Keith Richards (center) poses backstage with American musicians Mike McCready (left) and Eddie Vedder, of the band Pearl Jam, at the Academy, New York, New York, December 31, 1992. (Photo by Paul Natkin)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
1992
Landgraaf, Holland, the Netherlands
Eddie Vedder, Pinkpop Festival, Landgraaf, Holland, (Photo by Gie Knaeps)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
1992
Landgraaf, Holland, the Netherlands
Eddie Vedder, Pinkpop Festival, Landgraaf, Holland, (Photo by Gie Knaeps)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
1992
Landgraaf, Holland, the Netherlands
Eddie Vedder, Pinkpop Festival, Landgraaf, Holland, (Photo by Gie Knaeps)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
1993
Finsbury Park, London, England, UK
Jeff Ament and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam perform on stage in Finsbury Park on July 11th, 1993, in London, England. (Photo by Pete Still)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2004
50 NJ-120, East Rutherford, NJ 07073, United States
Eddie Vedder and Bruce Springsteen during "Vote For Change" Closing Night Concert - October 13, 2004, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. (Photo by Debra L Rothenberg)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2004
50 NJ-120, East Rutherford, NJ 07073, United States
Eddie Vedder and Bruce Springsteen during "Vote For Change" Closing Night Concert - October 13, 2004, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. (Photo by Debra L Rothenberg)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2005
329 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam during A Benefit for Hurricane Katrina Survivors with Pearl Jam and Robert Plant at House of Blues in Chicago, Illinois, United States. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2006
Avalon, New York City, New York, United States
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam during "VH1 Storytellers" Featuring Pearl Jam at Avalon in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Jason Kempin)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2006
1430 Broadway #1513, New York, NY 10018, United States
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam during Lindsay Lohan Hosts "Saturday Night Live" - After Party - April 16, 2006, at Heartland Brewery in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by James Devaney)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2007
5555 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038, United States
Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, and Eddie Vedder at Paramount Vantage special screening of 'Into The Wild' with a live performance by Eddie Vedder at the Paramount Theatre in Hollywood, California. (Photo by E. Charbonneau)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2010
1751 Gentilly Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70119, United States Hours: Closed ⋅ Opens 9AM
Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) Performs at the 2010 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival - Day 6 Presented By Shell at the Fair Grounds Race Course on May 1, 2010, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Rick Diamond)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2010
1751 Gentilly Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70119, United States Hours: Closed ⋅ Opens 9AM
Eddie Vedder performs at the 2010 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival - Day 6 Presented By Shell at the Fair Grounds Race Course on May 1, 2010, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Rick Diamond)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2011
Toronto, Canada
Neil Young (L) and musician Eddie Vedder attend the "Neil Young Life" Premiere at Princess of Wales during the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2011, in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Peter Bregg)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2012
Fairlee Rd, Newport PO30 2EL, United Kingdom
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam performs on the main stage as the headlining act on day 3 of The Isle of Wight Festival at Seaclose Park on June 23, 2012, in Newport, Isle of Wight. (Photo by Samir Hussein)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2012
Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam performs during Budweiser's Made In America Festival Benefiting The United Way - Day 2 at Benjamin Franklin Parkway on September 2, 2012, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kevin Mazur)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2012
4 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY 10001, United States
Eddie Vedder and Billy Joel backstage during "12-12-12" a concert benefiting The Robin Hood Relief Fund to aid the victims of Hurricane Sandy presented by Clear Channel Media & Entertainment, The Madison Square Garden Company, and The Weinstein Company at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2012, in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2016
Central Park, New York City, New York, USA
Eddie Vedder (L) and Chris Martin attend the 2016 Global Citizen Festival In Central Park To End Extreme Poverty By 2030 at Central Park on September 24, 2016, in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2017
2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566, United States
Eddie Vedder and his wife Jill McCormick arrive at the 2017 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at The Kennedy Center on October 22, 2017, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2018
9390 N Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, United States
Jill McCormick, Eddie Vedder, and Laura Dern attend the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 4, 2018, in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2018
4 Jersey St, Boston, MA 02215, United States
