Northern Lights (bluegrass band)

Northern Lights
Northern Lights band 1996. L-R Taylor Armerding, Mike Kropp, Jeff Horton, Bill Henry, Jake Armerding
Background information
Origin	New England, United States
Genres	Progressive bluegrass
Years active	1975–77, 1982–2010
Labels	Revonah, Red House Records, Flying Fish, Prime CD Records, Fifty Fifty Music
Past members	Dan Marcus Bill Henry Taylor Armerding Jake Armerding Mike Kropp Alison Brown Bob Emery Jeff Horton Oz Barron Richard Hand Joe Walsh Chris Miles Dave Dick Ben Demerath John Daniel Mike Barnett Eric Robertson Alex MacLeod

Northern Lights was an American progressive bluegrass band formed in 1975 in New England, whose musical career spanned more than three decades. Known for a progressive style of bluegrass playing, the band went through a number of line-up changes through the years and included such personalities as Alison Brown and multiinstrumentalist Jake Armerding, son of founding member Taylor Armerding, who started playing with the band full-time aged 14, but played occasionally when he was 12. As of 2009, there is no founding member left in the group. Guitarist Bill Henry, who joined the band in 1982 assumed the leadership role and Northern Lights continue to play without interruption as a quintet, consisting of two generation of musicians - Bill Henry, John Daniel and Alex MacLeod as well as young players Eric Robertson and Mike Barnett. The band has issued 10 studio and 1 live recording with Vassar Clemonts. Most of which are, unfortunately, out of print today.^[1] From 1990's "Take You to the Sky," to recently released One Day(Fifty-Fifty Music), the band has fused an eclectic mix of traditional roots music, rock, country, soul and gospel with the high, lonesome vocal sound and instruments of bluegrass. Three of their records also reached the top ten of Bluegrass Unlimited's National Bluegrass Survey.