It’s Eddie Vedder’s birthday!
The man is more synonymous with Seattle than his actual home of San Diego, is one of the most iconic voices in the history of rock. Vedder, a local singer and basketball buddy of former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons, was given the demo tape of the band that was Mother Love Bone, who at the time was looking for a singer. Vedder would write lyrics and record demos for three of the songs on the demo which became "Alive", "Once", and "Footsteps," for his new band Pearl Jam.
At the time, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament were working on the Temple of the Dog project that was created by Soundgarden's Chris Cornell as a tribute to Mother Love Bone's Andy Wood, who died of a heroin overdose. Vedder would add his vocals to the song "Hunger Strike," which in turn became a duet that made him a part of the super group. Temple of the Dog was released in 1991 before Pearl Jam’s debut album, but the single would catch fire after Pearl Jam’s Ten hit big on the charts.
With Pearl Jam, Eddie became one of the biggest singer’s in rock history as the band helped usher in the age of Grunge which set fire to the dominance of Hair Metal. Pearl Jam would do their best to stay out of the mainstream despite their massive success, and the band would endure throughout the 90’s and 2000’s making music and touring on their own terms.
Since that time Vedder has released his own solo albums, and as a member of Pearl Jam was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Eddie Vedder is one of the rare instances of artistic integrity and wide spread acclaim and success that rarely gets to exist in entertainment today.
Happy Birthday Eddie, you’re a rare breed in Rock & Roll.
