
Mike McCready
Biography
Michael David McCready (born April 5, 1966) is an American musician who serves as the lead guitarist for the American rock band Pearl Jam, a band he co-founded. He has also been a member of the side project bands Flight to Mars, Temple of the Dog, Mad Season and The Rockfords. McCready was born in Pensacola, Florida, USA, but his family moved to Seattle shortly after his birth. As a child, his parents played Hendrix and Santana, while his friends listened to KISS and Aerosmith; McCready would frequently play bongo drums. At the age of 11, McCready purchased his first guitar and began taking lessons—aiming to imitate Gene Simmons of KISS, by sticking his tongue out. Shadow split up soon afterwards, and McCready lost interest in guitar for some time, before finally joining another band called Love Chile. A high school friend, Stone Gossard, heard the band, appreciated McCready's work, and asked if he wanted to join a band he was forming. The two worked together and recruited bassist Jeff Ament. Together with drummer Dave Krusen (who would later be replaced by Matt Chamberlain, then Dave Abbruzzese, then Jack Irons, and currently Matt Cameron) and Eddie Vedder, the group formed the band Pearl Jam (originally known as Mookie Blaylock). It was during this time that McCready took a central role in the Temple of the Dog project, combining members of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. Mikes first recording studio experience was recording the Temple of the Dog album, including an epic 4-minute-plus solo for "Reach Down." According to drummer Matt Cameron, McCready's headphone monitors flew off halfway through the recording of the solo, and he played the rest without being able to hear the backing track. McCready still considers this track to be his greatest achievement. By the end of 1991, Pearl Jam became one of the most famous modern bands with the release of Ten. McCready frequently soloed, and added a blues touch to the music (influenced by Stevie Ray Vaughan). McCready's guitar style is usually an aggressive bluesy nature, and he never plays the same solo twice. His live renditions of songs have slightly different solos due to his fondness of improvization, and sometimes he treats the crowd to a full-on improv. He is extremely energetic live, and is commonly found dashing around the stage, playing to the crowd, throwing plectrums and soloing with the guitar behind his head.
Filmografi
Gleason2016 · Self
Pearl Jam Twenty2011 · Himself
VH1 News Special: Grunge2001 · Self
MoPOP Founders Award 2020 Honoring Alice in Chains2020 · Self
2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony2025 · Self
Mad Season: Live at the Moore1995 · Self
Pearl Jam: Live At The Showbox2003 · Himself
Pearl Jam: See No Evil, Hear No Evil2013 ·
Pearl Jam: Immagine in Cornice2007 · Himself
Pearl Jam: Hampton 20162016 ·
Pearl Jam: Lollapalooza Brazil 2018 [Animal]2018 ·
Pearl Jam: MTV Unplugged1992 · Guitar
Pearl Jam: Bologna 20062006 ·
Pearl Jam: Dark Matter – Global Theatrical Experience2024 · Self
The Glamour & the Squalor2015 · Self
Temple Of The Dog2016 ·
Pearl Jam: Chicago 2023 - Night 12023 · Guitar
Pearl Jam: Sponsored By No One - 1995 Tour Film1995 ·
Global Citizen Festival 20152015 · Self
Pearl Jam: Manchester 2012 - Night 12012 ·
Pearl Jam: Imola 20222022 ·
Pearl Jam: Single Video Theory1998 · Self
Pearl Jam: Miami 20162016 ·
Pearl Jam: New York City 2016 - Night 22016 ·
Eddie Vedder
Matt Cameron
Susan Silver
Chris Cornell
Layne Staley
Krist Novoselic
Jerry Cantrell
Kim Thayil
Jeff Ament
Ben Shepherd
David Letterman
Cameron Crowe