Justin Vernon was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and grew up pursuing music. He saw the folk duo Indigo Girls in concert in middle school and it proved formative on his life. He attended the See more

For Emma, Forever Ago is a summation of Vernon's life events at the time, ranging from "lost love and longing" to mediocrity. His lyrics on the album aspire to tell stories, which was inspired by musician Bruce Springsteen, and the song structures are … See more

Upon its February 2008 release, For Emma, Forever Ago sold 4,000 copies in its debut week. That placed it on several US album sales charts, including at number 182 on the See more

Vernon drove to his father's hunting cabin, roughly an hour's drive northwest of his hometown. He and his father had often spent weekends at … See more

After completing the recordings, Vernon returned to North Carolina to play guitar on tour with The Rosebuds, who toured through that spring. It took several months for him to have … See more

For Emma, Forever Ago received widespread acclaim from critics. It scored an 88 on review aggregate site Metacritic, based on 27 critics. … See more

Vernon first toured as Bon Iver along the East Coast, supporting Elvis Perkins, in late 2007. One of the biggest concerts came in December 2007, when the band performed at the See more