EDDIE VEDDER
Name: Edward Louis Severson III
Born: December 23, 1964 Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
Associated acts Pearl Jam, Surf and Destroy, The Butts, Indian Style,
Bad Radio, Temple of the Dog, Hovercraft, The What, C Average, Neil
Finn and Friends
Eddie Vedder (born December 23, 1964) is the lead singer and one of three
guitarists for the rock band Pearl Jam. He is notable for his deep baritone
vocal style, and for being a cultural icon of alternative rock.
Vedder was born Edward Louis Severson III in the Chicago suburb of Evanston,
Illinois, the son of Karen Lee (née Vedder) and Edward Louis Severson, Jr.
His parents divorced in 1965, when Eddie was a year old. His mother soon
remarried a man named Peter Mueller, and young Eddie was raised believing that
Mueller was his biological father.
In the mid-1970s, the family, including Vedder's three younger half-brothers,
moved to San Diego County, California. It was at this point that Eddie, who had
received a guitar from his mother on his 12th birthday, began turning to music
as a source of comfort. His mother and Mueller divorced when Eddie was in his
late teens. His mother and brothers moved back to the Chicago area, but Eddie
remained with his stepfather in California so he would not have to change high
schools.
It was not until after the divorce that Eddie learned the truth about his
parentage. Mueller was really his stepfather. Eddie had met his biological
father briefly as a child, but had believed that Severson was merely an old
friend of his parents. By the time Eddie learned the truth, Severson had died of
multiple sclerosis. (This is expressed in the song "Alive" on the album Ten.)
Eddie's already bad relationship with his stepfather became increasingly
strained. He eventually dropped out of San Dieguito High School and joined the
rest of his family in Chicago. He also changed his name to Eddie Vedder, "Vedder"
being his mother's maiden name.
In 1984, Vedder returned to San Diego with his girlfriend, Beth Liebling. He
kept busy recording demo tapes at his home and working various jobs, including
positions as a night attendant at a local gas station and a contracted security
guard at the La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla.
Vedder had several stints in San Diego area bands. One included future Rage
Against the Machine and Audioslave drummer Brad Wilk. Another one was a Red
Hot Chili Peppers cover/tribute band. In 1988, the rather shy singer became
the vocalist for the San Diego progressive funk-rock band Bad Radio. During his
time with Bad Radio he premiered the song "Better Man", a song based on the
relationship between his mother and his stepfather. This song would later become
a hit for Pearl Jam.
After leaving Bad Radio in 1990, Vedder's friend and former Red Hot Chili
Peppers drummer Jack Irons gave him a demo tape from a band in Seattle that was
looking for a singer. Vedder recorded vocals for three of the songs, which later
became Pearl Jam's "Alive", "Once", and "Footsteps". Vedder wrote the song
lyrics as a mini-opera which he called the "Mamasan trilogy". The songs tell the
story of a young man who, like Vedder, learns that he had been lied to about his
paternity and that his real father is dead ("Alive"). He grows up to become a
serial killer ("Once"), and is eventually imprisoned and sentenced to death ("Footsteps").
After hearing the tape, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament invited
Vedder to come to Seattle to audition for the band that soon became Pearl Jam.
They were instantly impressed with his unique sound. Very soon after joining
Pearl Jam, even before recording Ten, Vedder was brought in to provide backing
vocals on the Temple of the Dog album, a tribute to late Mother Love Bone singer
Andrew Wood that featured members of both Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.
Name: Edward Louis Severson III
Born: December 23, 1964 Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
Associated acts Pearl Jam, Surf and Destroy, The Butts, Indian Style,
Bad Radio, Temple of the Dog, Hovercraft, The What, C Average, Neil
Finn and Friends
Eddie Vedder (born December 23, 1964) is the lead singer and one of three
guitarists for the rock band Pearl Jam. He is notable for his deep baritone
vocal style, and for being a cultural icon of alternative rock.
Vedder was born Edward Louis Severson III in the Chicago suburb of Evanston,
Illinois, the son of Karen Lee (née Vedder) and Edward Louis Severson, Jr.
His parents divorced in 1965, when Eddie was a year old. His mother soon
remarried a man named Peter Mueller, and young Eddie was raised believing that
Mueller was his biological father.
In the mid-1970s, the family, including Vedder's three younger half-brothers,
moved to San Diego County, California. It was at this point that Eddie, who had
received a guitar from his mother on his 12th birthday, began turning to music
as a source of comfort. His mother and Mueller divorced when Eddie was in his
late teens. His mother and brothers moved back to the Chicago area, but Eddie
remained with his stepfather in California so he would not have to change high
schools.
It was not until after the divorce that Eddie learned the truth about his
parentage. Mueller was really his stepfather. Eddie had met his biological
father briefly as a child, but had believed that Severson was merely an old
friend of his parents. By the time Eddie learned the truth, Severson had died of
multiple sclerosis. (This is expressed in the song "Alive" on the album Ten.)
Eddie's already bad relationship with his stepfather became increasingly
strained. He eventually dropped out of San Dieguito High School and joined the
rest of his family in Chicago. He also changed his name to Eddie Vedder, "Vedder"
being his mother's maiden name.
In 1984, Vedder returned to San Diego with his girlfriend, Beth Liebling. He
kept busy recording demo tapes at his home and working various jobs, including
positions as a night attendant at a local gas station and a contracted security
guard at the La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla.
Vedder had several stints in San Diego area bands. One included future Rage
Against the Machine and Audioslave drummer Brad Wilk. Another one was a Red
Hot Chili Peppers cover/tribute band. In 1988, the rather shy singer became
the vocalist for the San Diego progressive funk-rock band Bad Radio. During his
time with Bad Radio he premiered the song "Better Man", a song based on the
relationship between his mother and his stepfather. This song would later become
a hit for Pearl Jam.
After leaving Bad Radio in 1990, Vedder's friend and former Red Hot Chili
Peppers drummer Jack Irons gave him a demo tape from a band in Seattle that was
looking for a singer. Vedder recorded vocals for three of the songs, which later
became Pearl Jam's "Alive", "Once", and "Footsteps". Vedder wrote the song
lyrics as a mini-opera which he called the "Mamasan trilogy". The songs tell the
story of a young man who, like Vedder, learns that he had been lied to about his
paternity and that his real father is dead ("Alive"). He grows up to become a
serial killer ("Once"), and is eventually imprisoned and sentenced to death ("Footsteps").
After hearing the tape, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament invited
Vedder to come to Seattle to audition for the band that soon became Pearl Jam.
They were instantly impressed with his unique sound. Very soon after joining
Pearl Jam, even before recording Ten, Vedder was brought in to provide backing
vocals on the Temple of the Dog album, a tribute to late Mother Love Bone singer
Andrew Wood that featured members of both Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.