Certified to work with:
1. Enter Your Phone Number
Certified to work with:
Minimum age restrictions apply. You must be 18 or older in order to participate in the following states: Florida.
About John Mellencamp
Throughout his career, John Mellencamp has had to fight, whether it was for the right to record under his own name or for respect as an artist. Of course, he never made it easy on himself. Mellencamp began his career in the late '70s as a Bruce Springsteen clone called Johnny Cougar. As his career progressed, his music became more distinctive, developing into a Stonesy blend of hard rock and folk-rock. His musical development coincided with his growth in popularity -- by the time "Hurts So Good" and "Jack and Diane" became hits in 1982, Mellencamp had created his own variation of the heartland rock of Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Bob Seger. While he had the record sales, it took several years before rock critics took him seriously. For some artists, this would be easy to ignore, but Mellencamp had the desire to be a serious social commentator, chronicling the times and trials of Midwestern baby boomers. Scarecrow, released in 1985, fulfilled his wish of being taken serious, and every record he released after it was greeted warmly by critics. Furthermore, he sustained his popularity into the late '90s, only occasionally experiencing dips in record sales.nA prolonged, acclaimed career seemed an impossibility when Mellencamp released his first album under the name Johnny Cougar in 1976. As a child in Seymour, IN, Mellencamp had suffered a number of setbacks, including being born with a neural tube defect called spina bifida that necessitated a lengthy hospitalization as a baby. As a teenager, he was rebellious, often getting in trouble with the law. He formed his first band at the age of 14, and continued to play throughout his teens. When he was 17, he eloped with Priscilla Esterline, his pregnant girlfriend, and proceeded to try to support his family by working a series of blue-collar jobs. By the time he was 24, he had decided to move to New York City to attempt to break into the music industry.nIn New York, Mellencamp became a client of David Bowie's manager, Tony DeFries, who signed him to a lucrative deal with Mainman/MCA. Mellencamp recorded an album of covers called Chestnut Street Incident. Upon receiving the finished album in 1976, he was infuriated to learn that DeFries had billed the singer as Johnny Cougar. Chestnut Street Incident was a bomb and MCA immediately dropped the singer. The fiasco of his first album was enough to sour Mellencamp toward the industry for the remainder of his career. Two years later, he signed with Riva Records, releasing A Biography (1978) to little attention. However, Johnny Cougar (1979) spawned the Top 40 hit "I Need a Lover," which also became an AOR hit for Pat Benatar a few years later. Steve Cropper produced 1980's Nothin' Matters and What If It Did, which contained the Top 30 hits "This Time" and "Ain't Even Done with the Night."nMellencamp's next album, 1982's American Fool, became his breakthrough, both commercially and musically. More focused than his earlier records, American Fool rocketed to number one on the strength of the number two hit "Hurts So Good" and the number one single "Jack & Diane," both of which were supported by videos that became MTV favorites. The success of American Fool meant that he could add "Mellencamp" to his stage name, and 1983's Uh-Huh became the first album credited to John Cougar Mellencamp. Uh-Huh was released while American Fool was still high on the charts, and it became a hit, peaking at number nine and generating the Top Ten hits "Crumblin' Down" and "Pink Houses," as well as the Top 15 "Authority Song." He supported the album with his first headlining tour.nWhile he had commercial success, Mellencamp made his bid for critical acclaim with his next album, 1985's Scarecrow. Scarecrow displayed a greater social conscious and musical eclecticism, resulting in his best-reviewed -- as well as his biggest -- album to date. Peaking at number two, Scarecrow generated the Top Ten singles "Lonely Ol' Night," "Small Town," and "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." Following the release of Scarecrow, Mellencamp became an outspoken advocate of the American farmer, organizing Farm Aid with Willie Nelson and Neil Young. He also became known for his anti-corporate stance, refusing to accept tour sponsorship offers from beer and tobacco companies. nMellencamp continued to explore social commentary and new musical avenues with 1987's The Lonesome Jubilee. Featuring a distinct Appalachian folk and country influence, The Lonesome Jubilee was a melancholy elegy for the forgotten middle America, and while it was more adventurous than its predecessors, it was another hit, peaking at number six and generating the hits "Paper in Fire," "Cherry Bomb," and "Check It Out." Mellencamp continued to explore American roots music on Big Daddy (1989). While the album received generally good reviews and peaked at number seven, it failed to produce a big single. Two years later, he returned with Whenever We Wanted, which was another moderate hit, peaking at number 17. Human Wheels (1993) received some of Mellencamp's strongest reviews, yet the record didn't generate a hit single and quickly fell down the charts after debuting at number seven.nMellencamp bounced back into the Top Ten in 1994, when his duet with Me'Shell NdegéOcello on Van Morrison's "Wild Night" peaked at number three. Its accompanying album, Dance Naked, became his biggest album since Big Daddy, going gold months after its release. Mellencamp planned to support the album with an extensive tour, but he suffered a major heart attack in late 1994 that necessitated its cancellation. Mellencamp spent 1995 