Pearl Jam
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Pearl Jam is by far one of the most powerful influences to the grunge musicians and artists of today. Just like all the other bands, they've come a long way before they have formed the group that rocks the music world.
Contents |
About
First, there was Green River with Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, and Bruce Fairweather on the guitar. Then, from the same group came the band Mother Love Bone in 1988, which instantly became famous among critics. As an addition to the original Green River members were Andrew Wood (lead singer, piano), and Greg Gilmore (drums). They signed to Polygram and began recording and touring. Wood checked himself into a rehab center to recover from heroin addiction. He was found dead of an overdose before he could quit.
Mother Love Bone's EP, "Shine", and the album, "Apple" was released after Wood's death, and the band decided to change the name into Temple of the Dog. With old friends Matt Cameron and Chris Cornell both of Soundgarden; Ament and Gossard released Temple of the Dog. The album was a moderate success, and the remaining members soon formed Pearl Jam.
Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament recruited guitarist Mike McCready and recorded a three-song demo tape and sent it to ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons, who passed it on to Eddie Vedder, living in San Diego, during one of their one-on-one basketball games. Vedder liked the tape and put his vocals to the tracks, the 'Mamason' trilogy and mailed the tape back to Gossard. Gossard and Ament were so impressed that they had Vedder fly up from San Diego to see how the group played together. Then, Mookie Blaylock was formed, thereon with the addition of Dave Krusen on drums. However, the issue of naming a band after the then New Jersey Nets point guard raised problems, and the band was renamed Pearl Jam. In one interview Eddie Vedder spoke about the "pearl" portion of the name:
I feel that the best justification for the name is in reference to the pearl itself... and the natural process from which a pearl comes from... Basically, taking excrement or waste and turning it into something beautiful... This is how our band began... taking emotions that we wrestled with personally and letting them evolve into songs... In this way the songs became vehicles in which to deal with it all... Add the volume of loud instruments, amplified vocals... moving chord changes... And it wasn't just shit anymore... It was kind of beautiful... powerful... uncultured! As Johnny Rotten would say later, "anger is an energy"... And shit can be beautiful. The proof is in the pearl.
Keeping Blaylock in mind the band decided to honor him by using his number as the title of their debut album.
Pearl Jam became a key member of the Seattle grunge explosion, along with Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden.
Current members
- Jeff Ament - Bass Guitar (1990–Present)
- Stone Gossard - Rhythm Guitar (1990–Present)
- Mike McCready - Lead Guitar (1990–Present)
- Eddie Vedder - Lead Vocals, Guitar (1990–Present)
- Matt Cameron - Drums (1998–Present)
Other members
- Boom Gaspar - Hammond B3 and Keyboards (2002–Present)
Former members
- Dave Krusen - Drums (1990–1991)
- Matt Chamberlain - Drums (1991)
- Dave Abbruzzese - Drums (1991–1994)
- Jack Irons - Drums (1994–1998)
Awards & Certifications
Awards
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | American Music Awards | Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist |
| 1993 | American Music Awards | Favorite New Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist |
| 1996 | American Music Awards | Favorite Alternative Artist |
| 1996 | American Music Awards | Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist |
| 1999 | American Music Awards | Favorite Alternative Artist |
| 1993 | MTV Video Music Awards | Video of the Year - "Jeremy" |
| 1993 | MTV Video Music Awards | Best Group Video - "Jeremy" |
| 1993 | MTV Video Music Awards | Best Metal/Hard Rock Video - "Jeremy" |
| 1993 | MTV Video Music Awards | Best Direction - Mark Pellington for "Jeremy" |
| 1996 | Grammy Awards | Best Hard Rock Performance - "Spin the Black Circle" |
| 2004 | IMPACT Award | |
| 2006 | Esky Awards (Esquire Magazine) | Best Live Act |
Certifications
| Album | RIAA Certification |
|---|---|
| Ten | Diamond (12x Platinum) |
| Vs. | 7x Platinum |
| Vitalogy | 5x Platinum |
| No Code | 5x Platinum |
| Yield | Platinum |
| Binaural | Gold |
| Riot Act | Gold |
