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John Mellencamp, also known as '''John Cougar''' and '''John Cougar Mellencamp''', (born October 7 , 1951 ) is best known for being an American Rock Singer-songwriter . EARLY LIFE Mellencamp was born in Seymour, Indiana . At age 14, he joined a soul band named "Crepe Soul" and served as one of two lead singers in the group. In 1970, his senior year of high school, Mellencamp married Priscilla Esterline (in Kentucky, where it was legal for 17-year-olds to get married), and they had a daughter named Michelle on December 4 of that year. In 1971 he formed a short-lived Cover Band called "Trash."Jackson County Visitors Center. John Mellencamp Milestones in Jackson County, Indiana. In 1974 he graduated from Vincennes University and took a job at a phone company in Seymour before deciding to go to New York in an attempt to land a record deal. THE JOHN COUGAR YEARS At age 24, Mellencamp, determined to break into the music business, traveled to New York City and signed on with agent Tony DeFries of MainMan Management (at the time well-known for representing David Bowie ). DeFries insisted that Mellencamp's first album, '' Chestnut Street Incident '', a collection of Covers and derivative originals, be released under the Stage Name Johnny Cougar, a move Mellencamp claims was made without his knowledge and against his will. The album was a failure, and Mellencamp lost his contract with MCA Records . He signed to the tiny Riva Records label and recorded 1978's '' A Biography ''. This was unreleased in the United States, but yielded a hit in Australia , "I Need a Lover". Riva Records added this track to his next album, '' John Cougar '' (1979) and it became a #28 single in November 1979. Rocker Pat Benatar recorded "I Need a Lover" on her debut album '' In The Heat Of The Night '', and her version garnered some FM radio airplay, but it was not issued as a single in the United States. In 1980, Mellencamp returned with '' Nothin' Matters And What If It Did ,'' which yielded the Top 40 singles "This Time" (#27) and "Ain't Even Done With The Night" (#17). In 1982 Mellencamp released his breakthrough album, '' American Fool '', (see 1982 In Music ). The mega-hit singles "Hurts So Good," which spent four weeks at #2, and " Jack And Diane ," which was #1 for four weeks, sent the album to the top of the charts; and a third single, "Hand To Hold On To," made #19 and was a staple in his concerts throughout the 1980s. Additionally, "Hurts" spent more weeks in the Top Ten -- sixteen -- than any other single in the 1980s, and "Diane" is, to date, Mellencamp's only single ever to top the Billboard pop chart. THE JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP YEARS Mellencamp changed his stage name to John Cougar Mellencamp for his 1983 follow-up, '' Uh-Huh '', which was another top-10 hit and spawned three hit singles, including "Pink Houses," and "Crumblin' Down" (both of which made the top 10) and "Authority Song". During the recording of ''Uh-Huh'', Mellencamp's backing band settled on the lineup it would retain for the next several albums: Kenny Aronoff on drums and percussion, Larry Crane and Mike Wanchic on guitars, Toby Myers on bass and John Cascella on keyboards. Mellencamp changed his billing for songwriting and production credits to simply John Mellencamp, although his official name on album covers and other releases was still John Cougar Mellencamp. In 1985 Mellencamp released '' Scarecrow ''. The album's lyrics were socially aware, with several songs focusing on the plight of the American Family Farm er, and Mellencamp soon helped organize Farm Aid with Willie Nelson and Neil Young . "Lonely Ol' Night", " Small Town ", and "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." all became Top 10 hits and "Rain On The Scarecrow" and "Rumble Seat" cracked the Top 40 and garnered considerable play on album-rock stations. Prior to the Scarecrow Tour, during which he covered a bunch of 1960s rock and soul songs, Mellencamp added fiddle player Lisa Germano to his band to accent and deepen his overall sound. Germano would remain in Mellencamp's band until 1994. Germano played a big role in Mellencamp's next LP, 1987's '' The Lonesome Jubilee '', which was departure from his earlier material as it incorporated Country and Folk influences. It generated several more hit singles, "Paper in Fire," "Cherry Bomb" and "Check It Out," along with hit album tracks like "Hard Times For An Honest Man" and "The Real Life," and was considered one of the finest albums of the 1980s. 1989's '' Big Daddy '' was a quieter, mostly acoustic