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John Mellencamp

American Rock Singer-Songwriter, Musician known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock

American Rock Singer-Songwriter, Musician known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock

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John Mellencamp Biography

John Cougar Mellencamp was a pop sensation in the 1980s and is known as one of rock’s most enduring acts.

In Mellencamp's early career, he recorded several demos of his songs and eventually moved to New York City to launch his career. In 1976, he landed a manager, Tony DeFries, who worked with the likes of David Bowie. DeFries decided to change Mellencamp’s last name to Cougar, believing that it make him more appealing to the record-buying public. Mellencamp was not pleased with this decision and would later return to his birth name.

After losing his original manager and being dropped from his record label, Mellencamp’s fortunes soon improved. In 1979, he had his first hit, “I Need a Lover,” off his John Cougar album released that year. His next effort, Nothing Matters and What If It Did had two successful singles, “This Time” and “Ain’t Even Done With the Night.”

Mellencamp’s biggest career breakthrough came in 1982 with the chart-topping album American Fool. His ode to a young couple in middle America, “Jack and Diane,” reached the top of the pop charts. For “Hurts So Good,” another hit from the album, Mellencamp won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance.

The following year, Mellencamp had another hit with Uh-Huh. The album had three successful singles, “Crumblin’ Down,” “Pink Houses” and “Authority Song.” After years of being panned by critics, Mellencamp started to win them over with such recordings as Scarecrow. The plight of the family farmer was a subject especially close to his heart, having been one of the co-founders of Farm Aid, an organization dedicated to supporting American family farms. Working with Willie Nelson and Neil Young, Mellencamp helped organize the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 and has worked actively on the charity’s behalf ever since.

Mellencamp continued to mature as an artist with his next recording, The Lonesome Jubilee, which featured some experimentation with a more folk rock sound. Three tracks from the album—“Paper in Fire,” “Cherry Bomb,” and “Check It Out”—reached the top 20 of the pop charts.

With Dance Naked, Mellencamp made a triumphant return to the pop singles charts with a duet with Meshell Ndegéocello. Their hit, “Wild Night,” was a cover of a song by Van Morrison. That same year, Mellencamp had to cancel his tour plans after suffering a heart attack. This health crisis led to some changes in his lifestyle.

Trying out some hip-hop beats, Mellencamp worked with dance music producer Junior Vasquez on Mr. Happy Go Lucky. He later experimented with the blues for 2003’s Trouble No More.

After a few years away from the recording studio, Mellencamp returned with Freedom’s Road, which reached as high as No. 5 on the album charts.

In 2008, Mellencamp was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His 2008 album, Life, Death, Love and Freedom, was released to stellar reviews and a strong showing on the album charts.

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FAQs on booking John Mellencamp

  • How do I book John Mellencamp to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like John Mellencamp for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for John Mellencamp, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for John Mellencamp or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for John Mellencamp

    Speaking fees for John Mellencamp, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book John Mellencamp are for live events and for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire John Mellencamp, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does John Mellencamp speak about?

    John Mellencamp is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Arts & Humanities, Entertainment, Health and Wellness, Speakers by Industry.
  • Where does John Mellencamp travel from?

    John Mellencamp generally travels from an undisclosed location, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is John Mellencamp’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like John Mellencamp for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book John Mellencamp for your next private or corporate function.
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    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host John Mellencamp or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
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    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

John Mellencamp is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book John Mellencamp for your event is available upon request. John Mellencamp generally travels from and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are The Wallflowers, Rick Springfield, Steve Miller Band, Little Dragon and Kansas. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling John Mellencamp for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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