Jason & the Scorchers

Formed fittingly in Nashville, Jason & the Scorchers truly sounded like no other band out there when they hit the scene in the early 1980s. The collective, led by Jason Ringelberg, played a furious, blues-soaked, punk-stained brand of country, informed as deeply by Bo Diddley, the Ramones, and Iggy Pop as by Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. With their distinctive, hard-to-pin-down sound, million-selling records were never in the cards for Jason & the Scorchers, but they built a massive cult following and were a constant touring draw, and when the alt-country boom of the 1990s reached full steam, the band would oft be hailed its conquering heroes.