Eddie Vedder

Background

Eddie Jerome Vedder was born Edward Louis Severson III in Evanston, Illinois. On his 12th birthday, Vedder received a guitar from his mother. He attended San Dieguito High School before joining the rest of his family in Chicago, where he changed his name to Vedder, his mother’s maiden name. He earned his G.E.D. in the ‘80s and attended a community college.

In 1988, Vedder became the vocalist for the funk-rock band Bad Radio. Around the same time, he met and befriended Jack Irons, who linked him up with a Seattle band in need of a singer. The band was Pearl Jam, with whom Vedder recorded three songs: ‘Alive,’ ‘Once,’ and ‘Footsteps.’ A year before the release of the album “Temple of the Dog” (1991), Vedder joined the group, and they soon signed with Epic Records. Their debut studio album, “Ten,” surged to success, reaching Platinum certification 13 times and becoming one of the best-selling alternative albums of the ‘90s. In 1993, Pearl Jam released its sophomore album, “Vs.” The Grammy-nominated L.P. spent five weeks at number one on the ‘Billboard 200’ chart. Their third studio album, “Vitalogy,” launched in 1994, with its lead single ‘Spin the Black Circle,’ won the 1996 “Grammy Award” for ‘Best Hard Rock Performance.’ In 2007, Vedder sparked his solo career with an eponymous soundtrack album for the film “Into the Wild.” Its track ‘Guaranteed’ won Vedder the 2008 Golden Globe. He has released three more solo albums since.

With Pearl Jam, Vedder recorded a total of 11 studio albums. Today, Vedder makes non-musical contributions in design and artwork to Pearl Jam under the pseudonym Jerome Turner. Vedder usually keeps his affairs private but announced his marriage to Beth Liebling in 1994, whom he had been dating since 1984. The couple divorced in 2000. In September 2010, Vedder wedded Jill McCormick, and they have two children.