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JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP
Born in Seymour, Indiana, in 1951, Mellencamp endured hardships early. He was born with spina bifida, a neural tube defect that could have left him crippled, but he persevered. As a rebellious teenager, he joined his first band at the age of 14. Shortly after his arrival, he signed with manager Tony DeFries, who also managed David Bowie, and garnered a recording contract from MCA. In 1976 he released his debut record, a cover album titled Chestnut Street Incident. Mellencamp continued to work hard on his career, releasing Nothin' Matters and What If It Did in 1980. The Steve Cropper-produced album spawned two Top 30 hits, "This Time" and "Ain't Even Done With the Night." 1983's Uh-Huh peaked at No. 9 with the anthemic "Crumblin' Down," "Authority Song" and the small-town ballad "Pink Houses." Mellencamp's first headlining tour followed. The musician continued to develop his social conscience for his 1985 release, Scarecrow. With his 1987 release, The Lonesome Jubilee, Mellencamp began to explore more of his folk roots, including a fiddle into his arrangements. He continued his exploration of American roots music on 1989's Big Daddy. A major heart attack in late '94 forced the cancellation of a world tour to support Dance Naked. Mellencamp jumped to Columbia Records to record John Mellencamp, which was released in October 1998. The album contains the track "Eden Is Burning," a sequel to the 1982 hit "Jack and Diane."
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