Eddie Vedder Biography

Eddie Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson; December 23, 1964) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known as a member of the rock band Pearl Jam, with whom he performs lead vocals and is one of three guitarists. He is known for his powerful baritone vocals.

He is also involved in making music and contributes to albums by other artists. In 2007, Vedder released his first solo album as a soundtrack for the film Into the Wild (2007). His second album Ukulele Songs and a live DVD titled Water on the Road were 2011.

Early life

Vedder was born Edward Louis Severson III in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, on December 23, 1964, to Karen Lee Vedder and Edward Louis Severson, Jr. His parents divorced in 1965, when Vedder was an infant. His mother soon remarried, to a man named Peter Mueller. Vedder was raised believing that Mueller was his biological father, and he went by the name Edward Mueller for a time. Vedder's ancestry includes German and Danish.

While living in Evanston, Vedder's family fostered seven younger children in a group home. 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 Vedder, who had received a guitar from his mother on his twelfth birthday, began turning to music (as well as surfing) as a source of comfort. He particularly found solace in The Who's 1973 album, Quadrophenia. He said, "When I was around 15 or 16... I felt all alone... I was all alone"?except for music." His mother and Mueller divorced when Vedder was in his late teens. His mother and brothers moved back to the Chicago area, but Vedder remained with his stepfather in California so he would not have to change high schools.

After the divorce, Vedder learned the truth about his parentage: Mueller was really his stepfather. Vedder 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 Vedder learned the truth, Severson had died of multiple sclerosis. By his senior year at San Dieguito High School, Vedder was on his own, living in an apartment and supporting himself with a nightly job at a drug store in Encinitas. He eventually dropped out of high school in his senior year due to the pressures of balancing school with working. He joined the rest of his family in Chicago, and it was at this time that he changed his name to Eddie Vedder, Vedder being his mother's maiden name.

In the early 1980s, while working as a waiter, Eddie earned his high school GED, and briefly attended a community college near Chicago. 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 a position as a contracted security guard at the La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla. Vedder had several stints in San Diego area bands, including Surf and Destroy and The Butts. One of those bands, called Indian Style, included future Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave drummer Brad Wilk. In 1988, Vedder became the vocalist for the San Diego progressive funk rock band Bad Radio. The music of the original incarnation of the band was influenced by Duran Duran; however, after Vedder joined Bad Radio, the band moved on to a more alternative rock sound influenced by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Temple of the Dog

After leaving Bad Radio, Vedder was without a band, and for the rest of the 1980s he worked part-time as a night attendant at a local gas station. Through the Southern California music scene, Vedder met former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons, who became a friend of Vedder and who would play basketball with him. Later in 1990, Irons gave him a demo tape from a band in Seattle, Washington that was looking for a singer. He listened to the tape shortly before going surfing, where lyrics came to him. Vedder wrote lyrics for three of the songs in what he later described as a "mini-opera" entitled Momma-Son. 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, grows up to become a serial killer, and is eventually imprisoned and sentenced to death. Vedder recorded vocals for the three songs, and mailed the demo tape back to Seattle. The three songs would later become Pearl Jam's "Alive", "Once", and "Footsteps".

After hearing Vedder's tape, former Mother Love Bone members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament invited Vedder to come to Seattle to audition for their new band. They were instantly impressed with his unique sound. At the time, Gossard and Ament were working on the Temple of the Dog project founded by Soundgarden's Chris Cornell as a musical tribute to Mother Love Bone's frontman Andrew Wood, who died of a heroin overdose at age 24. Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron and newcomer Mike McCready were also a part of the project. The song "Hunger Strike" became a duet between Cornell and Vedder. Cornell later said of Vedder that "he sang half of that song not even knowing that I'd wanted the part to be there and he sang it exactly the way I was thinking about doing it, just instinctively." Vedder would provide background vocals on several other songs as well. In April 1991, Temple of the Dog was released through A&M Records.

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam was formed in 1990 by Ament, Gossard, and McCready, who then recruited Vedder and three different drummers in sequence. The band originally took the name Mookie Blaylock, but was forced to change it when the band signed to Epic Records in 1991, instead calling their debut album Ten, after Blaylock's jersey number.

Ten broke the band into the mainstream, and became one of the best selling alternative albums of the 1990s, being certified 13x Platinum. The band found itself amidst the sudden popularity and attention given to the Seattle music scene and the genre known as grunge. The single "Jeremy" received Grammy Award nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Hard Rock Performance in 1993. Pearl Jam received four awards at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards for its music video for "Jeremy", including Video of the Year and Best Group Video. Ten ranks number 207 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and "Jeremy" was ranked number 11 on VH1's list of the 100 greatest songs of the '90s.

Following an intense touring schedule, the band went into the studio to record what would become its second studio album, Vs., released in 1993. Upon its release, Vs. set the record at the time for most copies of an album sold in a week, and spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard 200. Vs. was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 1995. From Vs., the song "Daughter" received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and the song "Go" received a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance.

