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John Mellencamp recently confirmed a landmark collaboration with Turner Classic Movies, taking on the celebrated role of guest programmer for two nights on the network. He is continuing to work with TCM on numerous projects together, including a tour sponsorship—the first sponsorship in all John’s years of touring.
Legends of Rock: John Mellencamp, a permanent exhibition at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, opened last year. There, Mellencamp confirmed his massive “Live and In Person 2023” which is currently on the road until late June.
A new, hardcover biography written by seasoned music writer Paul Rees, titled Mellencamp, was released this September and features exclusive interviews and never-before-told stories.
A self-curated Coffee Table Art book of Mellencamp’s work, John Mellencamp: Paintings and Assemblages, is out now via Rizzoli New York.
In the fall of 2021 John came together with Bruce Springsteen to duet for the first time on the single and video “Wasted Days,” the first single from John’s “Strictly A One Eyed Jack” LP. The single was heralded by critics with NPR Music describing the song as “an implicit message about making the most of the years, months and minutes we’ve got left.”
A reissue of his seminal album Scarecrow is out now to critical praise, and features a wealth of bonus tracks, rarities and more.
John also continues to focus on another facet of his artistic expression: painting. His style has progressed over the years as evidenced by several museum, and gallery exhibits and published portfolios, and in recent years he has increased his output by completing over 300 new works. He has had exhibitions with Miles Davis in LA, solo exhibitions at the famed Butler Museum in Youngstown, Ohio, the Museum of Art in Deland, Florida and several at ACA Galleries in New York City including Binding Wires, the two-man exhibition featuring works by John and Robert Rauschenberg. John’s most recent exhibition, “John Mellencamp Paintings and Assemblages,” at the Loveland Museum, in Loveland, Colorado ended February 12th. Currently, John’s Gibson guitar with “Fuck Fascism” written on the front is on loan to the Woody Guthrie Museum for their exhibit “Folk the Vote, Music and Politics.”
The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, a musical with music and lyrics by John Mellencamp, a libretto by author Stephen King. The musical saw two national tours, and has now partnered with Broadway Licensing. Mellencamp is resuming production and rehearsals of his original play Jack & Diane, directed by Kathleen Marshall, written by Naomi Wallace and produced by Scott Landis and Federal Films.
The unique instrumentation of John’s band and his poignant songs about everyday life in the American heartland are widely credited with being the forbearer of the Americana/No Depression genre of rural-inflected music. Mellencamp continues his journey as the walking embodiment of heartland rock: passionate, plain-spoken and a self-proclaimed rebel.
John Mellencamp continues to live and work in Bloomington, Indiana. He is the father of three daughters, Michelle, Teddi Jo and Justice and two sons, Hud and Speck.
