Justin Vernon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Justin Vernon
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Vernon performing with Big Red Machine in 2019
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| Birth name | Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon |
| Born | April 30, 1981 Eau Claire, Wisconsin, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1998–present |
Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon, born on April 30, 1981, is an American musician. He is a singer, songwriter, and producer. He also plays many instruments. Justin Vernon is most famous as the main songwriter and singer for the band Bon Iver.
He is also part of other bands. These include Volcano Choir, Big Red Machine, The Shouting Matches, and Gayngs. He used to be in a band called DeYarmond Edison. Justin Vernon is known for his special high singing voice, called a falsetto. People really like his music, especially his work with Bon Iver.
Justin Vernon's Early Life
Justin Vernon grew up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He still lives there today. He went to Memorial High School in Eau Claire. In 1997, he started his first band, Mount Vernon. He met the other band members at a jazz camp.
Their first local music project came out in 1998. After high school, he went to the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. He studied Religious Studies and spent some time in Ireland. He once said he wasn't ready to study music in college.
Justin Vernon's Music Career
Starting Out: Before Bon Iver
In 2001, Justin Vernon released his first solo album. It was called Home Is and he used the name "J.D Vernon." He released two more solo albums later: Self Record in 2005 and Hazeltons in 2006.
In 2001, while still in college, he formed the band DeYarmond Edison. The band started performing in 2002. It included Justin Vernon, Phil Cook, Christopher Porterfield, and Joe Westerlund. They played music in Eau Claire. Then, they moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, to try new things with their music.
DeYarmond Edison released two albums. One was self-titled in 2004, and the other was Silent Signs in 2005. After about a year in Raleigh, Justin Vernon moved back to Wisconsin in 2006. This happened after he broke up with the band and his girlfriend. The other members of DeYarmond Edison later formed the bands Megafaun and Field Report.
Becoming Bon Iver
Justin Vernon became famous around the world with For Emma, Forever Ago. This was his first album as Bon Iver. He recorded it by himself in a cabin in northern Wisconsin. He was there during the winter of 2006 and 2007. He was going through some tough personal times.
He first released the album himself in July 2007. After it got many good reviews, it was released again in February 2008. It then came out internationally in May of that year.
Bon Iver won two Grammy Awards in 2012. They won for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Album. These awards were for their self-titled album from 2011. On September 25, 2012, Justin Vernon decided to take a break from Bon Iver. He said he needed to step away to feel refreshed. He wanted to keep caring about the music.
The band's third album, 22, A Million, came out on September 30, 2016. It was highly praised by critics. This album showed a big change in Bon Iver's music style. It used a lot of electronic sounds and voice effects. This was different from his earlier acoustic music. On August 9, 2019, Vernon released I, I, which also received great reviews. This album had many singers and musicians working together.
Working with Other Artists
Justin Vernon is part of several other music groups. One is Volcano Choir. This group includes Vernon and members of the band Collections of Colonies of Bees. Their album Unmap was released in 2009.
He also formed a group called Gayngs. This group has many well-known artists. They released their album Relayted in 2010. Vernon is also one-third of The Shouting Matches. This is a blues-rock band. They released an EP called Mouthoil and an album called Grownass Man in 2013.
Justin Vernon sang on seven songs for Anaïs Mitchell's 2010 album Hadestown. This album was based on an old Greek story. He also worked with famous rapper Kanye West. Vernon sang on several songs for West's 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. He also helped with West's 2013 album Yeezus.
Vernon has also sung with Kanye West at live shows. He performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2011. He also sang at Glastonbury Festival in 2015. In 2009, Vernon worked with Aaron Dessner on a song called "Big Red Machine." This song was for an album that helped raise money for AIDS research.
He has also produced albums for other artists. These include Land of Talk's Some Are Lakes in 2008. He also produced Kathleen Edwards' album Voyageur in 2012.
