Rock The Country: “Jason & The Scorchers”

Country and Rock have tied in together for years.  Elvis had hits on both charts, Johnny Cash crossed over and so do bands like "The Eagles" and "The Little River Band".  But nobody had seen anything like "Jason & The Scorchers" back in the early 80's.They helped invent a new genre that ended up being called "Cowpunk".  It was exactly that, a combination of Country, Rock and Punk.

The formed in 1981 and led by singer/songwriter Jason Ringenberg and their cover of Bob Dylan's "Absolute Sweet Marie".  They also do a blistering version of John Denver's "Take Me Home (Country Roads)".

Their live shows are extremely energetic and Ringenberg loves to work the crowd.  He tried to do more traditional country but that never took off completely.  They continue to tour as "Jason & The Scorchers" all around the world.  They have a huge following in Europe where there's a strong rockabilly scene.

Here's a video for their 1985 song "White Lies".

Here they are in 2010 in Sweden doing "Take Me Home (Country Roads)"