Jason Ringenberg

While Gram Parsons may have the distinction of being the grandaddy of the ill-named "alt country" genre, Illinois farm boy Jason Ringenberg is certainly the man who brought the music -- before the phrase was coined -- to the stages of the world with a vengeance. Born in 1959 and raised on a pig farm in southern Illinois, Ringenberg moved to Nashville in 1981 to try his luck as a songwriter. He formed an acoustic country/punk band with drummer Jack Emerson called Jason & the Scorchers and released one EP in 1982 on the defunct Praxis label called Reckless Country Soul. With additional members such as guitar slinger Warner Hodges and bassist Jeff Johnson, the band rechristened themselves Jason and the Nashville Scorchers with Perry Baggs replacing Emerson on the drum kit. The band recorded their debut mini-album, Fervor, in 1983, which caused a stir among American critics. It was the group's live show, with its embodiment old-time rock & roll energy, punk swagger and grit, and country music's elegant excesses that won them fans worldwide. After Lost & Found was issued in 1985, Ringenberg had won enough celebrity to be berated publicly by country music's Ed Sullivan, Ralph Emery on live television and become a major concert attraction all over the globe. The Scorchers disbanded in 1990 and Ringenberg became a solo performer. His debut, One Foot in the Honky Tonk, was met with critical praise but after being dismally promoted, sank without a trace. The Scorchers reunited in the mid-'90s, issuing fine studio albums and a live recording. Ringenberg did not give up his solo career, however, and recorded the simple, haunting acoustic masterpiece, A Pocketful of Soul on his own label in 2000, as well as the rollicking All Over Creation featuring a boatload of guests in 2002, while continuing his touring and recording activities with the band. Ringenberg continues to be a very successful solo act when not playing with the Nashville Scorchers; he's toured the world three times in the 21st century alone. In October of 2003, he tossed everyone a curve ball by recording and releasing his first children's record on the Yep Roc label entitled A Day at the Farm with Farmer Jason.

from Wikipedia:

Jason Ringenberg (born on November 22, 1958 in Kewanee, Illinois) is an American musician, and lead singer of Jason & the Scorchers. He is also a songwriter and guitarist.

The band had several minor hits, including "Golden Ball and Chain" and a blistering rock version of Bob Dylan's "Absolutely Sweet Marie."

Ringenberg was especially influential in the mid-1980s when the indie country/rock fusion movement was at its height. His music, and that of similar bands, served as the roots for the "alt country" genre that would arise in the 1990s.

Biography

Born November 22, 1958, Jason came from a place lost in time, a small hog farm near Sheffield, Illinois. The Ringenberg farm bordered the Rock Island Line railroad track. The farm was built by his grandpa Emmerson, and until the current generation, all of Jason’s relatives farmed in Bureau County. His maternal great-grandfather, Peter VanDeKeere,s was known as “The King of the Belgians” because he would help the Belgian immigrants get started in the Sheffield area by giving them food, a place to stay, or a job on his farm. His father’s Ringenberg ancestors were German Mennonites, a sect related to the Amish. Jason enjoyed a very idyllic, if hard working, childhood on the farm.

After touring solo, he reunited with the Scorchers in 2010 and together they released a new studio album titled "Halycon Times."

In 2002 Jason released an album of duets named All Over Creation featuring Steve Earle, Lambchop, The Wildhearts and more.

His most recent solos album, Empire Builders was released in 2004.

He featured on the album Greetings From Cairo, Illinois by Stace England in 2005.

Farmer Jason

These days, when not Scorching, he is head-over-heels involved in his children’s music character, Farmer Jason. He won an Emmy for the “It’s a Farmer Jason!” video program running on PBS stations around the country. The past 10 years he has done close to 2,000 shows as Farmer Jason and Jason Ringenberg solo, touring extensively in the United States, Europe, and Australia.

Personal Life

Jason now lives near Bon Aqua, Tennessee, with his wife Suzy; daughters Kelsey, Addie, and Camille; and a barnyard full of animals.