Stone was born in Seattle to lawyer parents. He has two sisters, Shelly and Star. He went to a really preppie artsy school with former bandmate Steve Turner (Green River) of Mudhoney. One of the founders of the "Seattle Music Scene", Stone started in a band called The Ducky Boys and later became one of the founding members of Green River with current bandmate Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam. He was also a member of Mother Love Bone up until the tragic death of Andrew Wood from a heroin overdose. Stone and Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) got members of their respective bands together to produce a one-off stellar project called Temple of the Dog in tribute to Andrew Wood. Apart from being the major influence and contributor to Pearl Jam, he has a side-band called Brad which records under his own record label, Loosegroove, run by his sister Shelly.