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam performs at Fenway Park on September 4, 2018, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kevin Mazur)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2018
4 Jersey St, Boston, MA 02215, United States
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam performs at Fenway Park on September 4, 2018, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kevin Mazur)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2019
Av. Felipe II, s/n, 28009 Madrid, Spain
Eddie Vedder performs live onstage at Wizink Center on June 22, 2019, in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Jim Bennett)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2019
Malibu, California, USA
Eddie Vedder performs onstage during ROCK4EB! at Private Residence on October 06, 2019, in Malibu, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur)
Gallery of Eddie Vedder
2019
Malibu, California, USA
Eddie Vedder, Adam Sandler, and Judd Apatow attend ROCK4EB! at Private Residence on October 06, 2019, in Malibu, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur)
Keith Richards (center) poses backstage with American musicians Mike McCready (left) and Eddie Vedder, of the band Pearl Jam, at the Academy, New York, New York, December 31, 1992. (Photo by Paul Natkin)
50 NJ-120, East Rutherford, NJ 07073, United States
Eddie Vedder and Bruce Springsteen during "Vote For Change" Closing Night Concert - October 13, 2004, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. (Photo by Debra L Rothenberg)
50 NJ-120, East Rutherford, NJ 07073, United States
Eddie Vedder and Bruce Springsteen during "Vote For Change" Closing Night Concert - October 13, 2004, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. (Photo by Debra L Rothenberg)
329 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam during A Benefit for Hurricane Katrina Survivors with Pearl Jam and Robert Plant at House of Blues in Chicago, Illinois, United States. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen)
1430 Broadway #1513, New York, NY 10018, United States
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam during Lindsay Lohan Hosts "Saturday Night Live" - After Party - April 16, 2006, at Heartland Brewery in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by James Devaney)
5555 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038, United States
Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, and Eddie Vedder at Paramount Vantage special screening of 'Into The Wild' with a live performance by Eddie Vedder at the Paramount Theatre in Hollywood, California. (Photo by E. Charbonneau)
1751 Gentilly Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70119, United States Hours: Closed ⋅ Opens 9AM
Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) Performs at the 2010 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival - Day 6 Presented By Shell at the Fair Grounds Race Course on May 1, 2010, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Rick Diamond)
1751 Gentilly Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70119, United States Hours: Closed ⋅ Opens 9AM
Eddie Vedder performs at the 2010 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival - Day 6 Presented By Shell at the Fair Grounds Race Course on May 1, 2010, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Rick Diamond)
Neil Young (L) and musician Eddie Vedder attend the "Neil Young Life" Premiere at Princess of Wales during the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2011, in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Peter Bregg)
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam performs on the main stage as the headlining act on day 3 of The Isle of Wight Festival at Seaclose Park on June 23, 2012, in Newport, Isle of Wight. (Photo by Samir Hussein)
Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam performs during Budweiser's Made In America Festival Benefiting The United Way - Day 2 at Benjamin Franklin Parkway on September 2, 2012, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kevin Mazur)
4 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY 10001, United States
Eddie Vedder and Billy Joel backstage during "12-12-12" a concert benefiting The Robin Hood Relief Fund to aid the victims of Hurricane Sandy presented by Clear Channel Media & Entertainment, The Madison Square Garden Company, and The Weinstein Company at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2012, in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur)
Eddie Vedder (L) and Chris Martin attend the 2016 Global Citizen Festival In Central Park To End Extreme Poverty By 2030 at Central Park on September 24, 2016, in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur)
Eddie Vedder and his wife Jill McCormick arrive at the 2017 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at The Kennedy Center on October 22, 2017, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi)
9390 N Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, United States
Jill McCormick, Eddie Vedder, and Laura Dern attend the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 4, 2018, in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil)
Actor Bradley Cooper arrives at Cosmopolitan's 2009 Fun Fearless Awards at the SLS Hotel on March 2, 2009, in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kristian Dowling)
Eddie Vedder is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. Vedder is best known to the world as the leading vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock band, Pearl Jam, a band that popularized the grunge rock movement in the early 1990s. Vedder is also a noted activist, having raised funds for various causes, most notably the release of the West Memphis Three from prison.
Background
Ethnicity:
Eddie Vedder has German, Norwegian, Dutch, English, Danish, and Swiss-German ancestry.