| Pearl Jam (album) | Gold |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | USA Hot 100 | USA Modern Rock | USA Mainstream Rock | CAN Singles | UK Singles | IRE Singles | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Alive | 18 | 16 | 16 | 13 | Ten | ||
| 1992 | Even Flow | 21 | 3 | 27 | Ten | |||
| 1992 | Jeremy | 79 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 10 | Ten | |
| 1993 | Black | 20 | 3 | Ten | ||||
| 1993 | Crazy Mary | 8 | 26 | Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams | ||||
| 1993 | Go | 8 | 3 | 190 | Vs. | |||
| 1993 | Daughter | 97 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 4 | Vs. | |
| 1994 | Animal | 21 | Vs. | |||||
| 1994 | Glorified G | 39 | Vs. | |||||
| 1994 | Dissident | 3 | 3 | 14 | 7 | Vs. | ||
| 1994 | Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town | 17 | 21 | Vs. | ||||
| 1994 | Yellow Ledbetter | 26 | 21 | Jeremy Maxi-Single | ||||
| 1994 | Spin the Black Circle | 11 | 16 | 10 | 6 | Vitalogy | ||
| 1994 | Tremor Christ | 18 | 16 | 16 | Vitalogy | |||
| 1995 | Not For You | 38 | 12 | 34 | 26 | Vitalogy | ||
| 1995 | Immortality | 31 | 10 | Vitalogy | ||||
| 1995 | Corduroy | 13 | 22 | Vitalogy | ||||
| 1995 | Better Man | 2 | 1 (8 Weeks) | Vitalogy | ||||
| 1995 | I Got Id | 7 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 29 | Merkin Ball EP | |
| 1996 | Who You Are | 31 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 19 | No Code | |
| 1996 | Hail, Hail | 9 | 9 | No Code | ||||
| 1996 | Red Mosquito | 37 | No Code | |||||
| 1996 | Leaving Here | 31 | 24 | Home Alive: The Art of Self Defense | ||||
| 1997 | Off He Goes | 31 | 34 | No Code | ||||
| 1998 | Given to Fly | 21 | 3 | 1 (6 Weeks) | 2 | 12 | 18 | Yield |
| 1998 | Wishlist | 47 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 30 | Yield | |
| 1998 | In Hiding | 13 | 14 | Yield | ||||
| 1998 | Do the Evolution | 33 | 40 | Yield | ||||
| 1999 | Last Kiss | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 42 | Last Kiss Single | |
| 2000 | Nothing As It Seems | 49 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 27 | Binaural |
| 2000 | Light Years | 26 | 17 | 13 | 52 | Binaural | ||
| 2002 | I Am Mine | 43 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 26 | Riot Act | |
| 2003 | Save You | 29 | 23 | 17 | Riot Act | |||
| 2003 | Love Boat Captain | 16 | 110 | Riot Act | ||||
| 2006 | World Wide Suicide | 41 | 1 (3 Weeks) | 2 | Pearl Jam (album) | |||
| 2006 | Life Wasted | 10 | 13 | 110 | Pearl Jam (album) | |||
| 2006 | Gone | 40 | Pearl Jam (album) |
News
- Eddie Vedder and Co. will be kicking off a 13-date European tour on June 8 at the Lisbon Passeio Maritimo Alges in Portugal (obviously) before retuning to the UK for the first time since they headlined the Reading and Leeds festivals in 2005, to play a show at London's Wembley Arena on June 18. [1] -- jodie 06:06, 5 February 2007 (PST)
- U2 frontman BONO joined members of PEARL JAM at Sydney, Australia hotspot Hemmesphere on Wednesday night (08NOV06) to celebrate US election results. The Seattle, Washington-based rockers and activists were toasting the success of Democratic candidates in the US midterm elections, which were broadcast via US cable news services. After their concert on Wednesday, the band partied at the posh nightspot and were joined by good mate Bono from U2 and support band, KINGS OF LEON. Bono and Pearl Jam frontman EDDIE VEDDER are also expected to make an appearance at the Make Poverty History concert in Melbourne, Australia on 17 November (06). [2]
Discography
Albums
 Ten
8/27/91 |
 Vs.
10/19/93 |
 Vitalogy
12/6/94 |
 No Code
10/27/96 |
 Yield
February 3, 1998 |
 Binaural
May 16, 2000 |
 Riot Act
November 12, 2002 |
 Pearl Jam
May 2, 2006 |
Compilations & Live Releases
| Date Released | Album | Album Information |
|---|---|---|
| November 24, 1998 | Live on Two Legs | Live album U.S. peak position: #15 |
| November 11, 2003 | Lost Dogs | B-Sides and rarities compilation album U.S. peak position: #15 |
| July 27, 2004 | Live at Benaroya Hall | Live album U.S. peak position: #18 |
| November 16, 2004 | Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003 | Greatest hits/singles compilation U.S. peak position: #16 |
| May 2, 2006 as bonus disc with fan club versions | Live in NYC 12/31/92 | Live album U.S. peak position: N/A |
| June 20, 2006 | Live at Easy Street | Live album U.S. peak position: N/A |
Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Fugazi
The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Contemporaries
External Links
Categories: Artist | Rock
