John Mellencamp

An American singer-songwriter, John Mellencamp is known for a heartland rock style that emphasizes traditional instrumentation. Born in Seymour, Indiana, he formed his first band, Crepe Soul, as a teenager. After traveling to New York City to seek a record deal, he released his first album, Chestnut Street Incident, under the stage name Johnny Cougar; it sold poorly. His breakthrough came with the 1982 album American Fool, which produced the hits Hurts So Good, a Grammy winner for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, and Jack & Diane. He continued with Uh-Huh, Scarecrow, The Lonesome Jubilee, and Big Daddy. His honors include induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018, and he has received 13 Grammy nominations and won one. He wrote the title song for the 2017 film The Yellow Birds, and Netflix began streaming a 2016 concert from his Plain Spoken Tour in 2018.