When Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam read about the financial struggles facing Tyshika Britten, a struggling mother of six who posted a plea for help on Craigslist detailing her family’s financial hardships, the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee decided he had to help. The singer says he grew up poor and knows what it’s like to struggle. Vedder took the opportunity to help Tyshika and her children by sending her a check for $10,000 so she could buy them gifts as well as avoid becoming homeless after a likely eviction in the near future. According to the Washington Post , Vedder said the story of Britten’s family reminded him of his own childhood at Christmas when, having grown up poor, he would sometimes receive only used and broken toys from garage sales as gifts.
“I was just so moved by the story and what this mother did for her children,” Vedder said.
“I thought those kids must be so proud of their mother for reaching out. That takes a lot of courage.”
The help of Eddie Vedder comes in addition to contributions made to a GoFundMe page that have reached $18,000 as of this writing. Tyshika Britten and her six children were able to have a great Christmas and no longer need to worry as much as they did previously over the uncertainty of having a place to live in the near future. The family’s current landlord wants them to move out and they lacked the funds necessary to find adequate housing. The generosity of strangers is providing a stepping stone for the family to get on track.
“I am a proud mother of six,” Britten told the Washington Post .
“I love my children. And I will take care of them, and I will get them what they need, any way I can.”
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Eddie Vedder’s generosity comes shortly after the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced his band would be added to an elite class of musicians at its Hall of Fame induction ceremony on April 7, 2017. Vedder and Pearl Jam have had an illustrious career since bursting onto the national scene in the early 90’s after gaining regional popularity as part of the Seattle music scene that included acts like Soundgarden, Nirvana, Mudhoney, and the Melvins. Vedder’s distinctly deep voice and emotional intensity became something of a blueprint for alternative rock acts who followed, leading to dozens of groups who tried with various degrees of success to emulate Vedder and Pearl Jam.
Eddie Vedder most recently made national headlines during the 2016 World Series, the rocker having been a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan excited at the possibility of seeing his team, which had not won a World Series since 1907, finally take home the World Series trophy. His dreams came true at the end of seven nail-biting games, but not before Eddie Vedder led the crowd at Wrigley Field during a rendition of the baseball classic “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” during game five’s seventh-inning-stretch.
Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam have not yet announced plans for a new album or tour in 2017, but with their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction coming in April they will have good reason to celebrate by following their induction ceremony performance with a world tour. According to Alternative Nation , guitarist Mike McCready hinted Pearl Jam would begin working on material for an album in 2017 but nothing was specifically planned at the time.
After a long and successful career, Pearl Jam are being recognized as one of rock and roll’s all-time great acts and Vedder’s strong voice, heartfelt lyrics, and magnificent stage presence have played no small part in achieving that acclaim. It’s great to see that, in addition to being a massive talent, Eddie Vedder is also quite a decent fellow.
[Featured Image by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images]
