- Oktobha 7, 1951
- U-Mellencamp akazange avumele umculo wakhe ukuba usetyenziswe kwiintengiso de wenza isivumelwano ne-Chevrolet ukusebenzisa ingoma yakhe ethi 'Ilizwe Lethu' kwiphulo lentengiso lika-2006. Ukuqiqa kukaMellencamp yayikukuba ukudityaniswa kweshishini lomculo kuye kwanyanzela iingoma ezisemgangathweni ukuba zikhutshwe kumaza omoya, kwaye ukusebenzisa iingoma kwiintengiso kuya kuba yeyona ndlela ilungileyo yokufikelela kubaphulaphuli.
- Umphathi wakhe, uTony DeFries, wamnika igama elithi 'Johnny Cougar.' Waqala ukusebenzisa 'uJohn Cougar Mellencamp' ekuqaleni kwee-80s kwaye ekugqibeleni wayiyeka i-'Cougar.' UDeFries ngumfana ofanayo owakholisa uDavid Jones ukuba atshintshe igama lakhe kuDavid Bowie.
- Ngomnyaka ka 1985, waye wala iLive Aid, kodwa wancedisa ekuququzeleleni ikonsathi yokuqala yoNcedo lweFama, waba ngumdlali wesiqhelo kulo msitho.
- Watshata nomzekelo u-Elaine Irwin ngo-1992, waza waba noonyana ababini kunye naye, u-Hud no-Speck, ngaphambi kokuba bahlukane ngo-2010. Badibana kwisethi yevidiyo yakhe ethi 'Get A Leg Up.'
- Ungumzobi onetalente, kwaye waphantse waba ligcisa. Emva kokuphumelela kwiYunivesithi yaseVincennes, isikolo seminyaka emibini e-Indiana, wathabatha uhambo oluya eNew York ukuya kuhlola i-Art Students League, apho wayecinga ngokuthatha iiklasi ezithile. Kuhambo, walahla iiteyiphu zedemo kwiinkampani zokurekhoda kunye neenkampani zolawulo; phambi kokuba abuyele e-Indiana, wafumana umnxeba ovela kwenye yee-arhente zolawulo ezazifuna ukumqhubela, waze wawuthatha. 'Kumfana oneminyaka engama-21 ubudala osandul' ukuphuma ekholejini, ukungena kwemali bekungcono kunokuphuma kwemali,' utshilo.
Akazange anikezele ekupeyinteni - omnye wemizobo yakhe ujinga kwiNdlu yeRhuluneli e-Indiana. - Wazalwa ene-Spina bifida, imeko apho umnqonqo ungakhiwanga ngokupheleleyo. Ngelo xesha, uninzi lwabantwana abazalwa ngolo hlobo abazange baphile ixesha elide, kodwa uMellencamp wayengomnye wabantwana abane abaye benza utyando lovavanyo kwiSibhedlele saBantwana saseRiley e-Indianapolis, esasindisa ubomi bakhe (abanye abathathu abazange baphumelele).
Wayengazi ngayo yonke le nto de wayeneminyaka eli-11 ubudala kwaye umntwana wesikolo walatha inxeba elikhulu elalisemva entanyeni yakhe. Uyise wachaza ukuba wayenziwe utyando eselusana, kodwa akazange enze nto inkulu ngalo. Imeko ayizange imgcine ngaphandle kweMfazwe yaseVietnam, njengoko yamkhulula kuyilo. - Ngoxa wayekwishumi elivisayo, uMellencamp wayenemvukelo, ngokufuthi engena engxakini nomthetho. Wenza ibhendi yakhe yokuqala eneminyaka eyi-14, kwaye waqhubeka edlala kuyo yonke iminyaka yakhe yeshumi elivisayo. Xa wayeneminyaka eyi-18, wahlukana noPriscilla Esterline, intombi yakhe ekhulelweyo, kwaye wazama ukuxhasa intsapho yakhe ngokusebenza uthotho lwemisebenzi eblue-collar. Xa wayeneminyaka engama-24 ubudala, wagqiba kwelokuba afudukele kwisiXeko saseNew York aze azame ukungena kushishino lomculo.
