Jason Ringenberg (born on November, 22 1958 in Kewanee, Illinois) is an American musician. He was the lead singer of a band called Jason and 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. Jason Ringenberg was born in Kewanee, Illinois and raised in nearby Sheffield, Illinois, where his parents ran a hog farm. He started playing in prot-alternative-country-bands in 1980. In 1981 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he soon formed Jason and the Scorchers with likeminded musicians. He is currently working as a solo artist, both under his own name performing 'regular' Jason Ringenberg material, and using the pseudonym 'Farmer Jason' where he releases farm / animal themed children's songs. In 2002 Jason released an album of duets named 'All Over Creation' featuring Steve Earle, Lambchop, The Wildhearts and more. His most recent album, 'Empire Builders' was released in 2004. He featured on the album Greetings From Cairo, Illinois by Stace England in 2005.
