Cowpunk’s Jason and the Scorchers Implicated in Epstein Files

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STORY SUMMARY:

  • Jason and the Scorchers are/were a Nashville-based cowpunk (punk country) band.
  • Records released as part of the Epstein Files accuse them of being part of a sex trafficking ring in the 1980s, with an accuser claiming they trafficked her to New York City where she had sex with Jeffrey Epstein.
  • No charges have been filed, none of the accusations have been proven or corroborated, and the case is currently closed as “Information Only.”
  • Blues Traveler is also named in the same file, but more in passing.


Jason and the Scorchers are legendary in cowpunk circles and in the annals of underground Nashville music as one of the first and one of the best bands to fuse punk and country into an raucous hybrid sound. Founded in 1981 after Sheffield, Illinois native Jason Ringerberg moved to Nashville, he joined up with guitarist Warner E. Hodges, and began making noise in both the country and rock scene.

After releasing a debut EP in 1982 through the independent label Praxis, the band signed with EMI in 1983 and released numerous albums through the label. They were also signed to A&M Records in 1989, and Mammoth Records between 1997 and 1999. Frontman Jason Ringenberg also has released nearly 20 solo albums, including through his alter ego, children’s entertainer Farmer Jason. Ringenberg is also an author and considered an elder statesman of Nashville’s independent music scene.

That’s why it comes as a shock to many that the name of Jason and the Scorchers has emerged via the documents released as part of the Jeffrey Epstein Files. Incidentally, the band Blues Traveler is also named in the same series of documents, but not as directly implicated in any wrongdoing, and is mentioned more in passing.


It’s worth underscoring that just being named in the Jeffrey Epstein files does not immediately implicate anyone in the most egregious accusations of behavior tied to Jeffrey Epstein himself or his close associates. Some of the names that have been mentioned in the Epstein Files were done so tangentially, or even inadvertently. It’s also important to point out that neither Jason Ringenberg, nor anyone in Jason and the Scorchers has been charged with any crime.

However, the accusations in the Epstein Files tied to Jason and the Scorches very directly accuse the band in participating in human trafficking.

On July 16th, 2019—about three weeks before Jeffrey Epstein died—a woman called the FBI and was connected with the National Threat Operations Center Unit to say that in 1988, she was kidnapped by individuals connected to Jeffrey Epstein and placed in a escort service that was a front for a prostitution ring.

I was trafficked from Nashville, TN to NYC in 1988 when I was 19 by the ring of criminals connected to Jeffrey Epstein. I was taken by van and exchanged for an Australian girl [name redacted] my age who went back to Nashville. A woman named [redacted] drove and she was paid by people in the music business I can identify. I was handed over to put me to work at an escort service on E. 63rd (between 1st and 2nd and 3rd) run by a woman named [redacted] who sent me to a group sex party the owner, her boyfriend Jeffrey was hosting. There were two other girls my age or younger, though not too much younger. I was asked to message “Jeff” and the other girls used a vibrator on me. I worked there a few weeks and ran credit cards on an imprint for a company called Carly Enterprises or sometimes Carlyle Entertainment Group. My paychecks for credit card transactions had one of those names.

Both press reports and legal documents corroborate that there was an escort/prostitution service set up on New York’s Upper East Side in the late 80s and into the early ’90s that used the name “Carlyle Entertainment Group” as a front, and specifically used credit cards for payment from clients. In 1988, Jeffrey Epstein was living in New York, and working for Bear Stearns. However, Epstein’s name does not appear in any of the reports tied to the exposure or investigation of the escort/prostitution ring.

Incidentally, there is another “Carlyle Group” tied to Baltimore Orioles owner David Rubenstein, who had a meeting with Jeffrey Epstein, though has not been accused of any wrongdoing. This other “Carlyle Group” appears to not be tied to the accusations from the alleged victim in 1988.

