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John mellencamp troubled man7/3/2023 ![]() Troye Kinnett’s tinkling keys mesh well with Mellencamp’s scratchy vocals. Clark’s raspy drums start “Sometimes There’s God,” a spiritual song about the times in one’s life where God’s existence seems obvious or completely unfounded. ![]() Self-deprecating lyrics lead into Sturm’s sweet Appalachian violin and just a hint of Country twang. The first single and lead track of the album, “Troubled Man,” opens with the pure beauty of John’s acoustic guitar. Focusing on themes common to previous albums – societal woes, down-and-out character sketches, and his own personal life, Plain Spoken takes the listener on a journey through Mellencamp’s current mindset and where he has found himself after all of these years. Some might almost say he has come full circle with his twenty-second studio album overall, which is a simple, acoustic offering straight from the heart of the legendary rocker. Mellencamp and long time producer and band member T Bone Burnett worked together on this newest album, Plain Spoken, released Septemthe first one in five years. Long standing band members Andy York (acoustic guitar, electric guitar), Mike Wanchic (acoustic guitar, electric guitar), T Bone Burnett (electric guitar), John Gunnell (bass), Dane Clark (drums), Miriam Sturm (violin) and Troye Kinnett (keyboards) work together like a well-oiled machine to make this most recent musical offering a perfect addition to Mellencamp’s portfolio. With thirty Grammy nominations and one win under his belt, he was paramount in bringing fiddles, hammer dulcimers, autoharps, and accordions back into popular music. in the U.S.A,” and has sold over forty-millions albums worldwide, with twenty-two Top 40 Hits in the US alone. He was also one of the founding members of Farm Aid, started in 1985, an organization devoted to raising awareness of the loss of family farms and to keeping homesteaders on their land, helping collect over forty-five-million for the cause.Įmphasizing traditional instrumentation, Mellencamp rose to stardom in the 1980s with hits like “Hurts So Good,” “Jack & Diane,” “Pink Houses,” “R.O.C.K. The play involved greats such as Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow, and Elvis Costello, among others. ![]() Gears always turning, in 2000 Mellencamp teamed up with Horror icon Stephen King to write a musical entitled Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, which debuted in the spring of 2012 at Alliance Theatre in Alliance, GA. He did accept other, less notable roles in Lone Star State of Mind (2002) and After Image (2001). ![]() He told VH1 that he was offered Brad Pitt’s role in Thelma and Louise (1991), but turned it down. A multi-talented man, the Seymour, Indiana native has been involved in not only his own music, but also painting, directing, narration and even acting. He has gone through name changes, band member overhauls, and health problems, rising above it all. With a musical career spanning forty nine of his sixty three years, John Mellencamp has carved a niche for himself in the world of heartland Rock. ![]()
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