In 2012, Vernon started his own record label called Chigliak. It helps release albums that were only available in limited ways before. In 2017, he worked with the band Mouse on Mars. His voice is on their song "Dimensional People III."
In 2018, Justin Vernon joined the band Dead & Company on stage. He sang three songs with them. This was a special moment because of his Wisconsin roots. Later in August 2018, Vernon released an album with Aaron Dessner. Their group is called Big Red Machine. Their self-titled album Big Red Machine had 10 songs. Many artists helped create it.
In 2020, Vernon played guitar on the album Sorry You Couldn't Make It by Swamp Dogg. He had also been a guest on Swamp Dogg's 2018 album. Later in 2020, Vernon worked with pop superstar Taylor Swift. He helped write and sang on her song "Exile" for her album Folklore. He also played instruments on her song "Peace". Swift then released another album, Evermore. Vernon co-wrote the title song and sang background vocals on several tracks.
The Eaux Claires Festival
Justin Vernon also helped start a music and arts festival. It is called Eaux Claires. He created it with Aaron Dessner from the band The National.
In August 2016, they held the second Eaux Claires festival. On the first night, Bon Iver played their third album, 22, A Million, for the first time live.
Justin Vernon's Music Albums
Solo albums
- Home Is (as JD Vernon, 2001)
- Self Record (2005)
- Hazeltons (2006)
With Mount Vernon
- We Can Look Up (1998)
- All of Us Free (2000)
With DeYarmond Edison
- DeYarmond Edison (2004)
- Silent Signs (2005)
- The Bickett Residency (2005)
- Unreleased EP (2006)
- Epoch (2023)
With Bon Iver
- For Emma, Forever Ago (2007)
- Blood Bank (2009)
- Bon Iver (2011)
- iTunes Session (2012)
- 22, A Million (2016)
- I, I (2019)
- Sable (2024)
With the Shouting Matches
- Mouthoil (2008, re-released in 2013)
- Grownass Man (2013)
With Volcano Choir
- Unmap (2009)
- Repave (2013)
With Gayngs
- Relayted (2010)
With Big Red Machine
- Big Red Machine (2018)
- How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? (2021)
Collaborative albums
- A Decade with Duke (with Eau Claire Memorial Jazz I Ensemble, 2009)
- De Oro (as Jason Feathers, 2014)
Other collaborations
- 2010: Hadestown (with Anaïs Mitchell)
- 2010: "Dark Fantasy", "Monster", "Hell of a Life" and "Lost in the World" (off Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy)
- 2011: "Fall Creek Boys Choir" (with James Blake)
- 2013: "I Am a God", "Hold My Liquor" and "I'm In It" (off Kanye West's Yeezus)
- 2016: "I Need a Forest Fire" and "Meet You in the Maze" (off James Blake's The Colour in Anything)
- 2016: "Friends" (with Francis and the Lights)
- 2018: "Dimensional People Part III" (off Mouse on Mars's Dimensional People)
- 2018: "Wouldn't Leave" (off Kanye West's Ye (album))
- 2018: "Feel the Love" and "Kids See Ghosts" (off Kids See Ghosts' KIDS SEE GHOSTS)
- 2018: Love, Loss, and Auto-Tune (Swamp Dogg)
- 2020: "Sleeping Without You Is a Dragg" (Swamp Dogg featuring Jenny Lewis)
- 2020: "Exile" and "Peace" (with Bon Iver) (off Taylor Swift's Folklore)
- 2020: "Evermore", "Ivy", "Cowboy Like Me", "Marjorie" and "Closure" (with Bon Iver) (off Taylor Swift's Evermore)
- 2022: "Weird Goodbyes" (with The National)
- 2023: "My Eyes" (with Travis Scott & Sampha)
- 2023: "Delresto (Echoes)" (with Travis Scott & Beyoncé)
- 2023: "Boys of Faith" (with Zach Bryan)
- 2024: "I think about it all the time featuring bon iver" (with Charli xcx & Bon Iver)