Feeling the pressures of success, with much of the burden of Pearl Jam's popularity falling on Vedder, the band decided to decrease the level of promotion for its albums, including refusing to release music videos. Vedder's issue with fame came from what he stated as "what happens when a lot of these people start thinking you can change their lives or save their lives or whatever and create these impossible fuckin' expectations that in the end just start tearing you apart." In 1994, the band began a much-publicized boycott of Ticketmaster, which lasted for three years and limited the band's ability to tour in the United States. During the mid-1990s, Vedder faced what he called a "pretty intense stalker problem." Vedder would refer to the issue in the song "Lukin" from No Code.

Later that same year the band released its third studio album, Vitalogy, which became the band's third straight album to reach multi-platinum status. It was at this time that Vedder began to be featured more on rhythm guitar, as well as on back up vocals and some drumming. Many of the songs on Vitalogy appear to be based by Vedder around the pressures of fame. The album received Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Best Rock Album in 1996. Vitalogy was ranked number 492 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The lead single "Spin the Black Circle" won a Grammy Award in 1996 for Best Hard Rock Performance. Although Dave Abbruzzese performed on the album Vitalogy, he was fired in August 1994, four months before the album was released. The band cited political differences between Abbruzzese and the other members; for example, he disagreed with the Ticketmaster boycott. He was replaced by Jack Irons, a close friend of Vedder and the former and original drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Regarding the approach Pearl Jam took after its initial success, Vedder stated, "We've had the luxury of writing our own job description...and that description has basically been cut down to just one line: make music." The band subsequently released No Code in 1996 and Yield in 1998. In 1998, prior to Pearl Jam's U.S. Yield Tour, Irons left the band due to dissatisfaction with touring. Pearl Jam enlisted former Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron as Irons' replacement on an initially temporary basis, but he soon became a permanent replacement for Irons. "Do the Evolution" (from Yield) received a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance. In 1998, Pearl Jam recorded "Last Kiss", a cover of a 1960s ballad made famous by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers. It was released on the band's 1998 fan club Christmas single; however, by popular demand, the cover was released to the public as a single in 1999. "Last Kiss" peaked at number two on the Billboard charts and became the band's highest-charting single.

In 2000, the band released its sixth studio album, Binaural, and initiated a successful and ongoing series of official bootlegs. The band released seventy-two such live albums in 2000 and 2001, and set a record for most albums to debut in the Billboard 200 at the same time. "Grievance" (from Binaural) received a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance. The band released its seventh studio album, Riot Act, in 2002. Pearl Jam's contribution to the 2003 film, Big Fish, "Man of the Hour", was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2004. The band's eighth studio album, the eponymous Pearl Jam, was released in 2006. The band released its ninth studio album, Backspacer, in 2009 and its tenth studio album, Lightning Bolt, in 2013.

On Pearl Jam records, Vedder uses the pseudonym "Jerome Turner" for his non-musical (usually design and artwork) contributions. He has also at times used the pseudonym of "Wes C. Addle" ("West Seattle").

Other musical projects

Soundtrack contributions

Vedder has contributed solo material to several soundtracks and compilations, including the soundtracks for the films Dead Man Walking (1995), I Am Sam (2001), A Brokedown Melody (2004), Body of War (2007), and Reign Over Me (2007). Vedder collaborated with Pakistani musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan for his contributions to the Dead Man Walking soundtrack. He covered The Beatles' "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" for the I Am Sam soundtrack. Vedder wrote "Man of the Hour" that Pearl Jam recorded for Tim Burton's Big Fish Soundtrack (2003). Vedder wrote two songs for the 2007 feature documentary, Body of War, produced by Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue: "No More" (a song referring to the Iraq War) and "Long Nights". Vedder and the supergroup The Million Dollar Bashers, which includes members from Sonic Youth, Wilco, and Bob Dylan's band, covered Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" for the biopic film, I'm Not There (2007). Pearl Jam recorded a cover version of The Who's song "Love, Reign o'er Me" for the film Reign Over Me, which takes its title from the song. In 2010, Vedder recorded a new song, "Better Days", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 2010 film Eat Pray Love.

Into the Wild

Vedder contributed an album's worth of songs to the soundtrack for the 2007 film, Into the Wild. The soundtrack was released on September 18, 2007 through J Records. It includes covers of the Indio song "Hard Sun" and the Jerry Hannan song "Society". Vedder said that having to write songs based on a narrative "simplified things." He said, "There were fewer choices. The story was there and the scenes were there." Vedder's songs written for the film feature a folk sound. Thom Jurek of AllMusic called the soundtrack a "collection of folksy, rootsy tunes where rock & roll makes fleeting appearances." Vedder won a 2008 Golden Globe Award for the song "Guaranteed" from Into the Wild. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his contributions to the film's original score. At the 2008 Grammy Awards, "Guaranteed" received a nomination for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. "Guaranteed" was also nominated a 2008 World Soundtrack Award in the category of Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film. At the 2009 Grammy Awards, "Rise" received a nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo.