Eddie Vedder was born on December 26, 1964, in Evanston, Illinois, the United States, to Karan Lee Vedder and Edward Louis Severson Jr. His parents divorced shortly afterward. Eddie's mother remarried Peter Mueller. During his childhood days, Vedder believed Mueller to be his biological father and was known by the name of Edward Mueller. The angst he felt when he finally discovered the truth fueled much of his later music, including the creation of one of Pearl Jam's earliest hits, Alive.
Education
In the mid-70s, Vedder's family moved to San Diego, California. Since his family was large and extensive with seven siblings, young Vedder turned to music to comfort himself. During this time, he attended the San Dieguito High School. When Vedder was in his teens, his mother and Mueller divorced. Not wanting to change high school, he chose to live with his stepfather, while his mother moved to Chicago. He took up a night job at a drug store. During this time, he realized his true parentage.
Since managing work and studies was getting increasingly difficult, he dropped out of high school, joining his family in Chicago. Meanwhile, he changed his name to Eddie Vedder. He eventually dropped out of school, but in the early 1980s, while working as a waiter, he earned his high school GED.
Carrying a passion for music - groups like the Sex Pistols, the Who, the Ramones, and Black Flag were big influences - Eddie Vedder returned to Southern California in 1984 and became a fixture at nightclubs. He also joined several bands, including one called Bad Radio, and worked on developing his sound between stints as a hotel security guard and gas station attendant.
In 1988, he took up the position of a vocalist in the band, Bad Radio. Ever since his inclusion, the band music which centered on progressive funk shifted to an alternative rock sound. His stint with the Bad Radio did not last long. Meanwhile, he met former drummer, Jack Irons of Red Hot Chilli Peppers fame, who encouraged him to try for a band in Seattle.
Vedder penned the lyrics and recorded the vocals of the three songs and mailed the demo tapes to Seattle. Interestingly, these three songs eventually became Pearl Jam's Alive, Once, and Footsteps. Gossard and Ament were floored with the results, immediately inviting Vedder up to Seattle, where he soon landed the gig.
He was invited by Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament who in turn were working on a new project, Temple of the Dog. He not just provided background vocals for the album but went on to sing a duet with Cornell. In 1991, Temple of the Dog was released on A&M Records.
While working on Temple of Dog, Ament, Gossard, and McCready formed Pearl Jam in 1990. They recruited Vedder as one of the drummers for the band. Signing to Epic Records, in 1991, the band came up with their debut album, Ten. The debut album featured Vedder's impassioned vocals as he belted out tracks like Alive, Even Flow, and Black above the band's powerful, classic rock-influenced sound.
Additionally, Ten included the hit single Jeremy, which was accompanied by a dramatic video that quickly fell into heavy rotation on MTV and powered the album to the top of the charts. Ten went on to become the best-selling alternative music album, having been certified 13x Platinum.
Along with bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden, Pearl Jam blazed a new path for a growing contingent of grunge artists, bringing the genre to the forefront of America's youth culture. As it did, the group explored hard subjects like angst, depression, and suicide, giving a voice to a new generation of teenagers and young adults known as Generation X.
Furthering their anti-mainstream stance, Pearl Jam refused to produce any videos for songs from their second release, Vs. (1993), which featured a new drummer, Dave Abbruzzese.
Additionally, they entered a heated battle with Ticketmaster over service fees and exclusive arena contracts, leading to a United States Department of Justice investigation and the cancellation of the group's 1994 summer tour. Pearl Jam partnered with another ticket distributor and attempted to play at smaller venues, though their battle fizzled out when the Department of Justice ceased its investigation after a year.
Meanwhile, the band released a third album, Vitalogy, in late 1994. Featuring yet another drummer, this time Vedder's friend Jack Irons, Vitalogy quickly climbed to the top of the charts and became the group's third straight effort to reach multiplatinum status.
Interestingly, songs of Vitalogy were themed on the intense pressure of fame felt by the band members. The album went on to receive two Grammy Award nominations. Its single, Spin the Black Circle won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. The album made it at #492 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
In 1998, the band came up with their fourth studio album, No Code. The upward-climbing graph met with a halt as No Code despite debuting at #1 on Billboard 200 failed to keep the interest of listeners and soon fell down the charts. Subsequently, the band released Yield in 1998, their fifth album. Its single, Do the Evolution’ received a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance.
