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1990 |
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| Members |
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Jeff Ament (Bass Guitar)
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Matt Cameron (Drums)
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Stone Gossard (Guitar)
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Mike McCready (Guitar)
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Eddie Vedder (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
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Biography |
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Pearl Jam was one of the most popular bands of the grunge music era in the early 1990s. Before their mainstream success as "Pearl Jam", certain members had recorded successfully as Green River, Mother Love Bone and Temple of the Dog. Current members are Jeff Ament (Bass Guitar); Matt Cameron (Drums); Stone Gossard (Guitar); Mike McCready (Guitar); Eddie Vedder (Guitar, Lead Vocals). The band Mother Love Bone formed in 1988 out of the ashes of Green River, and immediately created a buzz among critics. They signed to Polygram and began recording and touring. Wood was found dead of an overdose before he could quit. Mother Love Bone's EP, Shine (1989 in music) and the album, Apple were released posthumously, and the band decided to discontinue the name. As a tribute to Wood, Ament and Gossard, with old friends Matt Cameron and Chris Cornell (both of Soundgarden), released Temple of the Dog. Eddie Vedder appeared as guest vocalist on the track "Hunger Strike".
The album was a moderate success, and the remaining members soon formed Pearl Jam. Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament recruited guitarist Mike McCready and, with the help of Matt Cameron on drums, recorded a 3 song demo tape. Pearl Jam's drummer, Dave Krusen, left the band shortly before the launch of their debut album. He was replaced by Matt Chamberlain, who had previously played with Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians. Before he left, he suggested a drummer named Dave Abbruzzese as his replacement. Abbruzzese joined shortly after, playing the rest of Pearl Jam's live shows supporting the Ten album and continuing on to record with the band for the next two albums. In 1994, Pearl Jam fired Dave Abbruzzese due to artistic differences. They announced his replacement, Jack Irons, in 1995. In 1999, Pearl Jam once again changed drummers. Jack Irons left the band due to health concerns and was replaced with former Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron.
All totalled, they released 72 albums, most of them double, and set a record for most albums to debut in the Billboard top 200 at the same time. A further 72 albums were released from the 2003 tour, and they continue releasing more of these "bootlegs" to this day. Unfortunately, the 2000 European tour ended when on June 30 a tragic accident happened at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark, where fans were crushed and suffocated as the crowd rushed to the front. In June 2003, the band announced they were officially leaving their label of twelve years, Epic Records. Pearl Jam was an outspoken supporter of Ralph Nader's presidency run in 2000. In 2004, the band explicitly withdrew its support for Nader, with members appearing in Rolling Stone to promote the candidacy of John Kerry, and on the Vote for Change tour.
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