- Born
- Nickname
- John Cougar Mellencamp
- Height5′ 7¾″ (1.72 m)
- John Mellencamp was born on October 7, 1951 in Seymour, Indiana, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for The Perfect Storm (2000), Colors (1988) and Footloose (1984). He was previously married to Elaine Irwin, Victoria Granucci and Priscilla Diane Esterline.
- SpousesElaine Irwin(September 5, 1992 - August 12, 2011) (divorced, 2 children)Victoria Granucci(May 23, 1981 - July 7, 1989) (divorced, 2 children)Priscilla Diane Esterline(May 1970 - 1981) (divorced, 1 child)
- ChildrenMichelle Suzanne MellencampJustice MellencampSpeck Mellencamp
- Parents
- RelativesElexis Suzanne Peach(Grandchild)
- Patriotic or working-class songs
- Co-founded Farm Aid (benefitting family farmers) with Neil Young and Willie Nelson.
- Became a grandfather at age 38 when his eldest child, Michelle Mellencamp, had her daughter, Elexis Suzanne Peach, in 1989.
- Johnny Cash considered him one of America's 10 greatest ever songwriters.
- Announced his engagement to 8 year relationship actress Meg Ryan on November 8, 2018.
- Graduated from Vincennes University in 1973 with an associate degree in broadcasting.
- I used to think that eating healthy was ordering a fish sandwich at McDonalds.
- What [Bruce Springsteen] does is a marathon. What we do is a sprint.
- You think I'm an asshole now, you should have seen me when I was drunk.
- [on "Between a Laugh and a Tear"] There's a great line in this song: "I know there's a balance/I see it when I swing past." I suffered severely from panic disorders and anxiety around this time. Still do. I'm also very excitable and get angry very quickly. This was the peak of my success, but I didn't enjoy any of it. I blame it on the fact that I was born with spina bifida. I had one of the first successful operations for it in the world. It meant I had a hole in my spine and all my nerve endings were on the outside of my body. They were all exposed to air, so it's no wonder I go up and down so quickly.
- [on :Crumblin' Down"] Radio was my friend after "Jack & Diane" and "Hurts So Good." I was coming off this huge fucking record, but it wasn't a good one. Very uneven. My task with "Uh-Huh" was to make a more even record and get away from juvenile topics like "Hurts So Good." But I also knew if I wanted to continue, I had to have more hits. "Crumblin' Down" is a very political song that I wrote with my childhood friend George Green. [Ronald Reagan] was president--he was deregulating everything and the walls were crumbling down on the poor. The song was the last one recorded and the first single. It was a hit immediately. I felt like I was pulling the wool over everyone's eyes.
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