MY CAREER IN FIVE SONGS

MIKE McCREADY’S CLASSIC rockand blues-influenced soloing has been part of Pearl Jam’s signature sound since they formed under the name Mookie Blaylock in Seattle, in 1990. Signing to Epic Records the following year, they changed their name and released their debut album, Ten, a breakthough that generated three hit singles — “Alive,” “Even Flow” and “Jeremy” — and established the band as a major force in the ’90s music scene. Pearl Jam developed a sound contemporaneous with the burgeoning grunge movement, yet they were unafraid to reference elements of classic rock in their arrangements. Playing alongside rhythm and co-lead guitarist Stone Gossard, McCready brought elements of Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and David Gilmour without ever resorting to slavishly ripping off their licks.

Pearl Jam have always maintained a high degree of quality control over their music, releasing only 11 studio albums to date over a 30-year career. The band’s latest full-length, 2020’s , followed after a seven-year gap from the album before it, 2013’s . According to McCready, that is not the intention for their next record. “Assuming all goes according to plan, we’ll be touring the states and Europe in 2022, and then we should be looking at making an. “So I don’t expect there to be anywhere near as long an interval before the next record comes out.”