![]() ![]() Mellencamp’s fortunes eventually improved. Mainstream Success: "Jack & Diane" and "Hurts So Good" MCA never released his second album and dropped him from the label, and Mellencamp soon parted ways with DeFries, as well. Derided by critics, Mellencamp was viewed by some as a lesser version of Bruce Springsteen or Bob Seger. The first Johnny Cougar album, Chestnut Street Incident, was released by MCA in 1976, but failed to sell many copies. Mellencamp was not pleased with this decision and would later return to his birth name. DeFries decided to change Mellencamp’s last name to Cougar, believing that it made him more appealing to the record-buying public. After several misfires, the burgeoning musician landed a manager, Tony DeFries, who had worked with the likes of David Bowie. ![]() He recorded several demos of his songs and brought them to New York City to launch his career. Mellencamp enrolled at Indiana's Vincennes University and attempted to gain steady employment before returning to his music. The couple soon welcomed a daughter, Michelle. At the age of 18, Mellencamp eloped with his pregnant 21-year-old girlfriend, Priscilla Esterline. His disciplinarian father, an executive with a local electronics firm, tried to motivate him to pursue athletics and his studies, with little luck. With a rebellious streak, Mellencamp hung out with his friends and partied instead of paying much attention to his schooling. He started playing in a cover band called Crepe Soul in his early teens. Mellencamp, who recovered from neonatal surgery to correct a spinal defect, developed an early interest in music. John Mellencamp was born on October 7, 1951, in Seymour, Indiana. Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the following year, he continues to release new material and tour regularly. 1 track "Jack & Diane," and throughout the decade he cemented his popularity through hits like "Pink Houses and "Small Town." Mellencamp continued churning out music as his sound matured, returning to the spotlight in 2007 with his album Freedom's Road. His breakthrough 1982 album, American Fool, featured the No. He often gave a voice to the American small-town experience in his music - something he knows quite well from his childhood in Indiana. A pop sensation in the 1980s, Mellencamp has evolved into one of rock’s most enduring acts. His lyrical ability can transport the listener from dusty front porch to cramped tenement block from soda bar to jail cell.John Mellencamp began his musical career in the mid-1970s as Johnny Cougar. Americans would call him a ‘heartland rocker’, but that’s just an easy soundbite to throw out and unfairly lumps him in with the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Bob Seger. ![]() But all through the hills and valleys of this fantastic journey, some of the roadside scenery remains constant.Īt his best, Mellencamp is one of the greatest American storytellers, up there with John Steinbeck and Mark Twain. There are the shin-kicking cocky rockers on American Fool the introspective, balladic folk of Big Daddy the down-home fiddles and mandolins that characterise The Lonesome Jubilee. The music has varied wildly in style and, at times, quality. In a recording career of more than 40 years, he has released under many names – Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, John Cougar Mellencamp, plain ol’ John Mellencamp – plus monikers bestowed on him by others (the contrary Lil’ Bastard tag under which he produced his records for a while). ![]()
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