Before
Pearl Jam was even a thought, guitarist
Stone Gossard and bassist
Jeff Ament were in the Seattle grunge anthem band
Mother Love Bone. Fronted by the charismatic
Andy Wood, Mother Love Bone became one of the local heroes of the early Seattle scene. The band's live shows were the talk of the town and Wood was poised be to rock and roll's next big hero. After gaining national critical attention with their debut EP,
Shine, in 1989, they signed with Mercury Records and headed to northern California to record their debut
Apple, with a then-unknown producer
Terry Date, who would later go on to work with
Deftones, Pantera, Soundgarden and
Slayer. Apple was one of the year's most anticipated releases and days before it arrived to the world, Wood was found by his girlfriend after he overdosed on heroin, he later succumbed to his addiction after falling into a coma in the hospital. The band came to a crashing halt. The album peaked at No. 34 on the charts and later Wood's roommate
Chris Cornell, along with his
Soungarden drummer Matt Cameron brought
Ament, Gossard together with Seattle musician
Mike McCready and formed
Temple of the Dog. They crafted a record in tribute to their late friend. Within a small amount of time, Ament, Gossard, McCready formed
Pearl Jam with
Eddie Vedder. As Pearl Jam continue to feel the success of their music, it all started with this tragic story and record that displayed wasted talent at its fullest. In 2016, a special box set marking the 25th anniversary of the record was released.