The alleged victim’s report goes on to say,

My next recruiter was a woman named [redacted], who worked with another recruiter [name redacted]. I became connected through [redacted] with the band Blues Traveler, and was approached by a Cuban coke dealer named [redacted] who worked in the IT department for CBS Records to introduce him to the band. I was trafficked from Nashville through a band Jason and the Scorchers who were also trafficking cocaine. I lived with [redacted] and his [redacted] male companion for several months. I believe I understand the connections of my story back through Nashville and the criminal nightlife business. My father [name redacted], was connected to the people who employed my traffickers, and I suspect he has engaged in pedophilia and pornography, although I have no solid evidence. He has a YouTube channel with videos I believe are designed to trigger me. I have names, dates and connections about the drug and sex trafficking I was pulled into as a teenager. Later I worked for Music City Marketing, that had its own FBI investigation and federal lawsuit in the 90s. Same bad guys, I’m tired of running.


CBS Records is a sister label to EMI that Jason and the Scorchers were signed to in the mid to late 1980s. According to court records, there was legal action against a Nashville-based company called Music City Marketing that was found to be selling drug paraphernalia.

Then on July 22nd, 2019—or six days after the initial call—what appears to be the same woman called in again, though this can’t be verified since her name is redacted. The information from the second phone call gives more insight into how the woman might have ended up being trafficked.

[Redacted] father is [redacted], personal identifiers unknown, and in 1988, he worked for [redacted], personal identifiers unknown, who was a political person. His family started a Luciferian Episcopal Church in Madison, TN called St. James the Less. In 1988 through these connections, [redacted] was on the road with the band Jason and the Scorchers, which was signed with A&M Records. They were connected with the same prostitution/escort ring that Jeffrey Epstein was in charge of in 1987-1988. [Redacted] personal identifiers unknown, was the wife of the guitar playing (sic) for Jason and the Scorchers and she was also involved. [Redacted] was sex trafficked and taken to New York. [Redacted] believes many of the aforementioned connections was through A&M Records.

Jason and the Scorchers were signed to A&M Records after leaving EMI, and released their 1989 album Thunder and Fire through the label. There is also an Episcopal Church in Madison, TN called St. James the Less at 411 W Due West Ave. that is still active. It was founded in 1958 as a conventional Episcopal church. It’s unclear what the “Luciferian” reference is to.

The report from the second phone call then concludes:

[Redacted] was asked when she was able to escape the sex traffickers and she became hostile and argumentative. [Redacted] was asked additional questions about her trafficking, but she would not answer the questions and began asking to be transferred. [Redacted] was advised that her call could not be transferred. [Redacted] then advised she was still being sex trafficked. [Redacted] was asked where she was being held and she said at [redacted]. [Redacted] was asked if she was able to get to safety and she began to ask what safety means. [Redacted] was advised to contact 911 if she had an emergency and the call was ended.

Then according to the Epstein Files record, the case remained open on August 26th, 2019—or sixteen days after Jeffrey Epstein died—as investigators looked further into the matter. Though the information is heavily redacted, it appears that the alleged victim was interviewed by Special Agents, that interview was recorded and downloaded to DVD, and attached to case 31E-NY-3027571, which is the Epstein File. Then on August 27th, 2019, the case was closed as “Information Only” and the issue wasn’t further investigated.


Saving Country Music reached out to both Jason Ringenberg of Jason and the Scorchers, as well as multiple representatives for Blues Traveler for comment on this story. Those inquires were not responded to.

Though the accusations are serious, they were not serious enough for investigators to pursue further in 2019, though many of the accusations within the Epstein Files have not been pursued criminally. It’s also fair to point out that the accuser became “hostile” and “argumentative” with investigators while being interviewed. The files present one person’s account of circumstances that cannot be independently verified.

It also could be the case that Jason and the Scorchers gave a 19-year-old groupie a ride from Tennessee to New York City in 1988 who ended up in an escort/prostitution ring and having sex with Jeffrey Epstein, but the two circumstances are not directly linked.

Saving Country Music’s investigation into the matter remains open. Anyone with further information about this case, or any case involving sexual misconduct within the country music industry is encouraged to reach out via the Contact Page.

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