Today, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, GRAMMY®
Award-winner, JOHN MELLENCAMP shares a brand new song, “Easy Target” out today
on Republic Records.
Easy Target is John’s reflection on the state of our
country. An outspoken artist,
Mellencamp continues his journey to convey the truth through this passionate
and plain-spoken song. Today, Mellencamp premiered & performed the song on
The Katie Couric Interview for Yahoo News watch the interview and performance
here.
In addition, Mellencamp unveiled a thought-provoking
lyric video for “Easy Target” which premiered today on People.com. Watch the lyric video here.
John Mellencamp’s career in music has spanned over 35 years and has seen him transition
from pop star to one of the most highly respected singer/songwriters of a
generation. Mellencamp is incredibly
acclaimed; he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a Grammy winner, a
recipient of the John Steinbeck Award, ASCAP Foundation’s Champion Award, The
Woody Guthrie Award and Americana Music Association's Lifetime Achievement
Award and more recently, the Founders Award, the top honor assigned by the
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He is also one of the
most successful live concert performers in the world. The social activism reflected in his songs
helped catalyze Farm Aid, the concert series and organization that has
addressed the struggle of American family farmers for more than 25 years.
John continues to focus on another facet of his artistic
expression: painting. His style has progressed over the years as evidenced by
several gallery shows and published portfolios, and in recent years he has
increased his output by completing over 100 new works. His pieces were shown in 2012 at the Tennessee State Museum in
Nashville under the title “Nothing Like I Planned: The Art Of John Mellencamp”
and, more recently at the Butler Institute of American Art in an exhibition
entitled “The Paintings Of John Mellencamp.”
“The Paintings of John Mellencamp” traveled to the Museum of Art-DeLand,
Florida and John’s art was showcased at
the ACA Gallery in New York. The unique instrumentation of his band and his
poignant songs about everyday life in the American heartland, are widely
credited with being the forbearer of the Americana/No Depression genre of
rural-inflected music. An extraordinary
collaboration performed by an ensemble cast of 15 actors and a four-piece live band, comprised of members
of John Mellencamp’s band is The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, a musical
with music and lyrics by John Mellencamp, a libretto by author Stephen King and
production by T Bone Burnett. The show is being further developed in London,
though King and Mellencamp are no longer as actively involved. Mellencamp continues his journey as the
walking embodiment of heartland rock; passionate, plain-spoken, and a
self-proclaimed rebel.
ABOUT REPUBLIC RECORDS:
A division of Universal Music Group, the world's leading
music company, Republic is home to an all-star roster of multi-platinum,
award-winning legends and superstar artists such as Ariana Grande, Black
Sabbath, Florence + the Machine, Godsmack, Gotye, James Blake, James Bay, John
Mellencamp, Keith Richards, Of Monsters and Men, Seth MacFarlane, Zendaya,
among many others. Founded by brothers and chief executives Monte and Avery
Lipman, it is also comprised of innovative business ventures including American
Recordings (The Avett Brothers), Brushfire (Jack Johnson), Cash Money (Lil
Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj), John Varvatos Records (Zac Brown Band), Lava
Records (Jessie J, Lorde), Monkeywrench (Pearl Jam), Casablanca Records
(Tïesto), NBC's The Voice, XO (The Weeknd), School Boy Records (PSY, Sheppard),
among others. In addition, Republic maintains a long-standing strategic
alliance with country powerhouse Big Machine Label Group which is comprised of
Big Machine Records (Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, The Band Perry, Florida Georgia
Line, The Eli Young Band) and Dot Records (Maddie + Tae).
