Mellencamp : an American troubadour / David Masciotra.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Masciotra, David, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rock musicians--United States--Biography.

Rock musicians.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (302 pages)

Edition:

Updated edition.

Place of Publication:

Lexington, Kentucky : University Press of Kentucky, 2022.

Summary:

John Mellencamp's numerous hits, awards, and recognitions--including his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame--puts him in such celebrated company as Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, and Bob Dylan. In Mellencamp , David Masciotra explores the life and career of this important talent, persuasively arguing for his space among the most distinguished songwriters of our time. Beginning with Mellencamp's modest start in Seymour, Indiana, Masciotra details the artist's road to fame, examines his struggles with the music industry, and celebrates the success he found by remaining true to his midwestern roots. With themes that range from small-town life, race, and religion to poverty and the struggles of adulthood, Mellencamp's songs remain central to the social and historical context of contemporary America. Acting as an artistic archivist, he has never forgotten the hardships faced by workers and Black Americans, and in line with his tributes to 1960s rock and Americana folk, he tells a story his audience and his country need to hear. From a cultural critic whose work has also appeared in the Washington Post, Atlantic , and Los Angeles Review of Books , this thoughtful analysis--now with a new foreword describing the author's interview with Mellencamp at his private recording studio in Nashville, Indiana--highlights four decades of the artist's music, showing how it has consistently elevated the dignity of everyday people, and spanned the genres of folk, soul, and rock and roll to amplify the struggle of democracy.

Contents:

Cover

Halftitle page

Title page

Copyright page

Dedication

Contents

Foreword The Same Old Trouble

Introduction No Pop Singer

1 Thundering Hearts

2 Holding Hands Meant Something

3 Get a Leg Up

4 Eden Is Burning

5 Blues from the Front Porch

6 Big Daddy of Them All

7 Don't Need This Body

8 The Lonesome Jubilee

9 Here in the Melting Pot

10 Winners and Losers

11 Freedom of Speech

12 Fighting Authority

Conclusion Rock 'n' Roll

Acknowledgments

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Previous edition: 2015.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print record.

Other Format:

Print version: Masciotra, David Mellencamp

ISBN:

9780813195582

OCLC:

1309062304