Vedder promoted the Into the Wild soundtrack with his first solo tour, which began in April 2008. The April leg of the tour, dubbed the "April Fools Tour", began in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at The Centre on April 2, 2008 and was composed of ten dates focusing on the West Coast of the United States. Vedder continued the tour with a second leg in August 2008 composed of fourteen dates focusing on the East Coast and Canada. The second leg of the tour began in Boston, Massachusetts at the Boston Opera House and ended in Chicago, Illinois at the Auditorium Theatre. In June 2009, Vedder followed his 2008 solo tour with another solo tour composed of fourteen dates focusing on the Eastern United States and Hawaii, which began in Albany, New York at the Palace Theatre and continued through to Honolulu at the Hawaii Theatre.

Ukulele Songs

Vedder released his second solo album titled Ukulele Songs, a collection of original songs and covers performed on the ukulele, on May 31, 2011. The first single from the album, "Longing to Belong," was released through digital retailers on March 21. A live DVD titled Water on the Road, featuring live performances from two shows in Washington, D.C. during Vedder's 2008 solo tour, was released the same day as Ukulele Songs.

Collaborations

In addition to playing with Pearl Jam and Temple of the Dog, Vedder has performed or recorded with numerous well-known artists. He has appeared on albums by The Who, Ramones, Neil Young, R.E.M., Neil Finn, Bad Religion, Mark Seymour, Cat Power, Mike Watt, Fastbacks, Wellwater Conspiracy, Jack Irons, and John Doe, and has also recorded with The Strokes, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Supersuckers, Susan Sarandon, and Zeke. In the months of June and July 2006, Vedder made live performances jamming with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, singing on many tracks, including lead vocals on "The Waiting" and backing vocals on "American Girl". Vedder performed the songs "Break on Through (To the Other Side)", "Light My Fire" and "Roadhouse Blues" with the remaining members of The Doors at the 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. He also performed with R.E.M. at the 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and with The Stooges at the 2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Vedder made a guest appearance at the Ramones' last show on August 6, 1996 at the Palace in Hollywood. Vedder has also performed live on stage with some of the biggest names in music and film including Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Robert Plant, Roger Waters, Flea, Bryan Adams, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Roger Daltrey, Jay-Z, Kings of Leon, Dave Grohl, Perry Farrell, Beck, Sheryl Crow, Jerry Cantrell, Andrew Stockdale, Josh Homme, Mike Ness, Neil Young, Guided By Voices, Ace Frehley, Dave Matthews, Elvis Costello, Natalie Maines, Tim Robbins, Johnny Depp, Adam Sandler, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Glen Hansard, Simon Townshend, Joe Elliott and many others.

In film

Vedder had a brief acting cameo in the 1992 movie, Singles, along with Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam. He appeared as himself, playing drums in lead actor Matt Dillon's backing band, Citizen Dick. He was also interviewed for the 1996 grunge documentary, Hype! He appears in the 2003 Ramones documentary, End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones. In 2007, he made a cameo as himself in the comedy film, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. He appears in the 2007 Tom Petty documentary, Runnin' Down a Dream, the 2008 political documentary, Slacker Uprising, and the 2009 Howard Zinn documentary, The People Speak, based upon "A People's History of the United States". He was featured in the 2008 Greg Kohs documentary, "Song Sung Blue," performing with Lightning and Thunder. He had a one-scene cameo in the second episode of the second season of the IFC television show Portlandia. He also appears in the 2012 documentary "West Of Memphis", due to his protesting against the case.

Activism

Vedder is known for his social and political views. Discussing his views on current issues in the United States, Vedder said, "People on death row, the treatment of animals, women's right to choose. So much in America is based on religious fundamentalist Christianity. Grow up! This is the modern world!" In 1992, Spin printed an article by Vedder, entitled "Reclamation," which detailed his views on abortion. Vedder and Pearl Jam have consistently supported abortion rights and performed at Rock for Choice in 1994. Vedder was outspoken in support of Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader in 2000 and played at Green Party super rallies in Chicago and New York City. Pearl Jam played a series of concerts on the 2004 Vote for Change tour, supporting the candidacy of John Kerry for U.S. President. Vedder told Rolling Stone magazine, "I supported Ralph Nader in 2000, but it's a time of crisis. We have to get a new administration in." In 2005, during Pearl Jam's first South American tour, Vedder stated, to the immediate and effusive support from the crowd in Rio de Janeiro, that "next time we come to Brazil, the world will be a better place to live, as George Bush will no longer be the President of the United States." Vedder supported the candidacy of Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.

In his spare time, Vedder is a surfer and active in surf-related conservation efforts, most notably The Surfrider Foundation. Vedder shows his support for environmental activism by sporting an Earth First! tattoo on his right calf. The logo is of a pipe wrench crossed with a stone hammer. Vedder is vegetarian.

