Pre-Bon Iver 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. Vernon founded the band
DeYarmond Edison in 2001 while still in college. 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, and an EP of unreleased material is available on their
Myspace page. In 2006, after nearly a year in Raleigh, Vernon returned to Wisconsin 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.
Bon Iver in
Black Cat, Washington, D.C., in 2008 Vernon came to international prominence with
For Emma, Forever Ago, his first album as
Bon Iver, which he recorded isolated in a northern Wisconsin cabin during the winter months of 2006 and 2007, while he was going through health and personal difficulties. The album was self-released by Vernon in July 2007 and after it received several positive reviews, including from
Pitchfork, the album was rereleased in February 2008 and released internationally in May of that year. Bon Iver won Best New Artist and Best Alternative Album at the
2012 Grammy Awards, for their
2011 self-titled album. On September 25, 2012, Vernon walked away from
Bon Iver temporarily, virtually putting an end to the band for the time being. When asked for reasoning, he replied, "[I'm] winding it down. I look at it like a faucet. I have to turn it off and walk away from it because so much of how that music comes together is subconscious or discovering. There's so much attention on the band, it can be distracting at times. I really feel the need to walk away from it while I still care about it. And then if I come back to it – if at all – I'll feel better about it and be renewed or something to do that." The band's third studio album,
22, A Million, was released on September 30, 2016, to critical acclaim. The album marked a major shift in Bon Iver's musical style, with prominent uses of
electronic instrumentation and
voice modulation, a contrast to Vernon's previous acoustic style. On August 9, 2019, Vernon released
i,i, to critical acclaim. The band's fourth studio LP is vocal-heavy and features dozens of collaborators, emulating the message Vernon intended to send when working with Aaron Dessner in producing Big Red Machine. In October 2024, Vernon began releasing singles to preview a new LP called
SABLE, fABLE, which was released on April 11, 2025.
Collaborations and side projects , in 2009 Vernon is a part of other musical groups, including
Volcano Choir, which consists of Vernon and the members of the band
Collections of Colonies of Bees. In 2009,
Unmap was released. His collaborative group
Gayngs, consisting of multiple established artists, including members from
Megafaun,
the Rosebuds,
Doomtree and Solid Gold, among others, released
Relayted in 2010. Vernon contributed vocals as
Orpheus to seven songs on
Anaïs Mitchell's 2010 album
Hadestown, based on the Greek legend
Orpheus and Eurydice. He is one third of the Shouting Matches, a blues-garage rock trio, along with
Laarks and
Peter Wolf Crier drummer Brian Moen, and former
DeYarmond Edison bandmate Phil Cook. They have recorded and released a 5-track EP,
Mouthoil, and their debut album,
Grownass Man, in 2013. During the creation of
Kanye West's 2010 album
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Vernon was invited to collaborate on various songs, providing vocals on "
Dark Fantasy", "
Monster", "
Hell Of A Life" and "
Lost in the World", as well as the song "That's My Bitch" from West and
Jay-Z's collaborative album
Watch the Throne in 2011. He was also involved in West's 2013 album
Yeezus, contributing to "
I Am A God", "
Hold My Liquor", and "I'm In It". He has, on several occasions, served as backing vocalist for West at his live performances, notably at the
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2011 and
Glastonbury Festival in 2015, where Kanye West introduced Vernon as "one of the baddest white boys on the planet". In 2009, Vernon collaborated with
Aaron Dessner on the song "Big Red Machine" for the AIDS benefit album
Dark Was the Night produced by the
Red Hot Organization. He has produced albums for other artists, including
Land of Talk's 2008 album
Some Are Lakes and
Kathleen Edwards' 2012 album,
Voyageur. in 2012 In 2012, Vernon began
Chigliak, an imprint of
Jagjaguwar, dedicated to albums that have had limited or non-commercial releases. In 2014, Jason Feathers, a collaboration with Vernon, Ryan Olson (member of
Gayngs,
Poliça and
Marijuana Deathsquads), indie rapper
Astronautalis and Bon Iver member Sean Carey (known by his stage name
S. Carey), released
De Oro. In 2017, Vernon collaborated with
Mouse on Mars on their album
Dimensional People who used his studio April Base. His voice can be heard on the song
Dimensional People III. On June 23, 2018, Vernon joined
Dead & Company on stage at
Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. He performed three songs with the band: "Black Muddy River", "Friend of the Devil", and "Birdsong". Given Vernon's Wisconsin roots, it was a special appearance that highlighted the timelessness and versatility of the Dead's music. In late August 2018, Vernon released the eponymous debut album of duet Big Red Machine alongside the National's Aaron Dessner. The 10 song self-titled album
Big Red Machine was co-produced by Dessner, Vernon and Brad Cook, and features approximately 40 collaborators, including Bryce Dessner,
Bryan Devendorf, and
Richard Parry. The majority of the album was recorded in Dessner's garage studio in
Hudson Valley, New York. at
Primavera Sound in 2019 In March 2020 the Ryan Olson-produced album ''
Sorry You Couldn't Make It'' by
Swamp Dogg was released, with Vernon playing guitar on all tracks. He had previously appeared as a guest on Swamp Dogg's 2018 album
Love, Loss & Autotune. Later in 2020, Vernon collaborated with
Taylor Swift to write and feature on the song "
Exile", with an instrumental credit on "
Peace", for her eighth studio album
Folklore. Swift released her ninth studio album
Evermore, a surprise follow-up album to
Folklore. Vernon co-wrote the title track and played other instruments as well as performed background vocals on several tracks.
Eaux Claires Vernon founded and curated the
Eaux Claires music and arts festival along with
Aaron Dessner of
the National. In August 2016, Vernon and Dessner curated the second annual
Eaux Claires festival. On the opening night of the festival, Bon Iver debuted their third album,
22, A Million, in front of a live audience.
22, A Million was released on September 30, 2016, to widespread critical acclaim. ==Discography==