John Mellencamp

As a 19 year old he had eloped with and married his pregnant girlfriend, Priscilla Esterline. The couple had a daughter. The marriage ended in 1981.

His second marriage was to Victoria Granucci in 1981. The couple divorced in 1989. They have two daughters.

He married again in 1992. He had two sons with his third wife, Elaine Irwin before divorcing her in 2011.

He was born as one of the five children at the home of a father who worked as an executive with a local electronics firm. He had surgery for spina bifida as an infant.

He loved music from a young age and formed his first band, Crepe Soul when he was just 14. He also played with other local bands.

He was an unruly teenager and was not much interested in studies. He became a father shortly after graduating from high school.

He went to Vincennes University in 1972. There he began using drugs and alcohol. In spite of his lack of discipline and drug addiction he managed to graduate in 1974. By this time he had decided to get over his addictions and start anew his life.

He went to New York to pursue a career in music. There he met Tony DeFries who insisted that he adopt the stage name of Johnny Cougar. His first album, ‘Chestnut Street Incident’, a collection of covers, was released under his new stage name in 1976. The album was a failure.

After struggling for the next couple of years, he got his first big hit in 1979 with the song ‘I Need A Lover’ that was featured in his album ‘John Cougar’. The album also had the tracks ‘Miami’ and ‘Small Paradise’.

The year 1982 was a great one for him—his album ‘American Fool’ became his breakthrough. It peaked at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart and became the best-selling album of that year. It had the singles ‘Diane & Jack’ and ‘Hurts So Good’.

‘Scarecrow’ (1985) reached No.2 on the U.S. charts. Three singles from the album became Top 10 hits: ‘R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.’, ‘Lonely Ol’ Night’, and ‘Small Town’.

His 1987 album ‘The Lonesome Jubilee’ was one of his most successful one. It was a tribute to his beloved uncle who had been suffering from cancer and had died during its recording. The soulful album charted worldwide in ten countries.

‘American Fool’ was his breakthrough album which launched his career as a popular rock musician. It was the best-selling album of the year and has achieved multi-platinum status in both the U.S. and Canada—it also peaked at No.1 in both the countries.

His album ‘Scarecrow’ which peaked at No.2 on the U.S. charts was ranked amongst the list of ‘100 greatest albums of the 1980s’ by the ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine. The album had a rustic appeal and was based on the theme of the fading American Dream.