Eddie Vedder     The talented and intriguing frontman of Pearl Jam is best recognised for his distinct baritone voice, angst-ridden songs, and heart felt passion.  Little is known of Eddie’s childhood and background, and much remains unclear.  He was born Edward Louis Severson III, on December 23, 1964 in Evanston, Chicago, but in his formative years, was known as Eddie Mueller, unaware that his mother had left his biological father while he was still an infant.  He got the name Mueller when his mother remarried, & was the oldest of four step brothers. As a child, his parents ran a home for orphaned children, and he disliked his step-father intensely (still referring to him as “that lawyer fuck”).  In 1974 the family moved to San Diego, which Eddie liked better than Chicago.  Here he began to develop his two great passions, surfing and music.  Much of his adolescence was spent riding waves or listening to bands.  Favourites included The Minuteman, The Sex Pistols, Talking Heads, Bob Dylan, and the band who really touched him & he says basically saved his life - The Who.  He was some what lost as a teenager, facing several emotional demons.   He made some friends at high school, and was good at drama, but for reasons he never bothered to explain, dropped out of high school just shortly before graduation. Eddie returned with his family to Chicago in 1982, where he later obtained his GED High school Equivalency Certificate.  Long-heated clashes with his step father led him to fell back to the beaches of La Mesa, San Diego. At this point in his life, his mother chose to tell him that the man he had spent most of his life hating, was not in fact his biological father at all (unaware at the time this experience would later form the foundation for a song that would make him famous & a millionaire (alive)).  He was shocked and confused by this news, which drove him to take his mothers maiden name, Vedder, as a means of establishing a new identity. He set about trying to establish a career for himself  as a singer in the mid-80’s, firstly by joining a band Bad Radio, a cross between Duran Duran and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Their lack of ambition caused Vedder to leave the band in early 1990.  He then supported himself with boring low paid jobs, as a gas station attendant, and hotel security guard. He became fondly known as the ‘no sleep guy’, preferring to hit the waves after a nights work, than sleep.  During his grave yard shifts he wrote lyrics, read and planned his future, which later cam knocking in late 1990 during a game of basketball with his old pal Jack Irons. Having received Stone’s instrumental demo tape, Irons informed Vedder that the band was looking for a singer. He felt he’s be good for the job, so he gave the tape to Eddie, who, both excited and sleep deprived, then set about singing lyrics over the music before sending it back to Seattle.  Obviously impressed with what they heard, week later, he was in Seattle, jamming with Stone, Jeff & the band (he also sang dual vocals with Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell on his tribute to Andrew Wood  - Temple of the Dog) which lead to the creation of one of the most successful, influential and controversial rock groups of the 90’s - Pearl Jam.