Strictly A One-Eyed Jack John Mellencamp

• 1 I Always Lie To Strangers 03:36
• 2 Driving In The Rain 03:25
• 3 I Am A Man That Worries 04:33
• 4 Streets Of Galilee 02:49
• 5 Sweet Honey Brown 05:18
• 6 Did You Say Such A Thing 03:39
• 7 Gone So Soon 03:31
• 8 Wasted Days 04:31
• 9 Simply A One-Eyed Jack 04:41
• 10 Chasing Rainbows 03:27
• 11 Lie To Me 03:30
• 12 A Life Full Of Rain 05:37
• Total Runtime 48:37

Info for Strictly A One-Eyed Jack

The set features three collaborations with Bruce Springsteen — the already released “Wasted Days” along with the new “Did You Say Such A Thing,” and the album closing “A Life Full Of Rain.” A lyric video for the set's second single, “Chasing Rainbows” has already dropped.

Mellencamp's artistic talent has clearly been passed down, with son Speck Mellencamp providing the portrait of his father gracing the new album's cover.

Although John Mellencamp has always kept his pulse on what's up and coming in terms of rock, pop, country, and hip hop — these days he admits he's pretty dispirited by the state of modern music: “I hear a few songs every now and then that I think are pretty good, but I just think the artists today are not encouraged to be creative. They're encouraged to get in line. Y'know, 'Look, this band had this hit. This is the way they look and you're kinda like them. You start looking that way and you start tailoring your stuff to sound like this.' And I think that's the way record companies push people today. They don't encourage them to be themselves.”

Mellencamp admitted to us that he's realistic these days as to why he writes and releases new music: “I've come to the conclusion that any record that I put out now, is really just a calling card. I don't really anticipate sellin' a bunch of 'em, because people don't buy 'em anymore! They're calling cards to let people know that I'm still writing songs, and I'm still current and I'm not an oldies act and I will never be and oldies act and there won't be any 'Happy Together' tour for John Mellencamp.”

“carries an implicit message about making the most of the years, months and minutes we’ve got left” (NPR music)

“The duo sing and strum along to reflective lyrics about the passage of time, which would feel just as relevant at a cornfield bonfire as on the Metro-North.” (Vulture)

“Two of the nation’s most beloved chroniclers…sounds like a pair of old friends sitting around a fire.” (Billboard)

John Mellencamp, vocals, guitars
Bruce Springsteen, vocals, guitars (on tracks 6, 8, 12)
Andy York, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, banjo, autoharp, vocals
Troye Kinnett, piano, accordion, organs, harmonica, vocals
Miriam Sturm, violin
John Gunnell, upright bass, electric bass, vocals
Dane Clark, drums, percussion, vocals
Merritt Lear, violin, vocals
Mike Wanchic, electric guitar, vocals

Recorded and mixed by David Leonard
Mastered by Bob Ludwig

John Mellencamp
Born October 7, 1951 in Seymour, Indiana, John Mellencamp fell in love with music at an early age and was gigging in local bars and fronting a soul band by the time he was 14. His professional music career began in earnest in 1976 when MCA Records released his first album, The Chestnut Street Incident. His manager dubbed him Johnny Cougar out of his belief that nobody would buy a record by anybody named Mellencamp. John protested but was overruled and eventually, of course, reclaimed his birth name as his public name.

After releasing a few albums, he broke out in 1979 with his first hit, "I Need A Lover" In 1982 his fifth album American Fool was the year's best-selling album on the strength of two huge hits, "Hurts So Good," and the number 1 single "Jack & Diane,"



The albums that followed in the 80's, Uh-Huh, Scarecrow, Lonesome Jubilee, and Big Daddy, were released under the name John Cougar Mellencamp. Hit singles during this period included "Crumblin Down," "The Authority Song," "Small Town," "Rain On The Scarecrow," "Lonely Ol Night," ""R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.," "Paper In Fire," "Check It Out," "Cherry Bomb," "Pop Singer," and "Jackie Brown."

Mellencamp took the music on the road with a band that many considered the best in the business, playing approximately 1,000 shows around the globe during the decade. In 1985, John's concern for the plight of the American farmer, which had been voiced in the Scarecrow album, brought him together with Willie Nelson and Neil Young in launching Farm Aid. It became an annual event and has helped make people aware of the issues farmers face and how they affect on the entire nation.

By the early 1990's "Cougar" was finally gone from John's name and a string of successful albums as John Mellencamp--Whenever We Wanted, Human Wheels and Dance Naked (including the number 2 single "Wild Night")--were released. In 1991 John made his film debut, starring in and directing Falling From Grace, a modest box office success that was well received by critics.

John suffered a mild heart attack while touring in 1994 in support of Dance Naked. This forced him to take a break from his music career, but he returned strong in 1996 and released Mr. Happy Go Lucky, which featured the hit "Key West Intermezzo" (I Saw You First). Healthier and happier, he returned to touring in 1997 and continued to write and record frequently. Releases included 1998's John Mellencamp, 1999's Rough Harvest, 2001's Cuttin Heads, and 2003's Trouble No More . Hit singles during that time ranged from "Your Life Is Now" to "I'm Not Running Anymore" to "Peaceful World." John continued to tour throughout 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2006.

He received the 2001 Billboard Century award in recognition of all that he had accomplished over the course of his career and was honored with the Woody Guthrie Award in 2004. Previously, he was awarded a Grammy and had been nominated a total of 11 times. In 2007 the ASCAP Foundation honored John Mellencamp with its Champion Award in recognition of his outstanding use of music in service to humanity. Other recipients of this prestigious award have included Tony Bennett, Billy Joel and Arlo Guthrie. He was honored by The Americana Music Association with it's Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting three years later with the award presented in Nashville by Rosanne Cash. He was recognized with the John Steinbeck Award by San Jose State University's Steinbeck Center. The award, subtitled "In The Souls of the People," is given to individuals who have contributed to society in the spirit of the author John Steinbeck. Other recipients have included Arthur Miller, Sean Penn, Michael Moore, Bruce Springsteen, Ken Burns, Joan Baez, Sean Penn and Studs Terkel. John was presented with the award at a program of song and conversation at San Jose's historic California Theatre in July of 2012. Visit: www.mellencamp.com

This album contains no booklet.