American singer, songwriter, and musician John Mellencamp has a $30 million fortune. John Cougar Mellencamp is another moniker he’s gone by. He became well-known in the 1980s for his work in “heartland rock.” More than 60 million of Mellencamp’s recordings have been sold globally throughout the course of his career, with over half of those sales occurring in the United States.
Early Life
On October 7, 1951, Mellencamp entered this world in Seymour, Indiana. The infant he was, he had surgery to fix the spina bifida he was born with. At 14, he started his first band, Crepe Soul. He studied at Vincennes University and performed with several area ensembles. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he admitted that he had taken narcotics and alcohol at this time. He became sober, finished college, and moved to New York to try to sign a record deal.
John Mellencamp’s Net Worth
An estimated $30 million is John Mellencamp’s wealth. John Mellencamp, who rose to fame as a pop star in the ’80s, has become one of rock’s most enduring acts and is well respected for giving a powerful musical voice to the everyday lives of ordinary people in smaller communities. Album sales, gigs, and streaming services account for the bulk of his income.
Real Estate
Mellencamp resides on the beaches of Lake Monroe, just five miles outside of Bloomington, Indiana. During the offseason, he retreats to his vacation house on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina. Mellencamp owns a 1,800-square-foot loft in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood dedicated to his artistic endeavors.
John purchased a six-acre lot for $2.45 million in Santa Barbara, California in 2020. Subsequently that year, he did some minor repairs and put the house on the market for $4.5 million.
Early Career
Mellencamp spent 1974 and 1975 bouncing between Indiana and New York City, playing gigs wherever he could in an effort to find an audience receptive to his music. Tony DeFries, of MainMan Management, took notice of him. At his manager’s suggestion, he went by Johnny Cougar when releasing his debut album, Chestnut Street Incident.
The CD featured mostly cover versions of popular songs along with a few original compositions. As a result, album sales were dismal, coming in at just over 12,000. In 1977, Mellencamp recorded an album titled “The Kid Inside,” but the album was never released because of DeFries’s decision (DeFries would eventually go on to release the album in 1983, only after Mellencamp had achieved global stardom.) Mellencamp was seen by Billy Gaff, who also manages Rod Stewart, and signed to the label Riva Records.
Mellencamp moved to London for over a year at Gaff’s urging to make and promote the 1978 album “A Biography.” The song “I Need a Lover” was a top-five smash in Australia, despite the album not being distributed in the United States. A pair of Mellencamp singles made the top 40 in 1980: “This Time” and “Ain’t Even Done with the Night.”
John Mellencamp’s Accomplishments
- He was nominated for 13 Grammy Awards.
- His latest album, Sad Clowns & Hillbillies was released on April 28, 2017.
- On March 10, 2008, Mellencamp’s name was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
- Besides music, he also tried his hand at acting. His work includes: Falling from Grace, Madison, After Image, and Lone Star State of Mind.
- He won a Grammy in 1983 for Best Male Rock Performer for “Hurts So Good.”
- Mellencamp was also awarded the Nordoff-Robbins Silver Clef Special Music Industry Humanitarian Award in 1991; the Billboard Century Award in 2001; and Woody Guthrie Award in 2003.
- In 2007, he won the ASCAP Foundation Champion Award.
- Besides album sales, Mellencamp also earns around $653,595 from endorsements and sponsorships. His yearly income is estimated to be $2.9 million.
- John Mellencamp’s albums and songs are major hits among fans. In fact, he serves as an inspiration to many artists like Doug McClymont and Lilly Wei.
- To promote his latest album, Mellencamp went on a Sad Clowns & Hillbillies tour, which started on June 5, 2017, and ended on September 3, 2017, in Canfield, OH.
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Breakthrough
Mellencamp’s breakout album, “American Fool,” was out in 1982. His four-week No. 1 single “Jack & Diane” was included on this album, along with the timeless classic “Hurts So Good.” The male rock vocal performance of “Hurts So Good” went on to win a Grammy. Given his commercial achievements, he was able to legally use his given name, Mellencamp, as part of his stage name.
Accordingly, in 1983, John Cougar Mellencamp released “Uh-Huh,” a Top 10 album that yielded Top 10 songs “Pink Houses,” “Crumblin’ Down,” and “Authority Song.” Mellencamp began each night of his album tour by performing a cover of a song he had adored as a child. His 1985 album “Scarecrow” reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and produced five top 40 singles, including the timeless classic “Small Town” (he has performed it at many political events over the years.)
Before opening his own studio in Belmont, Indiana, he recorded “Scarecrow,” his debut album. In 1987, he released another album titled “The Lonesome Jubilee.” With the release of 1989’s Big Daddy, he officially retired the “Cougar” moniker and began going by just “John Mellencamp” onstage.
“Wherever We Wanted” was Mellencamp’s first album of 1991. The album produced five singles that charted in the Top 40 and received heavy play on the radio. The title track from his 1993 album “Human Wheels” reached No. 48 on the charts.
As far back as 1994, John Mellencamp covered Van Morrison’s “Wild Night” for his CD “Dance Naked.” He gained a whole new audience and his biggest success in years as a result of this. The highest position it reached on the Hot 100 was #3. Despite agreeing to record four albums for Columbia Records in 1997, Mellencamp only released three.
More than 40 million copies of his records have been sold around the world since his debut. Furthermore, he has had 22 songs that peaked in the Top 40 in the United States. One Grammy was awarded to him, and he was nominated for 12 more.
He is the solo artist with the most number-one hits on Billboard’s Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks list. In 2008, he was honored by being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted him in June 2018. Mellencamp’s official social media platforms stated in February 2020 that he is working on new material in his Belmont Mall studio.
Personal Life
Mellencamp’s three marriages and five kids are proof of his success. At the tender age of 18, he wed Priscilla Esterline, who was already pregnant. Six months after completing high school, he became a parent. Mellencamp became a grandfather at the age of 37 when his daughter Michelle had her first child at the age of 18. They officially ended their marriage in 1981.
From 1981 through 1989, Mellencamp was wed to Victoria Granucci. In September 1992, he wed model Elaine Irwin; they officially split up in 2011. He’s also been linked to actor Meg Ryan in the past. After splitting up in the ’90s, they got back together and got engaged in November of 2018.
Once again, they confirmed in November 2019 that they were no longer engaged. Also in the fall of 2015, he was briefly linked to the former supermodel Christie Brinkley. It was announced in April 2020 that Mellencamp was seeing Jamie Sherrill, a skincare expert. Teddi Jo Mellencamp, one of John’s kids, is a reality TV personality who has been featured on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
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