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.

Mellencamp then moved on to Riva Records and released A Biography in 1978, which yielded a hit in “I Need a Lover.” Mellencamp, not too happy with Riva either, moved on to Mercury and released American Fool in 1982 which produced his biggest singles to date, “Hurt So Good” and “Jack and Diane.” This sent John Mellencamp’s album to the number one position and enabled him more creative power over his name, image and music. He changed his name to John Cougar Mellencamp and released Uh Huh which was an instant success with the hit “Pink Houses.” With more freedom and hit records under his belt, John Mellencamp released the critically acclaimed Scarecrow, an album with several songs about the plight of the American farmer. This led to his involvement with Farm Aid and his controversial stand of refusing his concert tours to be sponsored by tobacco or alcohol companies. Always the fighter, Mellencamp switched record labels once again in 1994 and signed on with Columbia Records and released a self-titled debut under his real name, John Mellencamp.

John Mellencamp’s albums have been the inspiration for many southern style rockers from Cheryl Crow to Kid Rock. His in-your-face style incorporated with classic rock and rock music have gained a loyal following over the years, as well as his devotion to Farm Aid and supporting the plight of the American farmer. He is a true-blooded American and helped to define a generation of loyal and patriotic citizens. John Mellencamp continues to play live at Farm Aid each year and he tours regularly, selling out concert halls across the nation.