Jason & the Scorchers is an American alternative country and cowpunk band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1981 by singer Jason Ringenberg, guitarist Warner Hodges, bassist Jeff Johnson, and drummer Perry Baggs. The group gained a reputation for blending punk rock and honky tonk, pioneering the alternative country and cowpunk genres. Their debut EP, Reckless Country Soul, was released on the independent label Praxis in 1983. The band signed with EMI in 1984, which released Fervor (1984), an expanded version of the EP featuring a cover of the Bob Dylan song “Absolutely Sweet Marie”. The release reached number 3 on the Pazz & Jop list in The Village Voice. Subsequent albums include Lost & Found (1985) and Still Standing (1986). After EMI dropped the group in 1987, Johnson departed, leading to a hiatus before the release of the hard rock-influenced album Thunder and Fire (1989) on A&M Records. In 1990, Baggs was diagnosed with diabetes, causing the band to take a break. The group resumed activity in 2010, releasing the album Halcyon Times (2010).
