Jason Ringenberg is a singer-songwriter American music country. Born in Sheffield (Illinois) in 1958. The cowpunk Jason & The Scorchers, which changed the contemporary country music group formed in the 1980s. In the 2000s began his solo career, publishing five albums. He currently lives on a farm in Nashville (Tennessee). It is married and is father of three girls. It has enjoyed success both in his country and in Europe, especially since it began his solo career.
Musical career
His first contact with country music occurred during his childhood in the farm that was born. Late 1970s occurs in the punk rock explosion United Kingdom (with Sex Pistols and The Clash) front and United States with the Ramones. These last are those more he influenced, so that in 1981, along with Warner e. Hodges, Perry Baggs and Jeff Johnson, launched the Jason & The Scorchers, group that would change the contemporary country music. His style, a blend of country music and punk began to call cowpunk, lifted blisters of the Nashville music scene conservative, but not all rejected it and began to arise faithful followers of the “Tennessee dynamite”, alias with which began them to know. Jimmy Guterman, the New York Times wrote, referring to fervor (1983), the debut album of the Scorchers: “In less than 30 minutes of music, the Scorchers have rewritten the history of rock ‘n’ roll Southern”. Are today considered as one of the precursors of the alternative country. With them he published six Studio albums and two live apart from several compilations.
In 1999, the Scorchers decide to separate (Jason always speaks of “semi-retirement”). During his adventure with the Scorchers, Jason released his first solo album, One Foot In The Honky Tonk (1992), which approached a few sounds “classical” and purest country. But his solo career not out until the 2000s, A Pocketful Of Soul (2000) and All Over Creation (2002), published on his own label appear: Coragenous Chicken. Steve Earle, Lambchop or The Wildhearts collaborations appear. With these works, very well received by critics, was launched to perform live without any backing band. Onstage only appears he with his guitar, but without losing the power and energy deployed when appeared with The Scorchers, what did The Chicago Suntimes should consider its direct as the “best show 2001 solo” or that David Sinclair (The London Times journalist) commented that “it had won live reputation of being one of the greatest artists of his generation”. With these disks acquires renowned in Europe, several touring presentation of his works.
A Day At The Farm With Farmer Jason, a disk for the infant public appears in 2003 (is dedicated to three daughters: Helsey Beth, Camille Grace and Addie Rose) with joyful songs which describes his own farm: a pony (“Whoa There Pony”), pork (“he’s a Hog Hog Hog”), a cat (“Little Kitty”), several chickens (“A Guitar Pickin’Chicken’), planting maize (“Corny Corn”), daily work on the farm (“Sundown In The Farm”and”Get Up Up Up!”) to present it adopted alter-ego of Farmer Jason (“Jason the farmer”).
In 2004 he appeared Empire Builders, his album more politically committed and for which has been highly criticized right in your country. It struck policy imperialist George w. Bush (“American Question”, “New-Fashioned Imperialist” or “American Reprieve”), made the anti-militarist song by Merle Haggard “Rainbow Stew”, recalls Link Wray (“Link Wray”) and the tribe Chief Joseph Amerindian Nez Perce (“Chief Joseph’s Last Dream”) or the fun “Rebel Flag in Central Germany”, in which Jason has shame to see Central Germany Confederate flag. With the hot disc launched an extensive international tour (United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Spain, Switzerland or Austria)