Justin Vernon
Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best-known as the primary songwriter and frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver.[2][3][4] He is also a member of the bands Volcano Choir, Big Red Machine, the Shouting Matches, and Gayngs, and was previously a member of the now-defunct band DeYarmond Edison. Known for his distinct falsetto voice,[5][6] Vernon has received widespread acclaim for his work, predominantly with Bon Iver.[7][8][9]
Justin Vernon
Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon
April 30, 1981
Eau Claire, Wisconsin, U.S.[1]
- Singer-songwriter
- musician
- Vocals
- guitar
- keyboards
- banjo
- bass
- drums
- percussion
- piano
1998–present
- Bon Iver
- Volcano Choir
- Big Red Machine
- The Shouting Matches
- Gayngs
Early life[edit]
Vernon attended Memorial High School in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he still resides today. He formed his first band, Mount Vernon, in 1997 after meeting its members at a Wisconsin high school jazz camp. They released their first local musical project in 1998. He graduated from Memorial High in 1999 and attended college at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, spending a semester in Ireland.[10] Vernon majored in Religious Studies and minored in Women's Studies. In an interview on The Colbert Report, he said that was because he hadn't been ready to study music.[11]
Career[edit]
Pre-Bon Iver[edit]
In 2001, Vernon released his first solo album under the name "J.D Vernon", titled Home Is. He went on to release two other solo albums, namely Self Record in 2005, which was followed shortly thereafter by Hazeltons in 2006.[12] Vernon founded the band DeYarmond Edison in 2001 while still in college.[13][14]
The band, which began performing in 2002, consisted of Vernon, Phil Cook, Christopher Porterfield, and Joe Westerlund. After playing in the Eau Claire music scene, the four bandmates decided to leave their longtime home and move to Raleigh, North Carolina, to try their musical hand in a new place. The band released two records themselves, the first self-titled in 2004 and the second titled Silent Signs in 2005,[15] and an EP of unreleased material is available on their Myspace page.[16] After nearly a year in Raleigh, Vernon left for Wisconsin in 2006 after a breakup with the band and a girlfriend. The remaining members of DeYarmond Edison went on to form the folk bands Megafaun and Field Report.[17]