Northern Lights (bluegrass band)

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 banjoist Alison Brown and multiinstrumentalist Jake Armerding, son of founding member and mandolinist Taylor Armerding, who started playing with the band full-time aged 14, but played occasionally when he was 12. As of 2009, there was no founding member left in the group. Guitarist Bill Henry, who joined the band in 1982, assumed the leadership role and Northern Lights continued 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 issued 10 studio recordings and 1 live recording with Vassar Clements, most of which have gone out of print. From 1990's "Take You to the Sky," to the final album One Day (Fifty-Fifty Music), the band 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.