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John Cougar Mellencamp

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

John Cougar Mellencamp · John Mellencamp was born in Seymour, Indiana, in 1951. He formed his first band, Crepe Soul, when he was fourteen. After years in local bands he travelled back and forth between Indiana and New York until he met manager Tony DeFries of MainMan. DeFries released his debut Chestnut Street Incident in 1976 under the name Johnny Cougar, because Mellencamp would supposedly be too hard to sell. The album flopped. A short time in London followed, then A Biography in 1978 and the album John Cougar in 1979, on which I Need a Lover became his first American hit.

Music and breakthrough

The breakthrough came in 1982 with American Fool. It includes Hurts So Good, which won a Grammy for best male rock vocal, and Jack & Diane, which spent four weeks at number one. In 1983 came Uh-Huh, on which he added his surname back for the first time. Later he dropped Cougar altogether. In the 1980s more hits followed, such as Crumblin' Down, Pink Houses, Small Town and R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.

Influence

His music is called heartland rock: straightforward rock with traditional instruments and songs about small-town life in the American Midwest. In 1985 he was one of the founders of Farm Aid, the benefit concert for farmers who were in danger of losing their land. It still exists. In 2008 the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted him. In 2018 the Songwriters Hall of Fame followed. He holds the record for the most number one hits by a solo artist on the Mainstream Rock chart.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Jack & Diane and notice the guitar work and the hand claps in the chorus. Can you hear how a story about two teenagers in a small town carries the song?

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists