73 Facts About Eddie Vedder

1.

Eddie Jerome Vedder was born on Edward Louis Severson III; December 23,1964 and is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and the lead vocalist and one of three guitarists for the rock band Pearl Jam.

2.

Eddie Vedder previously was a guest vocalist in Temple of the Dog, a tribute band dedicated to the late singer Andrew Wood.

3.

In 2007, Eddie Vedder released his first solo album as a soundtrack for the film Into the Wild.

4.

In 2017, Eddie Vedder was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pearl Jam.

5.

Eddie Vedder's parents divorced in 1965 when Vedder was an infant.

6.

Eddie Vedder was raised believing that Mueller was his biological father, and he went by the name Edward Mueller for a time.

7.

Eddie Vedder's ancestry includes Dutch, German, and Danish on his mother' side and Norwegian on his father's side.

8.

Eddie Vedder received a guitar from his mother on his 12th birthday, and began turning to music and surfing as a source of comfort.

9.

Eddie Vedder especially found solace in The Who's 1973 album, Quadrophenia.

10.

Eddie Vedder met his biological father briefly as a child, but was led to believe that Severson was merely an old friend of his parents.

11.

Eddie Vedder joined the rest of his family in the Chicago area, and changed his last name to Vedder, his mother's maiden name.

12.

In 1984, Eddie Vedder returned to San Diego with his girlfriend Beth Liebling and his friend Frank.

13.

Eddie Vedder had several stints in San Diego area bands, including Surf and Destroy and the Butts.

14.

In 1988, Eddie Vedder became the vocalist for Bad Radio, a San Diego-based progressive funk rock band.

15.

The band's original incarnation was influenced by Duran Duran; however, after Eddie Vedder joined, the band moved to a more alternative rock sound influenced in part by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

16.

Eddie Vedder listened to the tape shortly before going surfing, where lyrics came to him.

17.

Eddie Vedder wrote lyrics for three of the songs in what he later described as a "mini-opera" entitled Momma-Son.

18.

The songs tell the story of a young man who, like Eddie 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.

19.

Eddie Vedder recorded vocals for the three songs, and mailed the demo tape back to Seattle.

20.

Eddie Vedder provided background vocals on several other Temple of the Dog songs.

21.

Eddie Vedder faced what he called a "pretty intense stalker problem" during the mid-1990s.

22.

Eddie Vedder would refer to the issue in the song "Lukin" from No Code.

23.

Eddie Vedder was replaced by Jack Irons, a close friend of Vedder and the former and original drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

24.

Eddie Vedder uses the pseudonym "Jerome Turner" on Pearl Jam records for his non-musical contributions such as design and artwork.

25.

Eddie Vedder has used the pseudonym "Wes C Addle".

26.

Eddie Vedder has contributed solo material to several soundtracks and compilations, including the soundtracks for the films Dead Man Walking, I Am Sam, A Brokedown Melody, Body of War, and Reign Over Me.

27.

Eddie Vedder collaborated with Pakistani musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan for his contributions to the Dead Man Walking soundtrack.

28.

Eddie Vedder covered the Beatles' "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" for the I Am Sam soundtrack.

29.

Eddie Vedder wrote "Man of the Hour" that Pearl Jam recorded for Tim Burton's Big Fish Soundtrack.

30.

Eddie Vedder wrote two songs for the 2007 feature documentary, Body of War, produced by Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue: "No More" and "Long Nights".

31.

In 2010, Eddie Vedder recorded a new song, "Better Days", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 2010 film Eat Pray Love.

32.

Eddie Vedder contributed an album's worth of songs to the soundtrack for the 2007 film, Into the Wild.

33.

Eddie Vedder said that having to write songs based on a narrative "simplified things".

34.

Eddie Vedder was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his contributions to the film's original score.

35.

Eddie Vedder promoted the Into the Wild soundtrack with his first solo tour, which began in April 2008.

36.

Eddie Vedder continued the tour with a second leg in August 2008 composed of fourteen dates focusing on the East Coast and Canada.

