Pearl Jam Twenty

Published in celebration of Pearl Jam's twentieth anniversary and in conjunction with Cameron Crowe's definitive film, Pearl Jam Twenty is the unprecedented, and lavishly illustrated portrait of one of the world's most influential and successful bands. Published in celebration of Pearl Jam's twentieth anniversary and in conjunction with Cameron Crowe's definitive documentary film and soundtrack of the same name, Pearl Jam Twenty is an aesthetically stunning and definitive chronicle of their two decades as a band—by the band itself. In 1991, Pearl Jam's debut album, Ten catapulted the little-known Seattle-based band into superstardom. Then, at the height of their popularity, the band shunned the spotlight, refusing to shoot videos or do interviews. Even as Pearl Jam's studio albums continued to be critically acclaimed and commercially successful, selling over sixty million albums worldwide, the inner workings of the band—their day-to-day routines, influences, and motivations—remained unknown even to their diehard fans. Twenty years later, this is their story. Pearl Jam Twenty is a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes anecdotes, rare archival memorabilia, and the band's personal photos, tour notes, and drawings. Told with wit and insight in the band members' own words, and assembled by veteran music writer Jonathan Cohen with Mark Wilkerson—and including a foreword by Cameron Crowe along with original interviews with legends and contemporaries like Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, and Dave Grohl—this intimate work provides an in-depth look at a group of musicians who through defying convention established themselves as “the greatest American rock band ever” (USA TODAY Readers' Poll 2005).

Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1991. Frontman Eddie Vedder is joined by Jeff Ament (bass), Mike McCready (guitar), Stone Gossard (guitar), and Matt Cameron (drums). Since its inception, the band has sold more than 30 million records in the US and an estimated 60 million worldwide. Throughout its career, Pearl Jam has been recognized globally for its deep commitment to social justice. Cameron Crowe became Rolling Stone's youngest ever contributor as a fifteen-year-old high school graduate, going on to conduct career-best interviews with the likes of Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Elton John, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, and The Who. Crowe is also an acclaimed filmmaker who has written and directed films including Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Say Anything, Singles, Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky, and Almost Famous (for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay). He wrote the definitive book on the work of writer-director Billy Wilder, Conversations with Wilder. Crowe is currently at work on a film based on the life and music of Joni Mitchell. He has three children and lives in Southern California.