John Mellencamp survived an early phase as a glam rocker to become one of America’s most successful mainstream rock singers of the 1980s and to this very day. Mellencamp’s first chart action came with the single “I Need a Lover” in 1979. He and his band toured constantly, a strategy which paid off in 1982. “American Fool” topped the album charts, while “Hurts So Good” (which earned him a Grammy) and “Jack and Diane” were certified as gold singles. The following year, his chart successes continued with “Uh-Huh” in 1983 and “Scarecrow” in 1985. His straight ahead rock numbers also brought a string of big hits in the late ’80s, such as “Small Town,” “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.,” “Paper in Fire” and “Cherry Bomb.” “Whenever We Wanted” was released in 1991, which recaptured the muscular rock sound of his earlier albums. He made a strong comeback with “Dance Naked” and its Top 10 cover version of Van Morrison’s “Wild Night.” Mellencamp returned in 1996 with “Mr. Happy Go Lucky.” The album spawned the catchy hit single “Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First).” A self-titled album arrived on Columbia in 1998, and “Cuttin’ Heads” followed in 2001. Both have been certified gold. The blues album, “Trouble No More,” was released in 2003. The impressive “Freedom’s Road” appeared in 2007, followed by the T-Bone Burnett-produced “Life Death Love and Freedom” a year later in 2008. In 2010, he released his second collaboration with T-Bone Burnett, the critically-acclaimed “No Better Than This.” He released “Plain Spoken” in 2014. John Mellencamp continues to tour the world.
