Jason & The Scorchers

A country/hard rock outfit assembled in 1981 by Illinois native Jason Ringenberg, Jason & the Scorchers burst onto the indie circuit from their actual base in Nashville via an opening EP whose standout cut was a blistering interpretation of Bob Dylan's "Absolutely Sweet Marie." The group's fusion of rapid hard rock with Ringenberg's pronounced country inflection, combined with its facility for shifting between Rolling Stones-style stomps and more restrained, tuneful acoustic country material, quickly earned Jason & the Scorchers both critical regard and moderate commercial traction throughout the 1980s. Building on the momentum of that initial EP, the band promptly issued two strong full-length albums, Lost & Found and Still Standing, whose radio-friendly sound nevertheless avoided an overly polished, artificial sheen. Fronted by Ringenberg's prominently mixed yowling vocals, the quartet drew its instrumental force from the coordinated contributions of Nashville rock stalwarts Warner Hodges on guitar, Jeff Johnson on bass, and Perry Baggs on drums. United by shared tastes that placed Hank Williams and Johnny Cash alongside the Stones and Beatles, the musicians alternated between high-volume hard rock and Flying Burrito Brothers-inspired passages, executing both with precision and vigor. Yet by the time Still Standing appeared in 1986, further advancement had stalled; despite attaining limited recognition, the group never reached widespread popularity, arriving just prior to the late-1980s and early-1990s surge in country radio. Rock outlets largely ignored them for being overly country, while country programmers dismissed them as excessively rock-oriented. Following a three-year hiatus that included Johnson's exit, the Scorchers returned with the uneven Thunder and Fire, an album whose aggressive rock posture suggested an anxious bid for credibility, then disbanded shortly thereafter. Ringenberg subsequently pursued solo country projects before reassembling the original lineup in 1994 for the modest A Blazing Grace, which recaptured the band's earlier character. The reunited configuration next delivered Clear Impetuous Morning in 1996, followed by Midnight Roads in 1998, Rock on Germany three years afterward, and Halcyon Times in 2010.