Eddie Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American musician and 
singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the 
alternative rock band Pearl Jam. Known for his powerful vocals, he is widely considered an icon of 
alternative rock. He has been ranked at #7 on a list of "Best Lead Singers of All Time", compiled by 
Rolling Stone. He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums by other artists. 
In 2007, Vedder released his first solo album as a soundtrack for the film Into the Wild (2007). 
His second album, Ukulele Songs, along with a live DVD titled Water on the Road, was released on 31 May 2011

## Early life

Vedder was born Edward Louis Severson III in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, son of 
Karen Lee Vedder and Edward Louis Severson, Jr. His parents divorced in 1965, when Vedder was one 
year old. His mother soon remarried a man named Peter Mueller, an attorney, and Vedder was raised 
believing that Mueller was his biological father. His adopted name became Edward Mueller. While 
living in Evanston, Vedder's family fostered seven younger children in a group home.
In the mid-1970s, the family, including Vedder's three younger half-brothers, moved to San Diego County, 
California. It was at this point that Vedder, who had received a guitar from his mother on his twelfth 
birthday, began turning to music (as well as surfing) as a source of comfort. He particularly found 
solace in The Who's 1973 album, Quadrophenia. He said, 

> "When I was around 15 or 16... I felt all alone... I was all alone-except for music."

His mother and Mueller divorced when Vedder was in his late teens. His mother and brothers moved back 
to the Chicago area, but Vedder remained with his stepfather in California so he would not have to 
change high schools.

After the divorce Vedder met Uncle Scott and learned the truth about his parentage, that Mueller was 
really his stepfather. Vedder had met his biological father briefly as a child, but had believed that 
Severson was merely an old friend of his parents. By the time Vedder learned the truth, Severson had 
died of multiple sclerosis. By his senior year at San Dieguito High School, Vedder was on his own, 
living in an apartment and supporting himself with a nightly job at a drug store in Encinitas.
He eventually dropped out of high school in his senior year due to the pressures of balancing school 
with working.[10] He joined the rest of his family in Chicago, and it was at this time that he changed 
his name to Eddie Vedder, Vedder being his mother's maiden name.

In the early 1980s, Vedder worked as a waiter, earned his high school GED, and briefly attended a 
community college near Chicago. In 1984, Vedder returned to San Diego, California, with his 
girlfriend, Beth Liebling. He kept busy recording demo tapes at his home and working various jobs, 
including a position as a contracted security guard at the La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla. Vedder 
had several stints in San Diego area bands, including Surf and Destroy and The Butts. One of those 
bands, called Indian Style, included future Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave drummer 
Brad Wilk. In 1988, Vedder became the vocalist for the San Diego progressive funk rock band Bad 
Radio. The music of the original incarnation of the band was influenced by Duran Duran; however, 
after Vedder joined Bad Radio, the band moved on to a more alternative rock sound influenced by the 
Red Hot Chili Peppers.