Eddie Vedder
Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and one of three guitarists for the rock band Pearl Jam. He was previously a guest vocalist for supergroup Temple of the Dog, a tribute band dedicated to the late singer Andrew Wood.
Eddie Vedder
- Singer
- musician
- songwriter
1988–present
2
- Vocals
- guitar
- Universal Republic
- Republic
- J
- Monkeywrench
- Seattle Surf Co.
Vedder, who is known for his powerful baritone vocals, was ranked seventh on a list of "Best Lead Singers of All Time," based on a readers' poll compiled by Rolling Stone.[5]
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 released in 2011. His third solo album Earthling was released in 2022.
In 2017, Vedder was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pearl Jam.[6]
Early life and education[edit]
Vedder was born Edward Louis Severson III on December 23, 1964 in Evanston, Illinois, to Karen Lee Vedder and Edward Louis Severson Jr.[7][8] 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.[9] Vedder's ancestry includes Dutch, German, English, and Danish on his mother's side (Vedder) and Norwegian on his father's side (Severson).[7][8]
While living in Evanston, Vedder's family fostered seven younger children in a group home.[10] In the mid-1970s, the family, including Vedder's three younger half-brothers, moved to San Diego County, California. Vedder received a guitar from his mother on his 12th birthday, and began turning to music and surfing as a source of comfort. He especially found solace in The Who's 1973 album, Quadrophenia.[11] He said, "When I was around 15 or 16...I was all alone—except for music."[12] 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 did not have to change schools.
After the divorce, Vedder learned the truth about his parentage and that Mueller was really his stepfather, not his father. Vedder met his biological father briefly as a child, but was led to believe that Severson was merely an old friend of his parents. By the time Vedder learned the truth, Severson had died of multiple sclerosis. During his senior year at San Dieguito High School, Vedder moved out to live in an apartment and supported himself with a nightly job at a drug store in Encinitas.[12] Because of the pressure of work and school, Vedder dropped out of high school.[12] He joined the rest of his family in the Chicago area, and changed his last name to Vedder, his mother's maiden name.
In the early 1980s, while working as a waiter, Vedder earned his high school GED from Oakton Community College.[13]
Film[edit]
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.[74] 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.[75] 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, protesting against the case. Vedder made an appearance in the season 3 episode 16 of David Lynch's Twin Peaks Aug 2017. He was referred to by his birth name, Edward Louis Severson.
The character of Jackson Maine in the movie A Star is Born was partly influenced by Vedder. Bradley Cooper, who wrote the screenplay, produced, directed, and starred in the film as Jackson Maine, hung out with Vedder for four or five days to get some tips from him about the character.[76]
Activism[edit]
Vedder has used his role as a musician to speak on several politically-oriented themes. In 2009, he 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!"[77] In 1992, Spin printed an article by Vedder, titled "Reclamation", which detailed his views on abortion.[78] Vedder and Pearl Jam performed at Rock for Choice in 1994.[79] During the band's appearance on MTV Unplugged in 1992, Vedder stood up on his stool during the instrumental break of the song "Porch" and wrote "PRO-CHOICE" on his left arm with a magic marker.[80]
Vedder was supportive of Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader in 2000 and played at Green Party super rallies in Chicago and New York City.[81] Pearl Jam played a series of concerts on the 2004 Vote for Change tour, supporting the candidacy of John Kerry for U.S. president. "I supported Ralph Nader in 2000, but it's a time of crisis. We have to get a new administration in", Vedder told Rolling Stone magazine in 2004.[82] In 2005, during Pearl Jam's first South American tour, Vedder said, "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 Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election,[83] and 2012,[84] Bernie Sanders in the 2016 and 2020 primaries,[85] Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election,[86] and Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election against Donald Trump.[87]
In his spare time, Vedder is a surfer and active in surf-related conservation efforts, including supporting The Surfrider Foundation.[88] In 1993, Vedder supported fellow Surfrider Foundation member/environmentalist, Aaron Ahearn who had gone AWOL from the United States Navy in protest of the Navy's at sea dumping policies. Vedder and Pearl Jam performed a concert in San Francisco, donating over $3,000 to Ahearn's legal fees.
Vedder supports Earth First! with a tattoo on his right calf. The logo is of a pipe wrench crossed with a stone hammer.
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.[89] 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 of the West Memphis Three.[90]
Vedder is a gun control activist and has performed at benefit anti-gun violence concerts and participated on the 2019 Gun Sense Forum.[91][92][93]