Vedder was a longtime and outspoken supporter for the Free the West Memphis Three movement, a cause that advocated the release of three young men who were convicted in 1994 of the gruesome murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. In an interview with Larry King on December 19, 2007, Damien Echols, who was then on death row for the murders, said that Vedder had been the "greatest friend a person could have" and that he had collaborated with him while in prison. The song "Army Reserve" on Pearl Jam's 2006 self-titled album features a lyrical collaboration between Vedder and Echols. On August 19, 2011, Vedder and Natalie Maines attended the release hearing and arranged a celebration party for them afterwards.

Musical style and influences

Critic Jim DeRogatis describes Vedder's vocals as a "Jim Morrison-like vocal growl." Greg Prato of AllMusic said, "With his hard-hitting and often confessional lyrical style and Jim Morrison-esque baritone, Vedder also became one of the most copied lead singers in all of rock." Vedder has inducted The Doors, Neil Young, the Ramones, and R.E.M. into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in his induction speeches he has cited them all as influences. Other influences that Vedder has cited include Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, U2, The Who, Pink Floyd, The Jackson 5, The Beatles, Frank Zappa, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, Fugazi, Tom Waits, Huey Lewis, Bob Dylan, and the Pixies.

Eddie Vedder was heavily inspired by the early Jethro Tull sound, stating that: "I'm a big fan of Jethro Tull, and I listen to this record [ Stand Up ] every night before I go on stage!"

Vedder's lyrical topics range from personal ("Alive", from Ten; "Better Man", from Vitalogy) to social and political concerns ("Even Flow", from Ten; "World Wide Suicide", from Pearl Jam). His lyrics have often invoked the use of storytelling and have included themes of freedom, individualism, and sympathy for troubled individuals. Other recurring themes include the use of water metaphors, as well as the idea of leaving everything behind to start again (featured in such songs as "Rearviewmirror", from Vs.; "MFC", from Yield; "Evacuation", from Binaural; and "Gone", from Pearl Jam).

Although best known as a vocalist, Vedder also plays guitar on many Pearl Jam songs, beginning with the Vs. songs "Rearviewmirror" and "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town". When the band started, Gossard and McCready were clearly designated as rhythm and lead guitarists, respectively. The dynamic began to change when Vedder started to play more rhythm guitar during the Vitalogy era. McCready said in 2006, "Even though there are three guitars, I think there's maybe more room now. Stone will pull back and play a two-note line and Ed will do a power chord thing, and I fit into all that." Vedder's guitar playing helped the band's sound progress toward a more stripped-down style; the songs "Rearviewmirror" and "Corduroy" (from Vitalogy) feature Vedder's raw, punk-influenced guitar playing. As he had more influence on the band's sound, Vedder sought to make the band's musical output less catchy. He said, "I felt that with more popularity, we were going to be crushed, our heads were going to pop like grapes." He has also contributed performances on the ukulele, harmonica, accordion, and electric sitar to various Pearl Jam recordings. In 2012 his popular black Fender Telecaster was featured in a painting by modern artist Karl Haglund.

'Weird Al' Yankovic wrote the song "My Baby's in Love with Eddie Vedder" for his album Running with Scissors. Local H also wrote a song involving Eddie simply named "Eddie Vedder" which appeared on their 1996 album As Good as Dead.

Vedder himself has influenced many musicians including UK Indie Folk Singer-Songwriter David Knowles

Live performances

Throughout Pearl Jam's career, Vedder has interacted with the crowd during the band's concerts. Early in Pearl Jam's existence, Vedder and the band became known for their intense live performances. Vedder participated in stage diving as well as crowd surfing. During the early part of Pearl Jam's career, Vedder was known to climb the stage lighting rig and hang from the stage roof. Looking back at this time, Vedder said, "It's hard for us to watch early performances, even though that's when people think we were on fire and young. Playing music for as long as I had been playing music and then getting a shot at making a record and at having an audience and stuff, it's just like an untamed force...a different kind of energy. And I find it kind of hard to watch those early performances because it's so just fucking, semi-testosterone-fueled or whatever. But it didn't come from jock mentality. It came from just being let out of the gates."

Vedder began incorporating social commentary and political criticism into his lyrics and performances early in his career with Pearl Jam. He usually comments on politics between songs, often to criticize U.S. foreign policy. During Pearl Jam's 1992 appearance on MTV Unplugged, Vedder stood atop his stool, took out a marker pen, and wrote "pro-choice" down his arm in large letters when the band performed the song "Porch". During Pearl Jam's 2007 Lollapalooza headlining show, Vedder and the band played a song telling the crowd in Chicago to boycott the oil company B.P. Amoco because they had been polluting Lake Michigan.

Legacy

Vedder has been ranked at #7 on a list of "Best Lead Singers of All Time", compiled by Rolling Stone.

