Profile of Eddie Vedder on Famous Like Me

Eddie Vedder (born Edward Louis Seversen III on 23 December 1964) is the lead singer, lyricist, and frontman for the band Pearl Jam. Since 1993, he has also played guitar on some of Pearl Jam's songs. He also plays several other instruments, including the ukelele and the harmonica.

While in Seattle to audition for what became Pearl Jam, Vedder sang backup for Temple of the Dog, a tribute to the Seattle musician Andrew Wood. Wood was the singer in Mother Love Bone before dying of a drug overdose in March 1990. Before that, Vedder was a member of the Southern California band Bad Radio.

In addition to playing with Pearl Jam, Vedder has performed and recorded with numerous well-known artists, including Bad Religion, Fastbacks, Neil Finn, Jack Irons, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Cat Power, R.E.M., Supersuckers, Mike Watt, Wellwater Conspiracy, The Who, and Neil Young. On Pearl Jam records he uses the pseudonym "Jerome Turner" for his non-musical (usually design and artwork) functions. He has also sometimes used the pseudonym of "Wes C. Addle" ("West Seattle").

Vedder spent his difficult childhood in Evanston, near Chicago, Illinois. After his parents divorced in 1965, when Eddie was only one year old, Vedder's mother married a man named Peter Mueller. It would be years until Vedder would discover that Mueller was not his real father. In the mid-1970s, the family, including Vedder's three younger 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. At 15, Vedder was already living by himself, having replaced the name "Mueller" with his mother's maiden name "Vedder" after her second divorce. Eddie had also learned about his real father by this point, a man whom Eddie had met before without knowing their filial relations. Working at a Long's Drug Store in Encinitas, he eventually dropped out of school and moved back to Chicago, where his mother and brothers were already living.

In 1984 he returned to San Diego together with his girlfriend (now ex-wife) Beth Liebling. While taking on various jobs, including an attendant's position at a local gas station, Vedder kept busy recording demo tapes at his home. Soon, the rather shy artist became the singer of Bad Radio. After he quit that band, he was given a tape from Seattle musician Stone Gossard by Jack Irons, one of Vedder's friends and former drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Vedder recorded vocals for three of the unfinished songs, the so-called Mamasan tape, which got him the job in the band to be known as Pearl Jam.

Vedder is married to model Jill McCormick. The couple have a daughter, Olivia, who born on 11 June 2004. Vedder was previously married to Beth Liebling.

Songs by other artists referring to Eddie Vedder

Local H has a song called "Eddie Vedder" on their album As Good as Dead. The song refers to Vedder in its chorus.

"Weird Al" Yankovic has a song called "My Baby's In Love With Eddie Vedder" on his album Running With Scissors. It refers to Vedder throughout the song.

The Rugburns have a song called "Me and Eddie Vedder" on their album Morning Wood.

Canadian punk band SNFU has a song called "Better than Eddie Vedder".

Songs by other artists that Eddie Vedder has performed

For a complete list of songs covered by Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam, please redirect here.

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