
John Mellencamp
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John Mellencamp Biography
Throughout his career, John Mellencamp has had to fight,
whether it was for the right to record under his own name or for
respect as an artist. Of course, he never made it easy on himself.
Mellencamp began his career in the late '70s as a Bruce Springsteen
clone called Johnny Cougar. As his career progressed, his music became
more distinctive, developing into a Stonesy blend of hard rock and
folk-rock. His musical development coincided with his growth in
popularity -- by the time Hurts So Good and Jack and Diane became
hits in 1982, Mellencamp had created his own variation of the heartland
rock of Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Bob Seger. While he had the record
sales, it took several years before rock critics took him seriously.
For some artists, this would be easy to ignore, but Mellencamp had the
desire to be a serious social commentator, chronicling the times and
trials of Midwestern baby boomers. Scarecrow, released in 1985,
fulfilled his wish of being taken serious, and every record he released
after it was greeted warmly by critics. Furthermore, he sustained his
popularity into the late '90s, only occasionally experiencing dips in
record sales.
A prolonged, acclaimed career seemed an impossibility when Mellencamp
released his first album under the name Johnny Cougar in 1976. As a
child in Seymour, IN, Mellencamp had suffered a number of setbacks,
including being born with a neural tube defect called spina bifida that
necessitated a lengthy hospitalization as a baby. As a teenager, he was
rebellious, often getting in trouble with the law. He formed his first
band at the age of 14, and continued to play throughout his teens. When
he was 17, he eloped with Pricilla Esterline, his pregnant girlfriend,
and proceeded to try to support his family by working a series of
blue-collar jobs. By the time he was 24, he had decided to move to New
York City to attempt to break into the music industry.
In New York, Mellencamp became a client of David Bowie's manager, Tony
DeFries, who signed him to a lucrative deal with Mainman/MCA.
Mellencamp recorded an album of covers called Chestnut Street Incident.
Upon receiving the finished album in 1976, he was infuriated to learn
that DeFries had billed the singer as Johnny Cougar. Chestnut Street
Incident was a bomb and MCA immediately dropped the singer. The fiasco
of his first album was enough to sour Mellencamp toward the industry
for the remainder of his career. Two years later, he signed with Riva
Records, releasing A Biography (1978) to little attention. However,
Johnny Cougar (1979) spawned the Top 40 hit I Need a Lover, which
also became an AOR hit for Pat Benatar a few years later. Steve Cropper
produced 1980's Nothin' Matters and What If It Did, which contained the
Top 30 hits This Time and Ain't Even Done with the Night.
Mellencamp's next album, 1982's American Fool, became his breakthrough,
both commercially and musically. More focused than his earlier records,
American Fool rocketed to number one on the strength of the number two
hit Hurts So Good and the number one single Jack & Diane, both
of which were supported by videos that became MTV favorites. The
success of American Fool meant that he could add Mellencamp to his
stage name, and 1983's Uh-Huh became the first album credited to John
Cougar Mellencamp. Uh-Huh was released while American Fool was still
high on the charts, and it became a hit, peaking at number nine and
generating the Top Ten hits Crumblin' Down and Pink Houses, as well
as the Top 15 Authority Song. He supported the album with his first
headlining tour.
While he had commercial success, Mellencamp made his bid for critical
acclaim with his next album, 1985's Scarecrow. Scarecrow displayed a
greater social conscious and musical eclecticism, resulting in his
best-reviewed -- as well as his biggest -- album to date. Peaking at
number two, Scarecrow generated the Top Ten singles Lonely Ol' Night,
Small Town, and R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. Following the release of
Scarecrow, Mellencamp became an outspoken advocate of the American
farmer, organizing Farm Aid with Willie Nelson and Neil Young. He also
became known for his anticorporate stance, refusing to accept tour
sponsorship offers from beer and tobacco companies.
Mellencamp continued to explore social commentary and new musical
avenues with 1987's The Lonesome Jubilee. Featuring a distinct
Appalachian folk and country influence, The Lonesome Jubilee was a
melancholy elegy for the forgotten middle America, and while it was
more adventurous than its predecessors, it was another hit, peaking at
number six and generating the hits Paper in Fire, Cherry Bomb, and
Check It Out. Mellencamp continued to explore American roots music on
Big Daddy (1989). While the album received generally good reviews and
peaked at number seven, it failed to produce a big single. Two years
later, he returned with Whenever We Wanted, which was another moderate
hit, peaking at number 17. Human Wheels (1993) received some of
Mellencamp's strongest reviews, yet the record didn't generate a hit
single and quickly fell down the charts after debuting at number seven.
Mellencamp bounced back into the Top Ten in 1994, when his duet with
Me'Shell NdegéOcello on Van Morrison's Wild Night peaked at number
three. Its accompanying album, Dance Naked, became his biggest album
since Big Daddy, going gold months after its release. Mellencamp
planned to support the album with an extensive tour, but he suffered a
major heart attack in late 1994 that necessitated its cancellation.
Mellencamp spent 1995 recuperating, re-emerging in 1996 with Mr. Happy
Go Lucky. Produced by Junior Vasquez and demonstrating a slight dance
influence, Mr. Happy Go Lucky was greeted with positive reviews and
featured the minor hit single Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First),
which helped the album go gold. The album was his last for longtime
label Mercury, and he moved to Columbia for 1998's John Mellencamp.
Rough Harvest, a collection of unreleased material, appeared a year
later.
Cuttin' Heads, his second album for Columbia and 20th overall, followed
in 2001 and spawned a radio hit with Peaceful World, featuring
neo-soul singer India.Arie on backing vocals. Also in 2001, he won the
Billboard Century Award for creative achievement. Inspired by his
performance of Robert Johnson's Stones in My Passway at an October
2002 tribute concert for the late music journalist Timothy White,
Mellencamp recorded a covers album, Trouble No More, in 2003. It was
released that summer and topped the Billboard blues chart. The
impressive Freedom's Road appeared in 2007. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine,
All Music Guide
Written by Stephen Thomas Erlewine