Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

PEARL JAM

Grunge band formed in Seattle: vocalist Eddie Vedder (b Eddie Mueller), guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, bassist Jeff Ament, drummer Dave Krusen immediately became a top US act with album Ten '92 on Epic at no. 2 for four weeks. Gossard and Ament had been in Mother Love Bone; all except Krusen had recorded with Temple of the Dog; the band appeared in film Singles '92 playing Matt Dillon's band. Krusen was replaced by Dave Abbruzzese; Vs. '93 was no. 1 for five weeks; Vitalogy late '94 was another no 1. That year Abbruzzese was replaced by Jack Irons (ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc) and McCready also had group Mad Season. Meanwhile Nirvana's Kurt Cobain had killed himself in April and Pearl Jam were seen by some of the more stupid members of the rock press as taking advantage: they clearly had a great many loyal fans of their own, accomplishing their success with only one top 20 single ('Tremor Christ' from Vitology), to say nothing of backing Neil Young on his album Mirror Ball '95. Pearl Jam's No Code '96 was another no. 1 album, but Yield '98 showed them joining the mainstream just as punks had done a generation earlier.