Personal life

Vedder attended San Dieguito High School, now called San Dieguito Academy. Vedder donated proceeds from a 2006 Pearl Jam concert in San Diego toward the construction of a theater for the school in the name of his former drama teacher, Clayton E. Liggett. Liggett was Vedder's mentor in high school. Vedder wrote the song "Long Road" (from Merkin Ball) upon hearing of Liggett's death in 1995.

In 1994, Vedder married his longtime girlfriend, musician Beth Liebling. The couple divorced in 2000. Vedder's music style transformed around this same period with more focus on ukulele and deeper lyrics.

Vedder is a friend of The Who guitarist Pete Townshend and former Audioslave and current Soundgarden frontman, Chris Cornell. Vedder had shared vocal duties with the latter in Temple of The Dog. Townshend discouraged Vedder from retiring in 1993. In late 2007, Vedder wrote the foreword to a new Pete Townshend biography, Who Are You: The Life of Pete Townshend. The book was published in the UK in March 2008 and in the U.S. in October 2008. Vedder was a close friend of the late Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone, with Vedder being at his side when he died. Since Ramone's death, Vedder and Pearl Jam have played the Ramones' "I Believe in Miracles" regularly at live shows. While driving home from Ramone's funeral, Vedder wrote the lyrics for the Pearl Jam song "Life Wasted" (from Pearl Jam). He is also a friend of famed surfers Kelly Slater, Laird Hamilton, and fellow musicians Jack Johnson and Ben Harper. He was featured with Laird Hamilton in an episode of the documentary series Iconoclasts in 2006. While surfing with Tim Finn in New Zealand on March 25, 1995, Vedder was carried off the coast and had to be rescued by lifeguards. He also has paddled outrigger canoes on occasion and in 2005 was nearly lost at sea trying to paddle from Moloka'i to Oahu.

Vedder is a Chicago Bulls and Chicago Bears fan and a long-time, die-hard fan of the Chicago Cubs. Vedder also became a fan of the Seattle SuperSonics while he was living in Seattle, and could be spotted at KeyArena many nights attending Sonics games. He is friends with several Chicago sports figures, including former White Sox pitcher Jack McDowell, former Bulls player Dennis Rodman, former Blackhawks player Chris Chelios, Cubs GM Theo Epstein and former Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood. Vedder occasionally wears a Walter Payton jersey while performing onstage. Vedder was wearing a White Sox hat given to him by McDowell during Pearl Jam's 1992 Saturday Night Live and MTV Unplugged appearances. In November 1993, Vedder and McDowell were involved in a bar room brawl in New Orleans, Louisiana that resulted in Vedder being arrested for public drunkenness and disturbing the peace. The Pearl Jam song "Black, Red, Yellow" (from the "Hail, Hail" single) is about the Rodman/Michael Jordan/Phil Jackson-era Chicago Bulls teams. The middle of the song features a voice-mail message Rodman left for Vedder asking Vedder to return his call. Vedder sang the national anthem before the third game of the 1998 NBA Finals in Chicago, and has sung "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at five Cubs games since 1998. In 2007, a few days before performing with Pearl Jam in Chicago for Lollapalooza, he threw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field, the home of the Cubs.Vedder wrote a song at the request of former Cubs shortstop and first baseman Ernie Banks paying tribute to the Cubs called "All the Way". On September 18, 2008, the song was made available for digital download via Pearl Jam's official website for US$0.99.

Vedder married his longtime girlfriend, model Jill McCormick, on September 18, 2010. They have two daughters, Olivia (born 2004) and Harper (born 2008).

Discography

Solo discography

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US	AUS	CHE	ESP	FRA	GER	ITA	NLD	NZL	UK
2007	Into the Wild Released: September 18, 2007 Label: J Format: CD, LP	11	39	28	89	31	68	6	30	34	183
2011	Ukulele Songs Released: May 31, 2011 Label: Monkey Wrench Format: CD, LP	4	6	5	23	64	18	6	13	32	49
""?" denotes a release that did not chart.

Temple of the Dog discography

Year	Title	Label	Track(s)
1991	Temple of the Dog	A&M	"Hunger Strike", "Wooden Jesus", "Pushin Forward Back", "Your Saviour", and "Four Walled World"

Pearl Jam discography

• Ten (1991)
• Vs. (1993)
• Vitalogy (1994)
• No Code (1996)
• Yield (1998)
• Binaural (2000)
• Riot Act (2002)
• Pearl Jam (2006)
• Backspacer (2009)
• Lightning Bolt (2013)

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions				Album
		US Adult	US Alt.	US Main.	CAN
2001	"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"	28	30	40	"?	I Am Sam soundtrack
2007	"Hard Sun"	"?	13	"?	23	Into the Wild soundtrack
2010	"Better Days"	"?	"?	"?	"?	Eat Pray Love soundtrack
2011	"Longing to Belong"	"?	"?	"?	"?	Ukulele Songs
	"Can't Keep"	"?	"?	"?	"?
	"Without You"	"?	"?	"?	"?
""?" denotes a release that did not chart.

