Biography

Pearl Jam was born in 1990, after the band Mother Love Bone sadly lost its vocalist to a heroin overdose. Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament were determined to move forward, and so they brought in other musicians to create a demo for a new band. The demo ended up in the hands of Eddie Vedder, a vocalist who joined them, and they adopted the name Pearl Jam. They released Ten, their debut album, in 1991, and the timing could not have been more perfect.

As bands like Nirvana began climbing the charts, mainstream radio became more receptive to the new alternative sound. It wasn’t long before Pearl Jam was even bigger than Nirvana, and by 1992, the band was performing at music festivals such as Lollapalooza and contributing tracks to movies such as Singles.  Vs. followed in 1993 and rose to multi-platinum status, but Pearl Jam still opted for perform at smaller venues and college campuses instead of the larger arenas, which they could certainly have filled. When Ticketmaster attempted to raise their ticket prices, they cancelled a concert and refused to succumb to the commercial pressures. An ongoing battle with Ticketmaster over prices ensued, and would last for more than a year.

While establishing themselves not only as one of the most popular and talented alternative bands of the early 1990’s, and simultaneously taking a stand against what they perceived as unethical business practices, Pearl Jam returned to the studio in 1994. Vitalogy was released at the end of the year, and in the following year, Pearl Jam worked with Neil Young on his album Mirrorball. A series of albums followed for the next decade, including No Code (1996), Yield (1998), Binaural (2000), Riot Act (2002), the anthologies Lost Dogs: Rarities and B Sides (2003) and Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003 (2004), and then Pearl Jam (2006.)

In the latter part of the new millennium’s first decade, Pearl Jam contributed the title track to the film Reign Over Me, a remake of The Who’s classic song, and headlined both Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo in 2007. Backspacer was released in 2009, and Pearl Jam continued with live performances over the next few years, including the Virgin Festival and Austin City Limits Music Festival in 2009 and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2010. An international tour followed in the same year, and Pearl Jam continues with performances, tours, and plans for new albums.

So far in its career, Pearl Jam has sold nearly thirty-two million records in the United States alone, and nearly double that worldwide.  The band and its individual members, especially Eddie Vedder, are also politically active and active in philanthropic endeavors. Pearl Jam has raised awareness and funds for organizations dedicated to Crohn’s disease, wildlife protection, and environmental issues. They contribute to Rock the Vote and Vote for Change, and regularly perform at numerous benefit concerts in support of countless charities.