Jeff Ament

Jeffrey Allen Ament (born March 10, 1963) is an American musician and songwriter who serves as the bassist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of Pearl Jam. Ament is also known for his work prior to Pearl Jam with the 1980s Seattle-based grunge rock bands Green River and Mother Love Bone, and is particularly notable for his work with the fretless bass, upright bass, and twelve-string bass guitar. Ament is also a member of the bands Three Fish, Tres Mts., and RNDM. In 2008, Ament released his first solo album, Tone. A second solo album, While My Heart Beats, followed in 2012.

Biography

Early life

The first of five children, Ament was born in Havre, Montana to George and Penny Ament and grew up in the town of Big Sandy, Montana, a town with a population of fewer than 700. Ament's father George was mayor of Big Sandy for fifteen years, as well as a barber and a school bus driver. Ament described his family growing up as "pretty poor" and "hard-core Catholic." Ament has one brother, Barry.