Judging by Stone Gossard's credentials -- guitarist in , participator in numerous side projects, guesting on other artists' records, producer, owner of a Seattle recording studio, record label chairman, and a one-time speaker at a House of Subcommittee hearing in Washington -- he is a true rock roll renaissance man. Born July 20, 1966, in Seattle, WA, Stone attended Northwestern School of the Arts along with future guitarist . It was as a teenager that Gossard began playing with such Seattle garage bands as the Ducky Boys, March of Crimes, and, eventually, (which also included Turner).
Along with such up-and-coming local acts as and , helped shape what would eventually be called the "grunge" sound -- heavy metal riffs played with punk's aggression ( meets ). The band would only issue three independently released EP's before splitting up in 1988, but they left their mark on the burgeoning Seattle movement. Gossard stuck with former bassist after the splitup, and the pair decided to form a new band that would be more aligned to the glam and classic rock that they admired during their formative years.
The group, , featured the flamboyant and striking frontman (aka "Landrew"). The band immediately drew attention from record companies and was the subject of a bidding war, eventually going with Mercury. The EP was issued in 1989, as many assumed that their forthcoming full-length debut album would rocket them to stardom, but it wasn't meant to be.
On the eve of the album's release (titled ) in 1990, succumbed to a heroin overdose. Devastated, the band went their separate ways, but ultimately, Gossard and decided to stick together once again and form another band. frontman and former roommate of , , penned several songs about the late vocalist, and asked Gossard and to join in on the recording of the tracks.
Prior to the sessions, Gossard received word from a friend in California about a vocalist that would be perfect for their project -- a surfer known as . arrived in Seattle shortly thereafter and was welcomed into their new band, which also included guitarist and a revolving door of drummers. Initially going by the name Mookie Blaylock (named after an NBA player), all four members of the new group played on 's tribute to , titled , released in April of 1991 to little fanfare (though it would eventually turn into a big seller a little over a year later).
Gossard's new band ultimately decided to go with another name -- , issuing their debut album on August 27, 1991. They couldn't have picked a better time to issue it, as the world was just about to be swept up in the whole "Seattle Explosion" ( , , etc.) By spring of 1992, was rocketing up the charts and making one of the biggest rock bands in the world.
The band's success would continue with such further releases as 1993's Vs., 1994's , 1996's , 1998's , and 2000's , as well as numerous sold-out world tours ( would also back on his 1995 release, ). The band also is one of rock's most politically aware groups, often playing benefit shows, and in 1994, Gossard and spoke out against Ticketmaster in Washington.
In addition to his duties, Gossard had a cameo appearance with a few of his bandmates in the 1992 Cameron Crowe-directed movie Singles, and formed a side project, , issuing two woefully underrated releases -- 1993's and 1997's . In addition, he's found time to launch his own record label, Loose Groove, as well as owning the Seattle recording studio, Studio Litho, producing others ( , , Critters Buggin, ), and guesting on other artists' recordings (Thermadore, ). ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide , ) is the and, along with and , a founding member of American rock band .
Stone is well known for his work in bands based in through the 1980s prior to Pearl Jam, and he has made significant contributions to the music industry since then aside from Pearl Jam.
Stone formed his first band in the early 1980s named March of Crimes, which introduced him to the emerging music scene in Seattle. Stone formed a close friendship with fellow guitarist who attended the same school as him.
Stone was a founding member of the influential grunge bands and (both of which also included , who would eventually go on to form with Stone). After singer 's death and the demise of Mother Love Bone, Stone's new songs and demos developed into significant contributions to the project, and the formation of Pearl Jam in .
music formed the basis for many of the bands early songs.
Eight of the eleven tracks on Pearl Jam's seminal debut were musically penned by Gossard, including " ", " ", and " ". He has since made less of a solo contribution to the band's work, instead becoming part of the collaborative efforts. However he was credited as being behind the relatively more recent hits " " in 1998 and " " in 2006.
Gossard is known for his hard rhythm style of playing, and his sense of beat and groove. He said of himself: "I like rhythmic things that butt up against each other in a cool kind of way." He can also be heard playing lead guitar on many of Pearl Jam's more recent songs.
was quoted as saying that it is extremely difficult to collaborate with Stone, as Stone outright refuses to work on anything remotely like anything he's done before. As well as guitar contributions, Stone has also played and , he also often provides backing vocals, and even took lead vocal duties on In a review of Pearl Jam's 2006 self-titled album, Rolling Stone editor excluded from the publication's 2003 feature "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." Gossard formed the record label Loosegroove Records in 1995. Loosegroove signed many up and coming artists from various musical genres, especially Rock and Hip Hop. Significantly, Stone signed to Loosegroove, releasing their in 1998. Loosegroove Records closed in 2000. Stone released his first solo album, on in . He is the owner of the prestigious Studio Litho in Seattle, which has recorded many He appeared in the 1992 movie as himself, in lead actor 's backing band. During Pearl Jam's dispute with in 1994 over prices and surcharges, Gossard appeared along with fellow Pearl Jam member before a congressional subcommittee to testify on the issue. He has also produced "reference">
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