Jon Langford

Since the mid-'80s, Jon Langford has been a key figure in the nexus between country and punk rock, and a vital collaborator with many musicians from around the world. In 1976, Langford founded the leftist punk band the Mekons, and continued to record with them for the next four decades, while they detoured into folk (The Mekons Story), electronic music (F.U.N. 90), country-rock (Fear & Whiskey), and any number of other styles. In the '80s, he was part of the guitar-and-drum machine combo the Three Johns, and after relocating to the United States in the '90s, he formed the celebrated alt-country band the Waco Brothers. From 2000 onward, the prolific Langford recorded with the covers-friendly Pine Valley Cosmonauts, the R&B-influenced Four Lost Souls, and the acoustic/electronic combo Jon Langford and the Bright Shiners, while also establishing a reputation as a respected visual artist.