter Mueller. The singer grew up believing that Mueller was his biological father and as a child went by the name Edward Mueller.

In the mid-seventies, Eddie's family, along with his three half-siblings, settled in San Diego County, California. It was around this time that Vedder (who had received a guitar as a present from his mother for his 12th birthday) had taken up music and surfing. His inspiration was the album "Quadrophenia" (1973) by the group "The Who". As a 15-year-old, he felt completely alone and all he had was his music.

While he was still a teenager, Eddie's mother and Mueller divorced. His mother and brothers returned to Chicago, while the rocker stayed with his stepfather in California so he wouldn't have to change schools.

After his mother's divorce from his stepfather, Vedder learned the truth about who his real father was. As a child, he had met his biological father, but Severson posed as an old family friend. When Eddie learned the truth, his father had died of multiple sclerosis. While later, this part of his life would be the subject of the rocker's songs.

In his senior year of high school, the singer began living alone in an apartment and supported himself by working nights at a pharmacy in Encinitas. However, he was forced to drop out of school due to the pressure to balance work and schooling. Thus, he joined the family in Chicago and at this time changed his name to Eddie Vedder (Vedder was his mother's maiden name).

In the early eighties, despite working as a waiter, Eddie managed to get his high school diploma and soon after enrolled in college.

Vedder went to San Diego again in 1984 with his girlfriend, Beth Liebling, and a friend. There he did various jobs and in the meantime made demo recordings, while trying himself in different bands. In 1988, he became the vocalist of the funk rock band Bad Radio, and at this time this band was inspired by the alternative rock of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Temple of the Dog

In the late eighties, Vedder met former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons, who became one of his friends and played basketball together. In 1990, Irons gave a demo recording to a Seattle band looking for a singer. Eddie listened to the music and wrote the lyrics for three of the songs on it.

The songs were about a young man who realizes that he has been lied to about his real father and that his father is dead, which was very much related to Vedder's life. However, in the further development of the event in the song, this protagonist becomes a serial killer and then he is imprisoned and sentenced to death (this was part of the rocker's artistic imagination). Eddie recorded the three songs and sent them to the band. (These three songs after a few years would be the hits of "Pearl Jam", "Alive", "Once", and "Footsteps").

The members of the band "Temple of the Dog" liked Vedder's distinctive voice and immediately called him to the rehearsals. The song "Hunger Strike" was recorded as a duet between Chris Cornell and Eddie Vedder and was successful, while in several other songs of the group, Vedder was a backing vocal. "Hunger Strike" was the first real song that Eddie sang on.

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam was formed by Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard and Mike McCready (with whom he had collaborated on Temple of the Dog), who then recruited Vedder as frontman. The band was originally called "Mookie Blaylock" in honor of the basketball player of the same name, but in 1991, after signing with Epic Records, the band changed its name. However, their first album was titled Ten, as Blaylock's jersey number was 10.

The album "Ten" was one of the best-selling alternative music albums of the nineties and the group became instantly popular, while the genre of 'grunge' music had attracted a lot of attention.

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The song "Jeremy" was nominated for the Grammy Award in the category of Best Rock Song and Best Hard Rock Performance. At the MTV Video Music Awards, Pearl Jam took home four awards for the video for "Jeremy," including Video of the Year and Best Group Video.

The second album entitled "Vs." was released in 1993, and in its first week of release it set a sales record and for five weeks was number 1 on the Billboard 200. This album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Rock Album, while the song "Daughter" was nominated in the Best Rock Performance category, while the song "Go" was nominated for the Best Hard Rock Performance.

Feeling the pressure of success and fame mostly falling on Vedder, the group decided to lower the level of album promotion by refusing to shoot music videos. The frontman had a problem with fame because he didn't want people to think he could change their lives or save them, and expect something that was impossible. During this period, Eddie developed a kind of paranoia and felt haunted, which he later expressed in the song "Lukin" (from the album "No Code").