Contributions and collaborations

Year	Group	Title	Label	Track(s)
1993	Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready with G. E. Smith	The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration	Sony	"Masters of War" (live)
	Bad Religion	Recipe for Hate	Epitaph/Atlantic	"American Jesus" and Watch It Die
1995	Mike Watt	Ball-Hog or Tugboat?	Columbia	"Big Train" and "Against the 70's"
	Neil Young	Mirror Ball	Reprise	"Peace and Love"
1996	Eddie Vedder with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan	Dead Man Walking: Music from and Inspired By the Motion Picture	Sony	"Face of Love" and "Long Road"
	Eddie Vedder with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan	Dead Man Walking: The Score	Sony	"Face of Love" and "Long Road"
	Fastbacks	New Mansions in Sound	Sub Pop	"Girl's Eyes"
	Gary Heffern	Painful Days	Y-records	"Passin' Thru'"
	Crowded House	Recurring Dream	Capitol	"Everything Is Good for You"
1997	Eddie Vedder with Hovercraft	Kerouac - kicks joy darkness	Rykodisc	"Hymn"
	Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready	Tibetan Freedom Concert	Capitol	"Yellow Ledbetter" (live)
	Ramones	We're Outta Here!	MCA	"Any Way You Want It"
1999	Pete Townshend	Pete Townshend Live: A Benefit for Maryville Academy	Intersound	"Magic Bus" (live) and "Heart to Hang Onto" (live)
	Eddie Vedder and Susan Sarandon	Cradle Will Rock: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack	RCA	"Croon Spoon"
2000	Supersuckers with Eddie Vedder	Free the West Memphis 3	Koch	"Poor Girl"
2001	Wellwater Conspiracy	The Scroll and Its Combinations	TVT	"Felicity's Surprise"
	Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready with Neil Young	America: A Tribute to Heroes	Interscope	"Long Road" (live)
2002	Eddie Vedder	I Am Sam: Music from and Inspired By the Motion Picture	V2 Ada	"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"
	Neil Finn	7 Worlds Collide	Nettwerk	"Take a Walk" (live), "Stuff and Nonsense" (live), "I See Red" (live), and "Parting Ways" (live)
2003	Eddie Vedder & Zeke	We're a Happy Family - A Tribute to Ramones	Columbia	"I Believe in Miracles" and "Daytime Dilemma (Dangers of Love)"
	Cat Power	You Are Free	Matador	"Good Woman" and "Evolution"
	The Who	The Who Live at the Royal Albert Hall	Steamhammer US	"I'm One" (live), "Gettin' in Tune" (live), "Let's See Action" (live), and "See Me, Feel Me" (live) (with Bryan Adams)
2004	Pete Townshend	Magic Bus - Live from Chicago	Compendia	"Magic Bus" (live) and "Heart to Hang Onto" (live)
	Jack Irons	Attention Dimension	Breaching Whale	"Shine On You Crazy Diamond"
	Red Whyte with Eddie Vedder	The 5th Symphony Document: Soundtrack	Folklore	"Lucky Country"
2005	Eddie Vedder and the Walmer High School Choir	The Molo Sessions	Ten Club	"Long Road", "Love Boat Captain" and "Better Man"
2006	Eddie Vedder	Dead Man Walking: Dead Man Walking: Music from and Inspired By the Motion Picture: Legacy Edition	Sony	"Face of Love" (with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan), "Long Road" (with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan), and "Dead Man"
	Eddie Vedder	A Brokedown Melody: Music from and Inspired By the Film	Brushfire	"Goodbye"
	Eddie Vedder with The Strokes & Josh Homme	You Only Live Once single	RCA	"Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"
2007	Eddie Vedder & The Million Dollar Bashers	I'm Not There: Original Soundtrack	Columbia	"All Along the Watchtower"
	Crowded House	Seattle, WA January 9, 2007	Kufala	"World Where You Live" and "Something So Strong"
2008	Eddie Vedder with Ben Harper	Body of War: Songs that Inspired an Iraq War Veteran	Sire	"No More" (live)
	John Doe	The Golden State	Independent	"The Golden State Remix" (with Corin Tucker)
	Crowded House	Surf Aid - The Music	Loop	"World Where You Live"
2010	Eddie Vedder	Eat Pray Love	Monkeywrench Records	"The Long Road" (with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) and "Better Days"
2011	R.E.M.	Collapse into Now	Warner Bros.	"It Happened Today"
2012	Jimmy Fallon	Blow Your Pants Off	Warner Bros.	"Balls in Your Mouth"