recuperating, re-emerging in 1996 with Mr. Happy Go Lucky. Produced by Junior Vasquez and demonstrating a slight dance influence, Mr. Happy Go Lucky was greeted with positive reviews and featured the minor hit single "Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)," which helped the album go gold. The album was his last for longtime label Mercury, and he moved to Columbia for 1998's John Mellencamp. Rough Harvest, a collection of unreleased material, appeared a year later. nCuttin' Heads, his second album for Columbia and 20th overall, followed in 2001 and spawned a radio hit with "Peaceful World," featuring neo-soul singer India.Arie on backing vocals. Also in 2001, he won the Billboard Century Award for creative achievement. Inspired by his performance of Robert Johnson's "Stones in My Passway" at an October 2002 tribute concert for the late music journalist Timothy White, Mellencamp recorded a covers album, Trouble No More, in 2003. It was released that summer and topped the Billboard blues chart. The impressive Freedom's Road appeared in 2007, followed by the T Bone Burnett-produced Life Death Love and Freedom a year later in 2008. An eight-song live set drawn from that album's songs, Life Death Live and Freedom, appeared in 2009, and a deluxe package combining both the original album and the live disc was also released at the same time. A four-disc box set covering Mellencamp's entire recording career, On the Rural Route 7609 (he released his first album in 1976 -- thus the number in the set's title), appeared later in 2009. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
By clicking the button above, you acknowledge that you are the account holder for the cell phone number entered and you expressly agree to these terms as well as the Thumbplay Terms & Conditions of Use Agreement and Privacy Policy.
Bonus ringtones are only available to new subscribers who are customers of supported carriers. Not all carriers support the Thumbplay service. A phone with an Internet-enabled and SMS-enabled (short message service) account is required. If you elect to become a subscriber, after entering your password, you will be subscribed to Thumbplay and automatically charged $9.99 each month using the billing method selected by you (i.e., mobile phone bill, deducted from prepaid balance, PayPal or credit card) for 10 credits each month until such time as you cancel your subscription. PayPal or credit card billing may not be available at the time of your transaction, and in such event, or in the event you do not select a billing method, charges will be billed to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. Monthly credits expire at the end of each month and may not be rolled over into the following month. In certain instances, in lieu of a subscription you may have the opportunity to make a one-time purchase. In such case, the purchase price (from $0.99 to $5.99 per content item) for the content item you select will be charged to the billing method selected by you (i.e., mobile phone bill, deducted from prepaid balance, PayPal or credit card). For information about single item purchases, text HELP to 21453. Text STOP to 21453 to stop messaging. Credits may only be provided after billing is successful.
Games are not currently supported for Verizon Wireless customers.
Your 10 bonus credits for ringtones, wallpapers, videos or games will be available when you activate your account by entering your password on the next page. Your password will be sent to your phone when you click the button above. This offer is only available to first time customers of Thumbplay and can not be combined with any other offer.
Message and data rates may apply for subscriptions, promotional text messages, and account related text messages. Taxes may also apply.
By clicking the button above you expressly agree to receive these communications by SMS, including our weekly newsletter. You may stop receiving promotional text messages by clicking here.
You may receive your password confirmation text message multiple times until you complete the sign-up process. If you would like to stop receiving the password confirmation text messages, please email us at passwordsms@thumbplay.com. You also agree to receive promotional and account related email communications. You may unsubscribe from promotional email communications by unsubscribing here.
You may cancel your Thumbplay subscription by sending the words STOP from your mobile device to 48000 or by contacting us via email. If you subscribe to multiple services, you may be prompted to specify which services you wish to cancel. Please direct all email inquiries to support@thumbplay.com. You may also call 1-877-THUMB-99 (1-877-848-6299) for questions regarding your account.
Need music? You’re at the right place! Stand out from the crowd and be the envy of all your friends with the hottest, most up-to-date full track MP3s (DRM free!), ringtones, or real music tones around. If your phone can handle it, we’ve got it - download music from hip hop, hard rock, dance, indie, smooth R&B and all the classics to stuff so bizarre you’ve just gotta hear it yourself. Need that college football anthem for next Saturday? How about some bumpin’ reggaeton? We have over 758,000 downloads available now!
Ringtones from Nickelback, T Pain, Britney Spears, Fergie, Jessica Simpson, Soulja Boy, Avril Lavigne, Christina Aguilera and Shakira
Thumbplay ringtones and Thumbplay mobile ringtones are compatible with most current Motorola, Nokia, LG, Samsung, Panasonic and Sony Ericsson mobile/cell phones. Supported carriers include AT&T, T-Mobile®, Alltel, and Verizon Wireless.
On your phone visit m.thumbplay.com
©2008 Thumbplay, Inc All Media Guide ©2009 All Media Guide, LLC
On the Web: www.thumbplay.com | On your Phone: m.thumbplay.com
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy