Stone Gossard

Judging by Stone Gossard's credentials -- guitarist in Pearl Jam, 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 Mudhoney guitarist Steve Turner. It was as a teenager that Gossard began playing with such Seattle garage bands as The Ducky Boys, March of Crimes, and, eventually, Green River (which also included Turner). Along with such up-and-coming local acts as Soundgarden and The Melvins, Green River helped shape what would eventually be called the "grunge" sound -- heavy metal riffs played with punk's aggression (Black Sabbath meets The Stooges). 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 Green River bassist Jeff Ament 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.

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