venture that was filled with introspective songs and was indeed the last album to contain the "Cougar" moniker. '' Big Daddy '' was a bit on the somber side but contained standout tunes like "Jackie Brown," "Big Daddy of Them All" and "Void in My Heart." JOHN MELLENCAMP YEARS 1991's '' Whenever We Wanted '' was the first album whose cover was billed to just John Mellencamp. It yielded the Top 40 hits "Get A Leg Up" and "Again Tonight," along with the mainstream rock hits "Love and Happiness" and "Now More Than Ever," and marked Larry Crane's departure from the band, replaced by guitarist David Grissom . In January of 1992, Mellencamp launched the Whenever We Wanted world tour. It marked the first time he was on the road since the Lonesome Jubilee Tour ended in July of 1988. 1993 saw the release of Human Wheels , one of his most critically acclaimed albums, although the stirring title track only peaked at #48 on the Billboard singles charts, a fact that Mellencamp directly attributes to his label's refusal to spend another $30,000 on promotion for the song. Fortunately, he returned to the upper reaches of the charts in 1994, when his quickly-recorded '' Dance Naked '' album yielded his biggest hit since "R.O.C.K in the USA" in 1986 with a jubilant cover of Van Morrison 's "Wild Night" as a duet with Me'Shell NdegeOcello . '' Dance Naked '' also saw Grissom replaced by guitarist Andy York -- still Mellencamp's guitarist to this day -- and contained two catchy protest songs in "L.U.V." and "Another Sunny Day 12/25." Mellencamp returned in 1996 with '' Mr. Happy Go Lucky '', with the aid of dance producer Junior Vasquez . The song "Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)" became his last Top 40 single. Mellencamp left Mercury after '' Mr. Happy Go Lucky ''. Issued a day before his 47th birthday in 1998, his self-titled debut for Columbia Records included the singles "Your Life is Now" and "I'm Not Running Anymore," along with album tracks such as "Eden Is Burning," "Miss Missy," "It All Comes True" and "Chance Meeting At The Trantula." The switch in labels coincided with the talented Dane Clark replacing the legendary Aronoff on drums. In 1999 Mellencamp covered his own tunes as well as those by Bob Dylan and The Drifters for his album '' Rough Harvest '', one of two albums he owed Mercury Records to fulfill his contract (the other was '' The Best That I Could Do '', a best-of collection). The early 21st century found Mellencamp teaming up with artists such as Chuck D and India.Arie to deliver '' Cuttin' Heads '', spawning the radio hit "Peaceful World" -- a duet with India.Arie . He performed "Peaceful World" at The Concert For New York City as well as the 2001 United States Grand Prix and a live acoustic version of the tune was included on the benefit album '' God Bless America ''. Mellencamp embarked on the Cuttin' Heads Tour in the summer of 2001, before the album was even released. He opened each show on this tour with a cover of the Rolling Stones ' "Gimme Shelter." '' Trouble No More '' followed in mid-2003 (see 2003 In Music ) and was a quickly-recorded collection of folks and blues covers by artists such as Robert Johnson , Son House , and Lucinda Williams . The album was also dedicated to Mellencamp's friend, Billboard editor-in-chief Timothy White , who died from a heart attack in 2002. It was Mellencamp's performance of the Robert Johnson song "Stones In My Passway" at a benefit concert for White in October 2002 that led to Columbia Records talking him into recording an album of vintage American songs. Ironically enough, Mellencamp sang the classic gospel/folk song "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" at White's funeral on July 2, 2002. Mellencamp participated in the Vote For Change tour in October of 2004 leading up to the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election . That same month he released the two-disc career hits retrospective "Words and Music," which contained 35 of his radio singles (including all 22 of his Top 40 hits) along with two new tunes, the socially-conscious, R&B tinged single " Walk Tall " along with "Thank You" -- both produced by Babyface but written by Mellencamp. Throughout 2003 and early 2004, Mellencamp's music was frequently heard at campaign rallies for then-presidential candidate John Edwards. The two most frequently heard songs were "Your Life Is Now" and "Small Town," which was Edwards' official campaign song. Mellencamp was also a contributor to Edwards' campaign, contributing $2,000 to his effort in December 2003.
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