Filmography

Television

Performer and actor

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Original air date
1992	The Late Show	performer*	song: "Alive" (season 4, episode 2)	February 4, 1992
	Saturday Night Live	performer*	songs: "Alive" and "Porch" ("Sharon Stone/Pearl Jam"; season 17, episode 17)	April 11, 1992
	MTV Unplugged: Pearl Jam	performer*	(season 3, episode 4)	May 13, 1992
	MTV Video Music Awards	performer*	song: "Jeremy"	September 9, 1992
1993	MTV Video Music Awards	performer**	songs: "Animal" and "Rockin' in the Free World" with Neil Young	September 2, 1993
	Bob Dylan: 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration	performer	songs: "Masters of War" with Mike McCready and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" with entire ensemble (tribute concert for Bob Dylan)	October 16, 1993
1994	24 Hours in Rock and Roll	himself	MTV documentary about one day in the life of rock and roll	March 13, 1994
	Headbangers Ball	himself	"Kurt Cobain Tribute Special" (season 8, episode 3)	April ?, 1994
	Saturday Night Live	performer*	songs: "Not for You", "Rearviewmirror" and "Daughter" ("Emilio Estevez/Pearl Jam"; season 19, episode 18)	April 16, 1994
1996	Late Show with David Letterman	performer	song: chorus to "Black" with Paul Shaffer & the CBS Orchestra	February 27, 1996
	38th Grammy Awards	himself	Pearl Jam won Best Hard Rock Performance for the song, "Spin the Black Circle"^	February 28, 1996
	Late Show with David Letterman	performer*	songs: "Hail, Hail" and "Leaving Here"	September 20, 1996
1998	Late Show with David Letterman	performer*	song: "Wishlist"	May 1, 1998
	Late Show with David Letterman	himself	Behind the Music parody about Paul Shaffer	May 21, 1998
1999	Late Show with David Letterman	performer	songs: "Heart to Hang Onto" and "Magic Bus" with Pete Townshend	July 28, 1999
2000	Late Show with David Letterman	performer*	song: "Grievance"	April 12, 2000
2001	America: A Tribute to Heroes	performer	songs: "Long Road" with Mike McCready & Neil Young and "America the Beautiful" with Willie Nelson, et al. (benefit concert for the victims of the September 11 attacks)	September 21, 2001
2002	Late Show with David Letterman	performer*	song: "I Am Mine"	November 14, 2002
	Late Show with David Letterman	performer*	song: "Save You"	November 15, 2002
2004	Late Show with David Letterman	performer*	song: "Masters of War"	September 30, 2004
	National Anthem: Inside the Vote for Change Concert Tour	performer*	Vote for Change finale concert and tour documentary	October 11, 2004
2006	Saturday Night Live	performer*	song: "World Wide Suicide" and "Severed Hand" ("Lindsay Lohan/Pearl Jam"; season 31, episode 16)	April 15, 2006
	Late Show with David Letterman	performer*	song: "Life Wasted"	May 4, 2006
	Later with Jools Holland	performer*	songs: "Severed Hand", "World Wide Suicide" & "Alive" (season 27, episode 1)	May 5, 2006
	VH1 Storytellers: Pearl Jam	performer*	(season 9, episode 1)	July 1, 2006
	Iconoclasts	himself	"Eddie Vedder & Laird Hamilton" (season 2, episode 1)	October 26, 2006
2008	VH1 Rock Honors: The Who	performer*	songs: "Love, Reign o'er Me" and "The Real Me" (tribute ceremony for The Who)	July 17, 2008
2009	Pearl Jam: Ten Revisited	himself	VH1 Classic documentary about Pearl Jam's debut album, Ten	March 22, 2009
	The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts	performer	song: "My City of Ruins" with gospel choir (tribute ceremony for Bruce Springsteen)	December 29, 2009
2010	Saturday Night Live	performer*	songs: "Just Breathe" & "Unthought Known" ("Jude Law/Pearl Jam"; season 35, episode 17)	March 13, 2010
2011	True Crime with Aphrodite Jones	himself	"West Memphis Three" (season 2, episode 6)	May 5, 2011
	Late Show with David Letterman	performer	song: "Without You"	June 20, 2011
	Late Night with Jimmy Fallon	performer	song: "Balls in Your Mouth" with Jimmy Fallon & The Roots	September 8, 2011
2012	Portlandia	himself	"One Moore Episode" (season 2, episode 2)	January 13, 2012
	Change Begins Within	performer	songs: "Rise" (solo) / "Under Pressure" with Ben Harper and Relentless7 / "It Don't Come Easy" and "Boys" with Ben Harper and Relentless7 & Ringo Starr / "Yellow Submarine" with Ben Harper and Relentless7, Ringo Starr & Sheryl Crow (benefit concert founded by David Lynch for the promotion of Transcendental Meditation)	April 29, 2012
2015	Late Show with David Letterman	performer	song: "Better Man"	May 18, 2015

