John Mellencamp

(continued from previous page) of the issues farmers face and how they affect on the entire nation.

By the early 1990’s “Cougar” was finally gone from John’s name and a string of successful albums as John Mellencamp—Whenever We Wanted, Human Wheels and Dance Naked (including the number 2 single “Wild Night”)—were released. In 1991 John made his film debut, starring in and directing Falling From Grace, a modest box office success that was well received by critics.

John suffered a mild heart attack while touring in 1994 in support of Dance Naked. This forced him to take a break from his music career, but he returned strong in 1996 and released Mr. Happy Go Lucky, which featured the hit “Key West Intermezzo” (I Saw You First). Healthier and happier, he returned to touring in 1997 and continued to write and record frequently. Releases included 1998’s John Mellencamp, 1999’s Rough Harvest, 2001’s Cuttin Heads, and 2003’s Trouble No More . Hit singles during that time ranged from “Your Life Is Now” to “I’m Not Running Anymore” to “Peaceful World.” John continued to tour throughout 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2006.

Mellencamp was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 and is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He’s a Grammy-winner and the recipient of numerous awards including

The Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck Awards, ASCAP Foundation’s Champion Award and their highest honor the Founders Award, the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting and the Billboard Century Award, amongst a host of other honors.

Words & Music: John Mellencamp’s Greatest Hits was released in 2005. It was his first career-spanning collection and featured 35 of his biggest hits plus two new songs, one of which, “Walk Tall,” was backed with an awardwinning video that condemned discrimination. It was followed in January of 2007 by a new studio album, Freedom’s Road, which featured the hit song “Our Country.”

By summer of 2005, he had already begun working on his next album—a collaboration with producer T Bone Burnett, Life, Death, Love, and Freedom—which was released in July, 2008. No Better Than This was also produced by T Bone Burnett and was recorded at historic facilities in the American South: The First African Baptist Church in Savannah, Sun Studio in Memphis and Room 414 of the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio where Robert Johnson recorded more than 70 years earlier. For the record, Mellencamp’s songs were recorded on a 55 year-old mono tape recorder using just one microphone. The album was released in August of 2010 and the 2009 summer tour of minor league baseball parks with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson that spawned it are documented in It’s About You, a documentary film by Kurt and Ian Markus that premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in March of 2010. That summer, John co-headlined shows with Bob Dylan and then started his No Better Than This theater tour in his hometown of Bloomington, IN showing It’s About You each night as the opening act.

The release of No Better Than This was preceded a few weeks by the fourCD box set, On The Rural Route 7609, made up mainly of versions of some of his classic songs. These included two tracks from iconic individuals: race relations expert Dr. Cornel West (who dramatically recited the lyrics to “Jim Crow”) and Academy Award-winning actress Joanne Woodward (John’s favorite actress) who provided an emotionally charged reading of the lyrics to “The Real Life.” Universal issued John Mellencamp 1978 – 2012, a 17-CD set that encompasses all of the key albums of his career, and in July, 2014 Mercury/UME released John Mellencamp Performs Trouble No More Live At Town Hall, a live album that comes from a July 31, 2003 New York City show at Town Hall, one of only two shows performed upon the release of Trouble No More.

In May, 2014 Republic Records announced an unprecedented “lifetime” recording contract with John. Mellencamp continued to evolve artistically with Plain Spoken, his 22nd full length album executive produced by T Bone Burnett, first release on Republic Records and first new music since 2010’s critically acclaimed No Better Than This. John went on to complete an 80 city North American Tour in 2016

John’s 2017 full-length album, Sad Clowns & Hillbillies, featuring Carlene Carter, is his 23rd over the course of a remarkable career. The album was followed by a tour with Carlene and marked a return to the musical eclecticism that is a reflection of John’s wideranging musings on life, showcasing a poet who has wisely used the years between youth and the present day to become an absolute master of songwriting and interpretation.

John’s self-narrated, musical continued on next page