The third album in a row was "Vitalogy" (1994), another big success of "Pearl Jam". At this time, Vedder started to play rhythm guitar more often, while during the recordings he also did the accompanying vocals and in some songs he also played the drums.

Already a common theme in the band's songs was the pressure of fame Vedder felt, and the album was nominated for Grammys in the Album of the Year and Best Rock Album categories. The lead single, "Spin the Black Circle", won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. By this time, Dave Abbruzzese had been kicked out of the band and replaced by former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons.

In the following years, the albums "No Code" (1996) and "Yield" (1998) were released. Irons left the group, and the former drummer of "Soundgarden", Matt Cameron, was hired in his place. "Do the Evolution" (from "Yield") was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Hard Rock Performance category.

After the success of the elaborate song "Last Kiss", the group released the sixth album "Binaural" (2000), the seventh "Riot Act" and the eighth album under the name of the group "Pearl Jam" (2006). In 2009 came the album "Backspacer", while the tenth album of the band was launched in 2013 with the title "Lightning Bolt".

In the recordings of "Pearl Jam", Vedder uses the pseudonym Jerome Turner, while sometimes also Wes C. Addle (West Seattle).

Soundtracks

Vedder has contributed solo material to soundtracks and musical compositions for films such as "Dead Man Walking" (1995), "I Am Sam" (2001), "A Brokedown Melody" (2004), "Body of War" (2007 ), "Reign Over Me" (2007), "Into the Wild" (2007) and others. In 2008, he won the Golden Globe Award for the song "Guaranteed" from "Into the Wild".

Solo career and collaborations

There were also Eddie Vedder's solo tours, as well as the songs he performed without his band. He recorded a collection of songs for the movie "Into the Wild", while "Ukulele Songs" was the title of his second solo album.

In addition to performances with Pearl Jam and Temple of the Dog, Vedder has performed or recorded songs with a large number of world-famous stars and bands, such as The Who, Ramones, Neil Young, REM, Neil Finn, Bad Religion, Mark Seymour, Cat Power, Mike Watt, Fastbacks, Wellwater Conspiracy, Jack Irons, John Doe, The Strokes, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Supersuckers, Susan Sarandone Zeke.

In 1993, Vedder performed the songs "Break on Through (To the Other Side)", "Light My Fire" and "Roadhouse Blues" with the remaining members of the legendary band "The Doors".

Vedder has also performed on stage with some of the biggest names in music and film, including Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Robert Plant, Roger Waters, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Cat Stevens, Chris Martin, Flea, Beyonce, Bryan Adams, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Roger Daltrey, Jay-Z, Kings of Leon, Dave Grohl, Chad Smith, Perry Farrell, Cheap Trick, The Strokes, My Morning Jacket, Beck, Sheryl Crow, Jerry Cantrell, Andrew Stockdale, Josh Homme, Mike Ness, Neil Young, Guided By Voices, Ace Frehley, Dave Matthews, Elvis Costello, The X Band, Natalie Maines, Tim Robbins, Johnny Depp, Adam Sandler, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Glen Hansard, Simon Townshend, Joe Elliott and many others.

ASSESSMENT

In the magazine list Rolling Stone for the greatest vocalists of all time, Vedder is ranked seventh. WHEREAS loudwire has placed him in 36th place in the list of the 50 best frontmen of hard rock and heavy metal music.

Personal life

Regarding his religious views, Vedder is an atheist.

In 1994, he married his girlfriend, musician Beth Liebling, with whom he separated in 2000. After the divorce from her, his musical style also changed, in which case the lyrics were deeper.

In 2010, the rocker married model Jill McCormick, with whom he has two daughters.

Vedder is a big sports fan. He likes the Chicago Bulls basketball team, the Chicago Bears American football team, and is an ultra of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. The rocker is a constant presence at Cubs games and is friends with many of the players. He also made songs for this team. /Telegraph/