Born in a Small Town: John Mellencamp The Story

By Heather Johnson

Book Overview

(Omnibus Press). Featuring interviews with everyone from childhood friends to band members, producers, and engineers, this is a portrait of the real man who grew up in Indiana and still lives there today a passionate musician and tireless campaigner for the lifestyle and values of the American family farmer. Here then is the complete John Mellencamp story, tracking his progress as he matured from a youthful rocker with a made-up name to a major star with a social conscience. It's an unlikely story but in the end an inspirational one that reveals a remarkable and unique fusion of heartland values and rock 'n' roll stardom.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0825673364
• ISBN13: 9780825673368
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Omnibus Pr & Schirmer Trade Books
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 1.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

A much-needed biography for Mellencamp fans

It is hard to believe that this is the only biography of John "Cougar" Mellencamp written in the last 20 years. This book makes use of a previous biography, American Fool: The Roots and Improbable Rise of John Cougar Mellencamp by Martin Torgoff, but that was published in 1986, before John's most successful era with the "Scarecrow" and "Lonesome Jubilee" and "Big Daddy." Heather Johnson's unauthorized, but nonetheless well-researched biography is based on the Torgoff book, interviews with 25 people over an eight-month period in 2006. These include band members, producers and even Elaine Mellencamp, but not John. There are 4 pages of sources, including magazine, newspaper and TV interview and even a letter Mellencamp wrote to Seymour Daily Tribune when he was in high school. But, the book lacks some credibility without having John's explicit involvement. Positives: Well-researched, as already noted. The author, Heather Johnson, knows her way around the music studio, which is a credit to the book since that is where the music that Mellencamp fans is created and recorded. Wonderfully detailed index. Nice discography, including the unauthorized releases by the Main Man producers after John made it big. Negatives: -When I read "Born In A Small Town" there were times where I wondered if she has actually been to Indiana. She refers to an ancestor (Johann Herman Mollenkamp) that helped organize the White Creek Lutheran Church in Hamilton Township (Jackson County). Well, that church is in Bartholomew County (although not far away). Nitpicky, maybe, but this is a big deal to me because I grew up right in the heart of Mellencamp-land and I went to Indiana University. I learned to skate at the Rok-Sey roller rink (a Mellencamp family businesss where you could request John Cougar songs all night long.) and I can talk about all of the places in Seymour in the "Small Town" video. -She refers to Vincennes, IN as being "nearby" to Seymour, IN (p. 5). Hardly. -She claims John and his band performed 1,000 dates with the Kinks in 8 months in 1980 (p. 41). That would be 4 performances per day, every day. Wow. Also, highly unlikely. -She calls Guns 'N Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin an "Indianian". There is no such word, as any Hoosier will tell you. At times her low-key writing style wears thin - too informal, too many repeated phrases. ********** Okay, despite these nitpicky negatives, I did enjoy the book. Johnson's details about the process of the creation of John's music are interesting. Mellencamp's songs are the soundtrack of my life in a lot of ways. I listened to American Fool, Uh-Huh, Scarecrow and The Lonesome Jubilee so many times that if you play me one of the songs, I can sing it, tell you the album and the songs that precede and follow it. If it is the same with you, go ahead and pick this one up.

A Comprehensive Look at an Enigmatic Musician

Heather Johnson's John Mellencamp bio pulls together an impressive array of Mellencamp musicians and cohorts to paint an interesting portrait of the singer-songwriter. The people that fall in and out of Mellencamp's life at various times bring a range of perspective to the narrative, and Johnson makes sure to balance the various points-of-view. For historical perspective, Johnson utilized a myriad of newspaper and magazine articles (all cited at the book's end). The accumulation of forgotten details will be a treasure-trove for Mellencamp fans, and a revelation to those who only know him from his big hits. In all, over 70 sources were used, and it's fascinating to contrast what writers thought of the 1981-era "John Cougar" with how they viewed the 2001 Mellencamp. Johnson's background in audio sound engineering is put to excellent use in this book, and gives it a unique perspective few other rock books have. The author really shines when describing how Mellencamp and his producers got specific sounds. Ever wonder why Mellencamp blended huge drums with handclaps on "Jack and Diane?" Johnson goes into vivid detail about how serendipity brought that unique sound combination about -- and how that sound helped make the song a hit. If there's any flaw, it's that it leaves you wanting more, but maybe that's the point. Mellencamp says what he has to say in his songs, and this book encourages you to listen to those songs -- which is exactly what a good rock bio should do.