John J. Mellencamp, previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American musician, singer-songwriter, painter, actor, and film director. He is known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation. Mellencamp rose to fame in the 1980s while "honing an almost startlingly plainspoken writing style" that, starting in 1982, yielded a string of Top 10 singles, including "Hurts So Good", "Jack & Diane", "Crumblin' Down", "Pink Houses", "Lonely Ol' Night", "Small Town", "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.", "Paper in Fire", and "Cherry Bomb". He has amassed 22 Top 40 hits in the United States. In addition, he holds the record for the most tracks by a solo artist to hit number one on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, with seven. Mellencamp has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, winning one. His latest album of original songs, Sad Clowns & Hillbillies, was released on April 28, 2017.
James McMurtry is an American rock and folk rock/americana singer, songwriter, guitarist, bandleader, and occasional actor. He performs with veteran bandmates Daren Hess, Cornbread and Tim Holt.
Rudolph Frank Moore, known as Rudy Ray Moore, was an American comedian, singer, actor, and film producer. He created the character Dolemite, the pimp from the 1975 film Dolemite and its sequels, The Human Tornado and The Return of Dolemite. The persona was developed during his early comedy records. The recordings often featured Moore delivering profanity-filled rhyming poetry, which later earned Moore the nickname "the Godfather of Rap". Actor and comedian Eddie Murphy portrayed Moore in the 2019 film Dolemite Is My Name.
Carlene Carter is an American country singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter Cash and her first husband, Carl Smith.
Uh-Huh is a 1983 album by John Cougar Mellencamp, a stage name for John Mellencamp. It was Mellencamp's seventh studio album and the first in which he used his real last name. It charted at #9 on the Billboard 200.
Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by American rock and roll artist John Mellencamp. This two-disc set was released October 19, 2004 on the Island and UTV Records labels. It is a retrospective of Mellencamp's career at the time of its release, and features at least one song from each of his studio albums released between 1978's A Biography and 2003's Trouble No More. Two songs, "Walk Tall" and "Thank You", were recorded exclusively for this album. No songs from Mellencamp's 1976 debut album Chestnut Street Incident or 1977's The Kid Inside are represented. Also omitted is Mellencamp's cover of "Without Expression", which was released on his previous compilation album The Best That I Could Do 1978–1988.
"Dark as a Dungeon" is a song written by singer-songwriter Merle Travis. It is a lament about the danger and drudgery of being a coal miner in a shaft mine. It has become a rallying song among miners seeking improved working conditions.
"Wild Night" is a song written by Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and is the opening track on his fifth studio album Tupelo Honey. It was released as a single in 1971 and reached number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" is a classic hit song, a soul ballad, written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. It was first released in 1967 by Sam & Dave on Stax Records.
The Rainbow Theatre, originally known as the Finsbury Park Astoria, is a Grade II*-listed building in Finsbury Park, London. The theatre was built in 1930 as a cinema. It later became a music venue. Today, the building is used by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, an Evangelical church.
No Better Than This is the 21st album by American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp. Produced by T Bone Burnett, the album was released on August 17, 2010. It was recorded at several historic locations throughout the United States. The title track was the album's first single and was sent to multiple radio formats on June 28, 2010.
On the Rural Route 7609 is a box set by rock singer/songwriter John Mellencamp that was released on June 15, 2010. The first part of the title refers to the song "Rural Route" from his 2007 album Freedom's Road and the fact that Mellencamp's music and lifestyle have always been very rural in nature, and 7609 references that the set spans Mellencamp's entire recording career from 1976 to 2009. Said Mellencamp in the set's liner notes: "I started making records in '76, and the most recent track on the collection was done in '09. So Rural Route 7609; it's like an address. I thought it sounded cool."
Live at Shea Stadium: The Concert is the fifth live album as well as a CD and DVD music compilation of songs performed by American singer/songwriter Billy Joel during two concerts at Shea Stadium in New York City on July 16 and 18 of 2008. It was released on March 8, 2011. The film was produced by Jon Small, Joel's former bandmate in the 1960s groups The Hassles and Attila. The film aired on PBS as part of Great Performances.
Larry Crane is an American rock musician and songwriter from Seymour, Indiana. From 1976 until 1991, he appeared alongside John Mellencamp as guitarist and contributor to the arrangements and production of the Mellencamp sound
Performs Trouble No More Live at Town Hall is a live album by singer-songwriter John Mellencamp released on July 8, 2014 on Mercury Records. The album captures Mellencamp's live performance at Town Hall in New York City on July 31, 2003, in which he performed every track from his 2003 Trouble No More covers album as well as several other songs, including his own "Small Town", "Paper in Fire", and "Pink Houses".
Plain Spoken is the 22nd studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp. It was released on September 23, 2014 by Republic Records. Plain Spoken marks the first project of Mellencamp's new lifetime recording contract with Republic Records. The album's cover photo was taken by actress Meg Ryan.
"Cherry Bomb" is a song by American rock singer John Mellencamp. It was released as the second single from Mellencamp's 1987 album entitled The Lonesome Jubilee.
Sad Clowns & Hillbillies is the 23rd studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp. It was released on April 28, 2017 by Republic Records. The album features significant contributions from Carlene Carter, who worked with Mellencamp on Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, his musical collaboration with Stephen King, and Ithaca, the movie he scored for Meg Ryan. Carter opened every show of Mellencamp's 2015–2016 Plain Spoken Tour.
"Pop Singer" is a song by American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, released on April 29, 1989, from Mellencamp's tenth studio album Big Daddy. Mellencamp wrote the song himself, in response to how the music industry was attempting to hide his "real" image, which included adopting one of his previous stage names, Johnny Cougar. The single was moderately successful worldwide, reaching number one in Canada and New Zealand, number eight in Australia, and number 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Roadmaster was an American rock band from Indianapolis, Indiana, that was popular in the Midwest in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They recorded four albums for Village/Mercury Records. Members of the band played for several other successful rock acts with Midwestern roots from the ‘70s to the 1990s.
