John Cougar Mellencamp

John Cougar Mellencamp began playing rock music as a teenager in rural Indiana. His first hit, “I Need a Lover”, came out in 1979 and soon after, in 1982, his fame was solidified with the successful album American Fool. Following this album, Mellencamp’s songwriting became more serious, and in 1985 he put out the hard-hitting album Scarecrow. Scarecrow spoke to the farm crisis sweeping the United States in the 1980s. Already a star, this album connected Mellencamp to the working class and presented him as a champion of rural America.

John Mellencamp is the second of Farm Aid’s three founding members. Outspoken on the plight of American farmers, Mellencamp had released Scarecrow only months before the conception of Farm Aid. When Willie Nelson was discussing his idea for the concert a friend referred him to Mellencamp.

 “I think that [Scarecrow] sparked Willie’s interest, because there was somebody else already ahead of the curve dealing with the farm crisis.”

Mellencamp, passionate about Farm Aid’s mission, agreed to join the team. He hoped that with the concert they could “make the media and people in this country aware of farmers’ problems” and that “laws would be passed protecting people”. He is still active in Farm Aid every year.