In 1998, the band recorded Last Kiss a cover of a 1960s ballad made famous by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers. Released as a Christmas single, the song broke all previous records, peaking at #2 on the Billboard charts, thus becoming Pearl Jam’s highest-charting single.
The year 2000 witnessed the release of the band’s sixth studio album, Binaural. Its single, Grievance received a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance. Meanwhile, from 2000 to 2001, the band released 72 live albums. In 2002, Pearl Jam came up with their seventh consecutive studio album, Riot Act. The following year, they came up with the song, Man of the Hour for the 2003 film, Big Fish, which was nominated for a Golden Globe award. The song was written by Vedder.
Vedder forged a strong relationship with Neil Young through recording and touring with Pearl Jam, and even inducted the legendary artist into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2001, the two teamed with Mike McCready to perform an acclaimed version of the Vedder-penned Long Road at a tribute concert to victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Among his many collaborations, the singer appeared at the Ramones' final concert, a performance captured on their 1997 album We're Outta Here!, and joined The Who for what became the Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2003) three-disc set. Vedder has also recorded alongside such artists as Cat Power, the Strokes, and R.E.M.
For the 2007 film, Into the Wild, he contributed an album’s worth of songs, including covers for the songs, Hard Sun and Society. Based on folk sound, his maiden album was greatly appreciated as he won several nominations at Golden Globe and Grammy awards. Additionally, Vedder was tapped to provide vocals for the soundtrack of Into the Wild (2007), which doubled as his first solo album. His follow-up effort, Ukulele Songs (2011), a compilation of ukulele-based originals and covers, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album.
Still, there was no turning away from the group that made him famous. Vedder joined his longtime bandmates to create Backspacer (2009), Pearl Jam's ninth studio album and their first to top the Billboard 200 since No Code in 1996. The group's next release, Lightning Bolt (2013), also debuted atop the Billboard chart.
After teasing the arrival of a new album with the release of three singles in early 2020, Pearl Jam finally unveiled Gigaton in March 2020. However, the group's plans to support the album with a tour and a "listening experience" in select movie theaters were scrapped due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Vedder became involved in numerous politically charged causes: his band took Ticketmaster to court over high ticket prices, he supported presidential candidate Ralph Nader and environmental causes and was pro-choice. In the fall of 2004, as a member of Pearl Jam, he participated in the Vote for Change concert tour organized to encourage the defeat of George W. Bush in the United States presidential election. Vedder also supported Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders.
Views
In addition to his musical projects, Vedder is one of the industry's most vocal activists. In 2006, he and his bandmates created the Vitalogy Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports programs in the fields of community health, the environment, education, and social change. Additionally, Vedder co-founded the EB Research Partnership, which raises funds and awareness for a childhood skin disorder.
The singer was also a high-profile supporter of the West Memphis Three, a trio of teenagers imprisoned for the murders of three boys in 1993. Drawn in by a 1996 documentary that brought to light a disorganized investigation and inconclusive evidence, Vedder performed benefit concerts for the defendants. After the introduction of new forensic evidence, the West Memphis Three earned their release in 2011.
Quotations:
"I don't need drugs. Life is already tragic enough."
"The love received is the love that is saved."
"If it's a good cause, I'll play just about anything."
Personality
Apart from his musical career, Vedder is passionate about surfing. Furthermore, he is a die-hard fan of American professional baseball franchise Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bulls, and Chicago Bears.
Interests
traveling
Politicians
Ralph Nader, John Kerry, Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders
Writers
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Sport & Clubs
Surfing, baseball, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Bears
Music & Bands
The Ramones, the Doors, Neil Young, R.E.M., The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, U2, the Who, Pink Floyd, the Jackson 5, Frank Zappa, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, Fugazi, Tom Waits, Huey Lewis, Bob Dylan, the Pixies
Connections
Eddie began dating musician Beth Liebling in March 1983. The couple tied the knot on June 3, 1994. However, they got divorced in 2000. In 2010, he married Jill McCormick. They welcomed daughters Olivia Vedder on June 11, 2004, and Harper Vedder on September 23, 2008.