John Mellencamp Net Worth 2022: Early Life, Personal Life And Career!

John Mellencamp Net Worth: Rock artist John Mellencamp specializes in heartland rock, a subgenre of rock music that uses traditional instruments. He is a very popular musician who has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and has the most No. 1 songs for a solo artist with seven on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks.

He had always had a passion for music, and at the age of 14, he started his first band. He also participated in several other regional bands. He developed an addiction to drugs and alcohol as a child, and at age 19 he even became a parent!

The young man came to realize what was going on, resolved to make a change, and abandoned his previous way of life. His early years as a musician were difficult, and his self-titled debut album, which he recorded under the stage name Johnny Cougar, was a commercial flop.

He was able to score a few average successes during the ensuing years, but his breakthrough success came with the album “American Fool,” which propelled him to stardom. His works are not only well-liked and financially successful but also highly regarded by critics. He is a painter as well as a musician, and frequently presents his paintings at exhibitions.

John Mellencamp Early Life

On October 7, 1951, Mellencamp was born in Seymour, Indiana. He underwent corrective surgery as a newborn due to the spina bifida that he was born with. At the age of 14, he started the Crepe Soul band. He participated in several regional bands while attending Vincennes University.

He said that he misused drugs and alcohol during this period of the interview with Rolling Stone. He woke up, finished college, and moved to New York City to sign a record deal.

John Mellencamp’s Personal Life

Mellencamp has five kids from three different marriages. He married Priscilla Esterline, who was pregnant, while he was only 18 years old. Six months after graduating from high school, he became a father. At the age of 18, his daughter Michelle also gave birth, making Mellencamp a grandfather at the age of 37.

In 1981, he and Priscilla were divorced. From 1981 through 1989, Mellencamp was wed to Victoria Granucci. Elaine Irwin, a model, was his wife from September 1992 until their divorce in 2011. He has also been romantically linked to Meg Ryan in the past.

After breaking up in the 1990s, the couple reconciled and got engaged in November 2018. In November 2019, they officially announced that they had ended their engagement and split up again. In the fall of 2015, he was also briefly linked to former supermodel Christie Brinkley.

It was revealed that Mellencamp was dating Jamie Sherrill, a skincare expert, in April 2020. Teddi Jo Mellencamp, a reality television star who has appeared on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” is one of John’s daughters. Check out the net worths of Alan Jackson and Young Jeezy.

John Mellencamp Career

In quest of an audience open to his sound, Mellencamp performed wherever he could between Indiana and New York City between 1974 and 1975. Tony DeFries of MainMan Management took notice of him. On the advice of his manager, Johnny Cougar was the name under which his debut record, “Chestnut Street Incident,” was published.

There were a few original songs on the album in addition to the covers. The record barely sold 12,000 copies, making it a commercial flop. In 1977, he finished recording “The Kid Inside,” but DeFries opted not to release it, and Mellencamp was fired from the label (DeFries would eventually go on to release the album in 1983, only after Mellencamp had achieved global stardom.)

Billy Gaff, Rod Stewart’s manager, noticed John Mellencamp and signed him to the Riva Records label. Mellencamp moved to London at Gaff’s urging so he could record, promote, and tour in support of 1978’s “A Biography.”

Although the album was not made available in the United States, “I Need a Lover” became a top-five success there. The top 40 singles “This Time” and “Ain’t Even Done with the Night” were both released by Mellencamp in 1980.

Breakthrough

“American Fool,” Mellencamp’s seminal album, was released in 1982. His timeless songs “Hurts So Good” and “Jack & Diane,” which were at No. 1 for four continuous weeks, were included on this album. It went on to win a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for “Hurts So Good.”

He had enough influence after these commercial achievements to change his stage name to include his true last name, Mellencamp. As a result, John Cougar Mellencamp issued “Uh-Huh” in 1983, a Top-10 album that gave rise to the top 10 singles “Pink Houses,” “Crumblin’ Down,” “Authority Song,” and other songs like “Pink Houses.”

Mellencamp opened his concerts on the record tour by performing covers of songs he loved as a kid. He published “Scarecrow” in 1985; it reached No. 2 and produced five top 40 singles, including “Small Town,” which has since become one of his most recognizable songs (he has performed it at many political events over the years.)

His first album, “Scarecrow,” was recorded at his home studio in Belmont, Indiana. “The Lonesome Jubilee,” his subsequent album, was released in 1987. His 1989 album “Big Daddy” included the last appearance of the moniker “Cougar,” after which he stopped using it and simply performed as John Mellencamp.

1991 was launched by Mellencamp with the release of “Wherever We Wanted.” Five Top 40 songs were produced by the album, which also had a lot of radio play. His 1993 album “Human Wheels” peaked at No. 48 with the title single.

On his “Dance Naked” CD from 1994, Mellencamp covered Van Morrison’s “Wild Night.” It led to his best success in several years and introduced him to a new group of followers. On the Hot 100, the song peaked at number three. Mellencamp signed a four-album contract with Columbia Records in 1997, but only produced three for the company.

Over 40 million albums have since been sold globally thanks to Mellencamp. He has also had 22 U.S. Top 40 hits. He has received 12 Grammy Award nominations and one Grammy Award itself. He has the most solo tracks to reach the top spot on the Hot Mainstream Rock Track chart.

In 2008, he was admitted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was admitted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in June 2018. Mellencamp’s official social media platforms announced in February 2020 that a new album is being recorded at his studio in the Belmont Mall.

John Mellencamp – Pink Houses (Live at Farm Aid 1987) https://t.co/m2pYKjlsMh @YouTube pic.twitter.com/LIEvG746yB

— John (@John53493647) October 13, 2022

Other Ventures

John was a founding member of Farm Aid, an organization that promotes family farms and generates funds for them. Since 1985, Farm Aid has hosted a yearly concert that has brought in more than $45 million.

The movies “Falling from Grace,” “Madison,” “After Image,” and “Lone Star State of Mind” all featured him. The part that Brad Pitt performed in “Thelma and Louise” was declined by him. Mellencamp is a talented and enthusiastic painter who has published books of his works. Many shows across the nation have shown his paintings and drawings.

John Mellencamp’s Net Worth

American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp has a 30 million dollar net worth. Additionally, he has gone by the name John Cougar Mellencamp. He became well-known in the 1980s for his skill in the “heartland rock” subgenre. Throughout his career, Mellencamp has sold more than 60 million records, with over half of those sales taking place in the US.

Real Estate

On the banks of Lake Monroe, five miles west of Bloomington, Indiana, Mellencamp resides. On South Carolina’s Daufuskie Island, he has a holiday property. Mellencamp bought a 1,800-square-foot loft in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood, which he utilizes as a studio.

John invested $2.45 million at the beginning of 2020 to purchase a 6-acre parcel in Santa Barbara, California. He put the house for sale for $4.5 million later the same year after performing a minor makeover.

Final Lines