Pearl Jam

From WikiJam

Pearl Jam (formed in 1990 in Seattle, Washington) is a rock band considered one of the most popular and influential artists of their decade. Their name is intimately tied to the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with Alice in Chains, Nirvana and Soundgarden, with these names being usually considered the Big Four of grunge music. Moreover, they are also one of the few mainstream grunge bands that has remained active since the atrophy of their contemporaries. Currently, the group boasts a large fan base which contributes to making the band one of the most popular live acts in the world.

How the band got their name... Brainstorming in a Seattle restaurant to come up with something, anything, to replace their original name, Mookie Blaylock (inspired by the NBA star), Ament came up with "pearl." The band didn't settle on the second half of its name until a 1991 trip to New York to sign a deal with Epic Records. Gossard, Vedder and Ament drove out to see Neil Young play Nassau Coliseum. "He played, like, nine songs over three hours. Every song was like a fifteen- or twenty-minute jam," says Ament. "So that's how 'jam' got added on to the name. Or at least that's how I remember it." -Rolling Stone Magazine (2006)

The best justification for our band's name is in reference to the pearl itself, and the natural process from which a pearl comes - taking excrement or waste and turning it into something beautiful. This is how our band began. -Eddie Vedder (circa 1992)