Jason Ringenberg | |
---|---|
Born |
Kewanee, Illinois, USA |
November 22, 1958
Genres | Country rock, alt-country, Americana, cowpunk |
Occupation(s) | Musician Singer-Songwriter |
Instruments |
Guitar Voice |
Years active | 1980 – present |
Labels |
EMI Mammoth Records Yep Roc Records |
Associated acts | Jason & the Scorchers |
Website | www |
Jason Ringenberg (born November 22, 1958 in Kewanee, Illinois) is an American musician and the lead singer of Jason & the Scorchers. He is also a songwriter and guitarist.
Jason & the Scorchers had several minor hits, including "Golden Ball and Chain" and a rock version of Bob Dylan's "Absolutely Sweet Marie."
Ringenberg was most influential in the early to mid 1980s when the indie country/rock movement was at its height. His music, along with similar bands, founded the emergence of the alternative country and Americana genres within indie rock music.
In 2008, Jason and the Scorchers received the Americana Music Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in the Performance Category.
Jason Ringenberg was born in Kewanee, Illinois and grew up in nearby Sheffield, Illinois, where his parents ran a hog farm. He started playing in rock, alternative rock, and country-bands while in school at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. In 1981, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he soon formed Jason and the Scorchers with Warner Hodges, Jeff Johnson, and Perry Baggs. Their potent mix of punk rock and country gained them fans around the world. In the words of Rolling Stone they "singlehandedly re-wrote the history of rock'n'roll in the South". They won critical approval with the release of successful albums and energetic live performances.
Ringenberg has also seen success as a solo artist. He has released five solo records and toured as a solo artist. He now performs both solo as Jason Ringenberg and as his children's music character, Farmer Jason, often performing as both personas in the same day. On November 29, 2014, he performed for children as Farmer Jason and later in the evening as Jason Ringenberg for rock and country fans at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro, North Carolina.