Pearl Jam’s first studio album was titled Ten.
Ten was released on August 27, 1991, by Epic Records. It was Pearl Jam’s debut album and featured vocalist Eddie Vedder, guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, bassist Jeff Ament, and drummer Dave Krusen on the original recording. The album helped establish the band as a leading force in the early-1990s alternative-rock movement.
Songs including “Alive,” “Even Flow,” and “Jeremy” received extensive radio and video exposure. Although Ten was not an immediate number-one album, its sales grew steadily and it eventually became one of the best-selling rock albums of the decade.
The title is sometimes assumed to refer to the number of band members, but it was connected to basketball player Mookie Blaylock, whose jersey number was 10. Pearl Jam originally performed under the name Mookie Blaylock before changing names. The album’s success also helped bring Seattle-associated rock to a worldwide audience.