U-Esterline wayeneminyaka engama-24 xa babetshata - wayekhulile kubudlelwane, enomsebenzi, imoto, kunye nesidanga sasekholeji. Wenza uninzi lomsebenzi wokukhulisa intombi yabo, uMichelle. 'Ndandingengomzali kakhulu ngelo xesha,' utshilo uMellencamp. >> Ingcebiso ngetyala :
UStevie Lee-WSFR, Louisville, KY - Uphumelele ngo-1972 kwisikolo samabanga aphakamileyo iSeymour eIndiana. Waqhubela phambili waya kwiYunivesithi yaseVincennes eVincennes, eIndiana (ekufuphi nomlambo iWabash) ukuze enze isidanga kwezosasazo. Wayehambahamba enganxibanga zihlangu edlala isiginci sakhe enganxibanga shirts. >> Ingcebiso ngetyala :
Pete - Louisville, KY - Ukubhala iingoma yinto awayifundayo ekuhambeni kwexesha. 'Andizange ndifune ukubhala iingoma,' watsho kweyakhe Kuthethwa Ngokucacileyo IDVD. 'Sifuna ntoni omnye umbhali weengoma? Andizange ndibonakalise mdla okanye amandla okuba ngumqambi weengoma xa ndandiqala ukwenza iirekhodi.'
- Ngo-1988, waba ngutatomkhulu eneminyaka engama-37 xa intombi yakhe eneminyaka eli-18 ubudala, uMichelle, wayenentwazana.
- Ngo-2008, wangeniswa kwiRock and Roll Hall of Fame kunye noDave Clark Five, iVentures, uLeonard Cohen kunye noMadonna. >> Ingcebiso ngetyala :
UBertrand - eParis, eFransi - Wayenobudlelwane obuphikisana nabazali bakhe, kodwa wayesondelene kakhulu nogogo wakhe, owayembiza ngokuba nguBuddy, kungekhona uJohn. Yonke imihla, wayedla ngokuthi kuye, 'Ungoyena mfana unethamsanqa, umhle, neyona nkwenkwe inobuchule emhlabeni.'
- Iminyaka yoo-'90 yayilishumi leminyaka elalahlekayo likaMellencamp, njengoko wayecatshukiswe lishishini kwaye wayengenalo ukusebenzisa iindlela zomculo ezikhulayo: ihip-hop kunye negrunge. 'Ndandizama ukwenza okuncinane kangangoko ndinako,' watsho Amatye agiqekayo , esongezelela ngelithi, 'Iingxelo zam zazipeyintwa ngamanani.'
- Ungumbhali wengoma oqaphelayo, ngoko akafane abhale ngaye. Ukwayifihla intsingiselo yazo yokwenene. 'Iingoma zam ezininzi, kufuneka uzifunde phakathi kwemigca,' utshilo Kuthethwa Ngokucacileyo . 'Ukuba awukwazi ukufunda phakathi kwemigca, akufanele uphulaphule iingoma zam, kuba andikho empumlweni.'
- Wenze intetho yokuqala kwaye wafumana isidanga sembeko kwiDyunivesithi yaseIndiana ngoMeyi 6, 2000.
- Ngo-1996, i-John Mellencamp Pavilion yavula kwikhampasi yeYunivesithi yase-Indiana e-Bloomington, apho wenza ikhaya lakhe. UMellencamp wenze umnikelo omkhulu kule projekthi (exelwe kwi-1.5 yezigidi zeedola), esetyenziselwa imidlalo, hayi umculo.
- Waseka esakhe isitudiyo sokurekhoda, iBelmont Mall, kwilokishi engabandakanywanga eBrown County, eIndiana. Kukhuselekile ukuthi, iphumile kwindlela ebethiweyo. Ukuba ubonile uTim Burton Batman bhanyabhanya, xa uBatman ekhokela uVicki Vale, odlalwa nguKim Basinger, etyhutyha amahlathi ukuya emqolombeni welulwane - yiloo nto iqhuba ukuya estudio ifana,' uxela uDavid Masciotra, owamenywa kwikompon emva kokupapasha incwadi yakhe. Mellencamp: American Troubadour . 'Ukule ndlela imxinwa kakhulu, yasemaphandleni ejikelezwe ngamahlathi, kwaye andazi ukuba bekunokwenzeka ntoni ukuba bekukho iimoto ezizayo kuba yenye yezona ndlela zimxinwa endakha ndahamba ngazo. Kwaye ke ujike ube yindlela encinci yokuqhuba kwaye yile nto nje ithobekileyo, indlu eluhlaza awayiguqulela kwisitudiyo sokurekhoda kwi-1980s.'
