Mellencamp Newsletter: 19 CD Box Set Out December 10

MASSIVE, CAREER-SPANNING BOXED SET OUT DECEMBER 10
John Mellencamp 1978 – 2012, a uniquely comprehensive boxed set collection covering the legendary singer/songwriter’s principal studio albums, will be released by Universal Music Enterprises on December 10. Pre-order now at www.amazon.com or via the Mellencamp.com Store to ensure holiday delivery. The collection consists of a total of 19 CDs originally released over a recording career that spans 35 years.

John Mellencamp 1978- 2012, for the first time, combines in one package, albums Mellencamp recorded as John Cougar, John Cougar Mellencamp and John Mellencamp for Polygram, Universal, Sony and Concord-affiliated labels. The set contains a total of 223 tracks and includes such mythic album titles as American Fool, Lonesome Jubilee, Scarecrow, Cuttin’ Heads and the more recent Life, Death Love and Freedom and No Better Than This. Thirteen of the albums in the collection were RIAA®-certified as Gold, Platinum or Multiplatinum winners while ten of the albums achieved Top Ten status on Billboard’s Top 100 Album Chart. Of special note is the fact that the collection includes the long out-of-print original soundtrack album to Falling From Grace, the Mellencamp-directed film that was a collaboration with noted author Larry McMurty. That disc includes tracks by Mellencamp, Dwight Yoakam, Nanci Griffith, Joe Ely, James McMurtry and John Prine.

John Mellencamp 1978- 2012 includes every one of Mellencamp’s thirty Billboard Top 100 singles, from "I Need A Lover" and "Jack & Diane" to "Pink Houses" and "Rain On The Scarecrow," as well as such classics as "Paper in Fire," "Hurts So Good," "Crumblin’ Down," "Jackie Brown," "Small Town," "Wild Night," "R.O.C.K In The U.S.A.," "Our Country" and, quite literally, all the rest. There are bonus tracks concluding twelve of the albums, sourced from the 2005 re-mastered versions of Mellencamp’s Mercury releases. Mellencamp holds the record for the most tracks (7) by a solo artist to hit the top position on Billboard’s Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart, all of which are, of course, included in John Mellencamp 1978 – 2012.

Never content to rest on his many laurels, Mellencamp has been writing new songs for an album he plans to record early this coming year, once more with T Bone Burnett slated to produce. Visit Mellencamp.com to learn more about the box set.

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JOHN VOICES HIS SUPPORT OF HOMELESS VETERANS
John Mellencamp has added his voice to a campaign launched by VeteransMatter.org to find permanent housing for homeless military veterans. Public service announcements have been airing on radio stations in November.

"There are over 60,000 homeless veterans on the streets of America tonight," said Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee John Mellencamp, "Streets where they have been beaten, robbed, even killed. But if this happened between enemy lines we would be outraged. We must take care of our own."

"The public would rather not know it exists, but it does, it matters. How do you get 60,000 unhoused veterans off the streets? One at a time." adds Dusty Hill, legendary bass player of ZZ Top and also a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"They fought for us, now we fight for them. Veterans Matter works with the HUD and VA (HUD-VASH) program to urgently move veterans off the streets and into permanent housing," explained Kix Brooks, country singer/songwriter, radio host, and one half of Grammy® Award winning duo Brooks & Dunn.

Ken Leslie, founder of Veterans Matter in 2012, explains: "We take a very simple, common sense approach focused on only one thing: getting the heroes off the streets into housing."

Veterans Matter partners with the U.S. Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to bridge the gap facing 8,660 homeless veterans who have already been approved for voucher-assisted housing but are unable to come up with rental deposits to move into their own apartments. These rental deposits average $750. All of the veterans referred to Veterans Matter have already been approved by the VA and HUD for permanent housing, but the rental deposit - which is the final step before a veteran can move into the permanent housing – is not covered by government programs. Veterans Matter covers this shortfall and writes the deposit check directly to the landlords. To date, the Veterans Matter pilot program has housed 140 veterans and their families in 28 cities in four states.

Help say "Welcome Home" to veterans in need by taking action at VeteransMatter.org today. You can listen to John's PSA by visiting Mellencamp.com.

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THE PAINTINGS OF JOHN MELLENCAMP ON EXHIBIT AT THE BUTLER INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN ART
The Butler Institute of American Art is to present the exhibition "The Paintings of John Mellencamp" now through January 12, 2014. This show, which features some forty paintings, some never before seen by the public, is the artist's first art museum exhibition. According to Dr. Louis A. Zona, Director and Curator of the Butler, "In choosing these works, mostly portraits, I am interested in the dialogue between Mellencamp's work and the Butler's more traditional collection of 19th- and 20th-century American art by masters including John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, and Raphael Soyer. John's work is beautifully executed and speaks of themes that are universal. He has very strong opinions, be they sociological or political, which are right up front in these works. They're incredibly fascinating studies" Read the complete press release HERE for more details. We have a number of articles about the show, including several interviews by John, on the Mellencamp.com News page.

The Paintings of John Mellencamp will travel to the Museum of Art-DeLand, Florida, where it will be on view from October 16, 2014 through January 4, 2015. Plans are being finalized for the exhibition to travel to additional museums.

A full-color catalogue with an essay by Hilarie M. Sheets, a contributing editor to ARTnews who writes regularly for The New York Times, will accompany the exhibition. In her essay, Sheets, writes," Mellencamp's "discovery of early 20th-century modernists including Chaim Soutine, Walt Kuhn, and particularly the German Expressionists Otto Dix and Max Beckmann pointed the way toward a visceral, pared down approach to portraiture".

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30TH ANNIVERSARY OF UH-HUH ALBUM
John's classic album Uh-Huh recently celebrated its 30th anniversary (November 8, 1983). Several media outlets published pieces celebrating the impact of that album:

In The Studio with Redbeard, a nationally syndicated radio program, celebrates Uh-Huh as part of their series "The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands." The special which includes music from the album along with an 1983 interview from the time of the albums release, will be airing on radio stations nationwide beginning this week (find your local station) or you can stream the interview portion of the program online HERE, it includes a rare live acoustic version of "Pink Houses".

Radio.com - Not Fade Away: John Mellencamp Reclaims His Name (And Creative Control) With Uh-Huh
Ultimate Classic Rock - 30 Years Ago: John Cougar Mellencamp Releases Uh-Huh
WDRB TV Louisville - People still rock out to Mellencamp tune 30 years later

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MELLENCAMP.COM STORE OFFERS BOX SET + TEE BUNDLES
The Mellencamp.com Official Store is offering two bundles that include both the 19 CD box set John Mellencamp 1978-2012 and either Mens or Ladies version of the Big John Tee at a special price.

BUNDLE PRE-ORDER: John Mellencamp 1978-2012 Box Set & Men's Tee - $154.95

BUNDLE PRE-ORDER: John Mellencamp 1978-2012 Box Set & Ladie's Tee - $154.95

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Thank you for your continued support!!

TonyB & SharonC - The Mellencamp.com Web Team - [email protected]