37.

In June 2009, Eddie 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.

38.

Eddie Vedder released his second solo album titled Ukulele Songs, a collection of original songs and covers performed on the ukulele, on May 31,2011.

39.

In September 2021, Eddie Vedder released the single "Long Way", taken from his third studio album Earthling.

40.

Eddie Vedder made a guest appearance at the Ramones' last show on August 6,1996, at the Palace in Hollywood.

41.

Eddie Vedder had a brief acting cameo in the 1992 movie, Singles, along with Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam.

42.

Eddie Vedder appeared as himself, playing drums in lead actor Matt Dillon's backing band, Citizen Dick.

43.

Eddie Vedder 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.

44.

Eddie Vedder was featured in the 2008 Greg Kohs documentary, Song Sung Blue, performing with Lightning and Thunder.

45.

Eddie Vedder had a one-scene cameo in the second episode of the second season of the IFC television show Portlandia.

46.

Eddie Vedder appears in the 2012 documentary West of Memphis, protesting against the case.

47.

Eddie Vedder made an appearance in the season 3 episode 16 of David Lynch's Twin Peaks Aug 2017.

48.

Eddie Vedder was referred to by his birth name, Edward Louis Severson.

49.

Eddie Vedder has used his role as a musician to speak on several politically-oriented themes.

50.

Eddie 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.

51.

Eddie 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.

52.

Eddie Vedder is a gun control activist and has performed at benefit anti-gun violence concerts and participated on the 2019 Gun Sense Forum.

53.

Eddie Vedder's lyrics have often invoked the use of storytelling and have included themes of freedom, individualism, and sympathy for troubled individuals.

54.

Eddie Vedder participated in stage diving as well as crowd surfing.

55.

Eddie Vedder began incorporating social commentary and political criticism into his lyrics and performances early in his career with Pearl Jam.

56.

Eddie Vedder is known to use a Mike Lull-modified, vintage Fender Telecaster that features a single coil pickup in the bridge position and a P-90 pickup in the neck position, and includes various stickers that The Who.

57.

Eddie Vedder uses three vintage Fender Tweed amplifiers, including a 1959 Deluxe and a 1957 Custom Twin.

58.

Eddie Vedder was ranked seventh on a list of "Best Lead Singers of All Time" compiled by Rolling Stone.

59.

Eddie Vedder has been ranked at number 5 on a list of "Singer with the Most Unique Voice", compiled by Rolling Stone.

60.

Eddie Vedder wrote the song "Long Road" upon hearing of Liggett's death in 1995.

61.

In 1994, Eddie Vedder married Hovercraft bass player Beth Liebling, whom he was dating since he was a teenager, circa 1984.

62.

Eddie Vedder was Hovercraft's drummer during their opening slot for Mike Watt's US tour in 1995.

63.

Eddie Vedder revealed that Pete Townshend helped him through the early stages of dealing with the tragedy.

64.

On September 18,2010, Eddie Vedder married his longtime girlfriend, model Jill McCormick, whom he had been dating since 2000.

65.

Eddie Vedder was a close friend of the late Chris Cornell, the Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman.

66.

Eddie Vedder is a friend of The Who guitarist Pete Townshend, who discouraged Eddie Vedder from retiring in 1993.

67.

In late 2007, Eddie Vedder wrote the foreword to a new Pete Townshend biography, Who Are You: The Life of Pete Townshend.

68.

Eddie Vedder was a close friend of the late Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone, with Eddie Vedder being at his side when he died.

69.

Eddie Vedder has paddled outrigger canoes on occasion and in 2005 was nearly lost at sea trying to paddle from Moloka'i to Oahu.

70.

Eddie Vedder has written songs and lyrics that question religious authority.

71.

Eddie Vedder is a Chicago Bulls and Chicago Bears fan and a long-time, die-hard fan of the Chicago Cubs.

72.

Eddie 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 six Cubs games, including Game 5 of the 2016 World Series.

73.

Eddie 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".