Northern Lights ~ A Timeline

1975 ~ Band forms, with former members of group How Banks Fail. Members Dan Marcus, Marty Sachs, Bob Emery and new recruit Taylor Armerding. Band renamed Northern Lights.

1976 ~ LP “Northern Lights” is released.

1977, spring ~ Marcus leaves and is replaced by Richard Hand. Band dissolves in September.

1977, fall ~ Armerding and Emery form band String Fever, with Rex Waters and Steve Arkin. Ends in 1981.

1982 ~ Northern Lights reforms at the urging of banjoist Alison Brown. Bill Henry joins Armerding and Brown and Emery is drawn out of retirement on bass.

1983 ~ “Before the Fire Comes Down” released.

1984 ~ Brown departs. Mike Kropp joins on banjo.

1986 ~ Emery departs. Oz Barron joins on bass. Group records “On The Edge.” In Louisville, band places 3rd in Best New Bluegrass Band competition.

1987 ~ Band gets break at IBMA Fan Fest and connects with Peter Rowan; The combo share a bill until 1990.

1990 ~ Band releases “Take You To The Sky.” Songs “Winterhawk” and “Northern Rail” place in “Bluegrass Unlimited” magazine’s top five. “Winterhawk” is nominated for song of the year. Fiddle legend Vassar Clements performs with band, and collaboration spans more than a decade, right up to a year before his death in 2005.

1990, fall ~ Oz Barron departs; Jeff Horton joins on bass.

1991, April ~ Group is named “Outstanding Country Act” at Boston Music Awards; collaboration starts with folk legend Jonathan Edwards.

1992 ~ Band releases “Can’t Buy Your Way,” which lasts eight months on U.S. charts. Taylor’s son, Jake Armerding, joins band on fiddle.

1994 ~ “Wrong Highway Blues” is released and spends eight months on bluegrass chart.

1996 ~ “Living in the City” is released. Jeff Horton departs. Chris Miles joins on bass.

1998, June 20 ~ Band provides music for “Car Talk.”

1999 ~ Jake departs to pursue his own musical career.

2000 ~ Mike Kropp departs; Dave Dick joins on banjo. Band releases “Three August Nights.”

2001 ~ “Another Sleepless Night” is released.

2002, June ~ Chris Miles departs; John Daniel joins on bass. Bill Henry releases solo CD, “Red Sky.”

2003 ~ Taylor Armerding departs. Ben Demerath, formerly of Sugarbeat, joins on mandolin and guitar.

2005 ~ “New Moon” is released.

2007 ~ Dave Dick departs; fiddler Mike Barnett and mandolinist Joe Walsh join band.

2008 ~ “One Day” is released; Walsh, Demerath depart. Eric Robertson joins band on mandolin.

2009 ~ Alex MacLeod replaces Ben Demerath.

2010 ~ Group announces it is disbanding.