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John Mellencamp
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John Mellencamp is a pure product of middle America. Through a combination of talent, vision and stubborn determination he became an authoritative rocker and adroit storyteller. His best songs – including “Pink Houses,” “Small Town” and “Rain on the Scarecrow” - symbolize the hopes, fears and basic decency of America’s heartland. He ... has captured rock’s feisty, independent spirit and dogged pursuit of good times on such numbers as “Crumbling Down,” “Authority Song” and “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.”
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Now on his 21st album (Freedom's Road), John Mellencamp has proven himself to be one of rock's most venerated and consistently popular performers. Ubiquitous again thanks to the placement of "Our Country" in a series of car commercials, Mellencamp — who cites Woody Guthrie as an idol — remains tuned in to the pulse of populist Americana.
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By 1983, MTV had helped make John Mellencamp a star and John Mellencamp had become a video music pioneer. His "Hand To Hold Onto" peaked at #9 in the U.S. and John recorded Uh-Huh, his new album in a whirlwind sixteen day marathon at The Shack, an Indiana recording studio. The "Crumblin' Down" single hit #9 on the charts as did Uh-Huh, John's second platinum album (and first to reattach "Mellencamp" to his name). "Pink Houses" reached #8 in February 1984 and "Authority Song" hit #15 in May. In July 1984, Susan Miles won MTV's "Party House With Mellencamp" competition and painted her house pink; Mellencamp wrote a screenplay with acclaimed author Larry McMurtry, and produced Mitch Ryder's comeback album, Never Kick A Sleeping Dog. In March 1985, he produced the track "Colored Lights," for the Blasters' Hard Line album.
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Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors in 2001. Farm Aid raises awareness about the critical role of family farms and has raised more than $29 million to build and strengthen family farm food production. Between 1985 and 2005, 80 percent of Farm Aid's total expenditures were spent on programs to benefit family farmers, exceeding charity watchdog standards. Through public education, program activities and grants, Farm Aid promotes food from family farms and sustainable agriculture, fights factory farms, advocates for fair farm prices and provides disaster assistance and credit counseling to farm families.
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John Mellencamp was born October 7, 1951 in Seymour, Indiana and can be best described as an American heartland rocker. The earlier part of his career was in constant turmoil as Mellencamp had to fight his way into the music industry every step of the way. His first real attempt to break into the business did not happen until he was 24 years old and moved to New York. He signed on with David Bowie’s agent, Tony DeFries, and they produced one album together, Chestnut Street Incident. After the album was printed, Mellencamp claims that DeFries changed his name unknowingly to Johnny Cougar. This breech of trust ended their partnership as well as poor sales of his debut album.
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Born on October 7, 1951, in Seymour, Indiana, rock singer-songwriter-guitarist John Mellencamp started his first band at age 14. He moved to New York to pursue a music career at 24. He landed a record deal with MCA and released his debut, Chestnut Street Incident, in 1976. Upon the album’s release... he was furious to discover that his manager had changed his name to Johnny Cougar. Mellencamp was eventually able to change his name to John Cougar Mellencamp after the breakthrough success of 1982’s American Fool, propelled by the No. 1 hit “Jack and Diane.”
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John Mellencamp