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John Mellencamp
Biography provided by TicketsQuick.com & RollingStone.com

A champion of rural farmers and the blue-collar masses, John Mellencamp has spent much of his successful career forging his own path. From his small town beginnings, Mellencamp has distinguished himself from other heartland rock contemporaries like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger and Tom Petty.

Born in Seymour, Indiana, in 1951, Mellencamp endured hardships early. He was born with spina bifida, a neural tube defect that could have left him crippled, but he persevered. As a rebellious teenager, he joined his first band at the age of 14. At 17 he eloped with his pregnant girlfriend, Pricilla Esterline, and started working in a string of blue-collar jobs to support his family. At the ripe old age of 24, Mellencamp moved to New York City to pursue his music career.

Shortly after his arrival, he signed with manager Tony DeFries, who also managed David Bowie, and garnered a recording contract from MCA. In 1976 he released his debut record, a cover album titled Chestnut Street Incident. To Mellencamp's shock, he discovered that DeFries had billed him as Johnny Cougar on the album. The record bombed and Mellencamp was promptly dropped from MCA. The incident sparked the singer's general disdain towards the music industry, which persists to this day. After spending two years writing new songs and honing his craft, Mellencamp returned with A Biography on Riva Records in 1978. Again, the record fizzled, but the disappointed and disillusioned Mellencamp learned from the experience and returned with Johnny Cougar in 1979. The album received good reviews and sold well thanks to the Top 40 hit "I Need A Lover."

Mellencamp continued to work hard on his career, releasing Nothin' Matters and What If It Did in 1980. The Steve Cropper-produced album spawned two Top 30 hits, "This Time" and "Ain't Even Done With the Night." With success at the doorstep, Mellencamp paused briefly, re-examining his songwriting before releasing his breakthrough album, American Fool, on his new home, Mercury Records. The album went to No. 1 on the strength of two Mellencamp classics, "Hurts So Good" and the No. 1 smash "Jack and Diane." The singles also received heavy support from MTV. With commercial success under his belt, the singer added his surname to his stage name, becoming John Cougar Mellencamp.

For his next album, Mellencamp began to focus more on the issues facing the common man in Smalltown, USA. 1983's Uh-Huh peaked at No. 9 with the anthemic "Crumblin' Down," "Authority Song" and the small-town ballad "Pink Houses." Mellencamp's first headlining tour followed. The musician continued to develop his social conscience for his 1985 release, Scarecrow. The album received glowing reviews and stellar sales, generating Top 10 singles "Lonely Ol' Night," "Small Town" and "R.O.C.K. in the USA." Mellencamp soon progressed from observer to advocate, organizing the American farmer benefit Farm Aid with Willie Nelson and Neil Young. Mellencamp also refused corporate sponsorship for his tours, preferring to distance himself from big business.

With his 1987 release, The Lonesome Jubilee, Mellencamp began to explore more of his folk roots, including a fiddle into his arrangements. The album peaked at No 6 with the singles "Paper In Fire," "Cherry Bomb" and "Check It Out." He continued his exploration of American roots music on 1989's Big Daddy. The album met good reviews and strong sales, but failed to produce a successful single. 1991's Whenever We Wanted and 1993's Human Wheels both were well reviewed, but sold only moderately. In 1994, Mellencamp's album, Dance Naked, went gold only a few months after its release, vaulted by the No. 3 single, a duet with Me'Shell NdegeOcello on Van Morrison's "Wild Night."

A major heart attack in late '94 forced the cancellation of a world tour to support Dance Naked. After spending much of 1995 recuperating, Mellencamp returned with Mr. Happy Go-Lucky in 1996. The album featured the single "Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)." In 1997, he released a greatest hits album, The Best That I Could Do (1978-1988).

Mellencamp jumped to Columbia Records to record John Mellencamp, which was released in October 1998. The album contains the track "Eden Is Burning," a sequel to the 1982 hit "Jack and Diane."

Joe Hauler