Vincent and Turner became acquainted with fellow Seattle musician Mark Arm while playing shows in and around Seattle in the early 1980s. In mid-1984, the three decided to form a band. They snapped up local bassist Jeff Ament after his band at the time, Deranged Diction, had broken up. The foursome called themselves Green River. Stone Gossard joined shortly thereafter. "We knew we wanted Ament," said Vincent. "Stone was in another band with Jonathan Evison called March of Crimes. [Stone] got fired from them and we picked him up just before we recorded the first demo."Interview with Alex Vincent By the time the band finished the recording of its debut EP, Come on Down, Turner decided to leave the group, citing his distaste with Ament and Gossard's heavy metal leanings.Huey, Steve. "[ Green River]". Allmusic. Retrieved on June 13, 2005. Bruce Fairweather, Ament's former Deranged Diction bandmate, replaced Turner.