Film

Performer and actor

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992	Singles	himself - Citizen Dick drummer (uncredited)	acting debut
1996	Hype!	himself	documentary about the popularity of the grunge movement
1997	We're Outta Here!	performer	song: "Any Way You Want It" with the Ramones (documentary and concert film of the Ramones)
1998	Not in Our Name: Dead Man Walking - The Concert	performer	songs: "Face of Love" and "Long Road" with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (benefit concert film for the Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation)
	Pearl Jam: Single Video Theory	himself	documentary about the making of Pearl Jam's Yield album
2000	The Who & Special Guests: Live at the Royal Albert Hall	performer	songs: "I'm One" & "Let's See Action" with The Who^^ and "See Me, Feel Me"/"Listening to You" with Bryan Adams & The Who (concert film of The Who with musical guests at the Royal Albert Hall)
2001	7 Worlds Collide: Neil Finn & Friends Live at the St. James	performer	songs: "Take a Walk", "Stuff and Nonsense", "I See Red" & "Parting Ways" with 7 Worlds Collide (concert film of 7 Worlds Collide in Auckland, New Zealand)
	Pearl Jam: Touring Band 2000	performer*	concert film of Pearl Jam's Binaural Tour
	Last Party 2000	himself	documentary about the last six months of the 2000 presidential election
2003	End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones	himself	documentary about the Ramones
	Brian Wilson: On Tour	performer	concert film of Brian Wilson with musical guests
	Pearl Jam: Live at the Showbox	performer*	concert film of Pearl Jam's Showbox Theatre show
	Pearl Jam: Live at the Garden	performer*	concert film of Pearl Jam's Madison Square Garden show
2004	Ramones: Raw	himself (deleted scenes)	documentary about the Ramones
2006	Too Tough to Die: A Tribute to Johnny Ramone	performer	songs: "I Believe in Miracles" & "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" (tribute/benefit concert film for Johnny Ramone and cancer research)
2007	Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who	himself	documentary about The Who
	Pearl Jam: Immagine in Cornice - Live in Italy 2006	performer*	concert film of Pearl Jam's Italian leg of their 2006 World Tour
	Slacker Uprising	himself	footage from Michael Moore's 60-city college campus tour
	Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story	himself
2008	Song Sung Blue	himself	documentary about Mike Sardina and Claire Sardina (Neil Diamond and Patsy Cline impersonators)
	Into the Wild: The Experience	himself	documentary short film about the making of Into the Wild
	Into the Wild: The Story, the Characters	himself	documentary short film about the making of Into the Wild
2009	Kkua 2008: 5 Years of Change	performer	song: "Constellations" with Jack Johnson & Kawika Kahiapo (concert film of the Kkua Festival)
	Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live: Whole Lotta Shakin'	himself	collection of some of the best speeches, performances and backstage moments of the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies
	Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Live: Come Together	himself	collection of some of the best speeches, performances and backstage moments of the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies
	The People Speak	performer	song: "Masters of War" (documentary about America's struggles with war, class, race and women's rights)
2011	Conan O'Brien Can't Stop	himself	Conan O'Brien's comedy tour footage and documentary
	Water on the Road	performer	concert film of Vedder's Ukulele Songs tour
	Off the Boulevard	himself	documentary about the journey and struggle of seven different artists
	Pearl Jam Twenty	himself/performer*	documentary about the first twenty years of Pearl Jam
	Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory	himself	documentary about the West Memphis Three
2013	Cosmic Psychos: Blokes You Can Trust	himself (rumored)	documentary about the band Cosmic Psychos
	Jay-Z: Made in America	himself/performer*	Ron Howard documentary which follows the musical acts at the Jay-Z founded Budweiser Made in America Festival held on Labor Day weekend in Philadelphia of 2012

• *denotes performance with Pearl Jam
• **note: "Animal" performed with Pearl Jam and "Rockin' in the Free World" performed with Neil Young & Pearl Jam
• ^note: In the acceptance speech, Eddie notoriously states, "I don't know what this means, I don't think it means anything."
• ^^note: Vedder also performed the songs: "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" & "Getting in Tune" with The Who, but they were not released on the DVD.

Awards and nominations

Award	Year	Nominated work	Category	Result
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2008	"Guaranteed" from Into the Wild	Best Song
SIMA Waterman's Honorees	2007	Eddie Vedder	Environmentalist of the Year
Golden Globe Awards	2008	"Guaranteed" from Into the Wild	Best Original Song
		Into the Wild (with Michael Brook and Kaki King)	Best Original Score
Grammy Awards	2008	"Guaranteed" from Into the Wild	Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
	2009	"Rise"	Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo
mtvU Woodie Awards	2008	Eddie Vedder	The Good Woodie
Satellite Awards	2007	"Rise" from Into the Wild	Best Original Song
Online Film Critics Society Awards	2008	Into the Wild (with Michael Brook and Kaki King)	Best Original Score
World Soundtrack Awards	2008	"Guaranteed" from Into the Wild	Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film