Jason Ringenberg (born November 22, 1958) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and guitarist and the lead singer of

Jason & the Scorchers Jason & the Scorchers, originally Jason & the Nashville Scorchers, are a cowpunk band that formed in 1981 and are led by singer-songwriter Jason Ringenberg. With a sound that combines punk rock and country music, Jason and the Scorchers are no ...

Early life and education

Ringenberg was born in

Kewanee, Illinois Kewanee () is a city in Henry County, Illinois, Henry County, Illinois, United States. "Kewanee" is the Ho-Chunk, Winnebago word for greater prairie chicken, which lived there. The population was 12,509 at the 2020 census, down from 12,944 in 20 ...

, and grew up in nearby

Sheffield, Illinois Sheffield is a village in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 821 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Ottawa Micropolitan Statistical Area. Sheffield was founded by Joseph E. Sheffield and Henry Farnam in 1852. Sheffie ...

, where his parents owned a family hog farm that bordered the

Rock Island Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end ...

line. He started playing in rock, alternative rock, and country-bands while in school at

Southern Illinois University Carbondale Southern Illinois University (SIU or SIUC) is a public research university in Carbondale, Illinois. Founded in 1869, SIU is the oldest and flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system. The university enrolls students from all 50 ...

Career

In 1981, Ringenberg moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

, where he soon formed

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.

had several hits, including "Golden Ball and Chain" and a rock version of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's "

Absolutely Sweet Marie "Absolutely Sweet Marie" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released on the third side of the double album and Dylan's seventh studio album, ''Blonde on Blonde'' (1966). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob ...

." Ringenberg was 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 Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...

and

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

genres within

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

music. In 2008,

received the

Americana Music Association The Americana Music Association is a not-for-profit trade organization advocating for American Roots Music around the world. It is a network for Americana artists, radio stations, record labels, publishers, and others with the goal of develo ...

's Lifetime Achievement Award in the Performance Category. Ringenberg has also seen success as a solo artist. He has released five solo records and toured as a solo artist. ''The Times (London) called him "one of the most exciting performers of his generation." '' 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. Ringenberg created his children's music character, Farmer Jason, in 2002 to entertain his own daughters. He then released his first children's record on the

Yep Roc Records Yep Roc Records is an American independent record label based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and owned by Redeye Distribution. Since 1997, the label has released albums from North Carolina and international artists, including Nick Lowe, Paul We ...

label; ''A Day at the Farm with Farmer Jason'', in 2003. The character remains popular and has become the most successful project of his career. As Farmer Jason, he sings songs about farm animals and the appreciation of nature. His

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...

mini program called "It's a Farmer Jason" has earned four Emmy nominations and one Emmy win. He has recorded four records and a DVD as Farmer Jason. The fourth album, ''Christmas on the Farm with Farmer Jason'', was released in December 2014. His album ''Stand Tall'' (2019) was written while he was Artist in Residence at Sequoia National Park. Recorded at his old college haunts in Southern Illinois and also in Nashville, the subjects of the songs range from John the Baptist to The Ramones to a disillusioned Confederate draftee.

Personal life

Ringenberg lives near

Bon Aqua, Tennessee Bon Aqua is an unincorporated community in Hickman County, Tennessee, United States. Bon Aqua is located in northern Hickman County south-southeast of Dickson. Bon Aqua has a post office with ZIP code 37025, which opened on March 5, 1842. T ...

, with his wife Suzy; daughters Kelsey, Addie, and Camille; and a barnyard full of animals.

Discography

Jason & The Scorchers

* ''Reckless Country Soul'' (Praxis, 1982). EP * ''Fervor'' (Praxis, 1983), rereleased in 1984 for

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 2012, ...

. * ''Lost & Found'' (EMI, 1986). * ''Still Standing'' (EMI, 1986). * ''Thunder and Fire'' (A&M, 1989). * ''Are You Ready for the Country: The Essential Jason & The Scorchers. Volume One'' (EMI, 1992) * ''A Blazing Grace'' (Mammoth, 1995). * ''Clear Impetuous Morning'' (Mammoth, 1996). * ''Both Sides of The Line'' (EMI, 1996) * ''Midnight Roads and Stages Seen'' (Mammoth, 1998) * ''Rock on Germany'' (Courageous Chicken Music, 2001) * ''Wildfires & Misfires: Two Decades of Outtakes and Rarities'' (Courageous Chicken, 2002). * ''Halycon TImes'' (Courageous Chicken, 2010).

Solo

* ''One Foot in The Honky Tonk'' (Liberty, 1992) * ''A Pocketful of Soul'' (2000) * ''All Over Creation'' (2002) * ''Empire Builders'' (2004) * ''Best Tracks and Side Tracks'' (2008) * ''Stand Tall'' (2019) *Rhinestoned (2021)

As Farmer Jason

* ''A Day at the Farm With Farmer Jason'' (2003) * ''Rockin' In The Forest With Farmer Jason'' (2006) * ''Nature Jams'' (2012) * ''Christmas on the Farm with Farmer Jason'' (2014)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ringenberg, Jason 1958 births Living people People from Kewanee, Illinois American country rock singers American rock guitarists American male guitarists American male singer-songwriters American rock singers American rock songwriters American children's musicians American alternative country musicians Southern Illinois University Carbondale alumni Singer-songwriters from Illinois Guitarists from Illinois 20th-century American guitarists Country musicians from Illinois 20th-century American male musicians