Jeff Austin

Jeff Austin (April 25, 1974 – June 24, 2019) was an American mandolinist and singer, best known as a founding member of the Yonder Mountain String Band. Born in Arlington Heights, Illinois, he grew up in Elk Grove Village and attended Rolling Meadows High School. Austin started playing the mandolin when he joined The Bluegrassholes, a band formed by Dave Johnston in Urbana, Illinois. He later moved to Nederland, Colorado, where he met Adam Aijala and Ben Kaufmann, and together with Johnston, they formed the Yonder Mountain String Band in 1998. In 2013, Austin took a leave of absence from the band. Jeff Austin passed away on June 24, 2019.