Happy Birthday John Mellencamp

Nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, somehow he's only won one. John Mellencamp turns 59 today. My fave among his hits remain some of the earliest: "Ain't Even Done With the Night," "Hand To Hold Onto," "Authority Song" and "Hurts So Good." The more socially conscious he became ("Rain on the Scarecrow," "Little Pink Houses," "Small Town"), the less I found him melodically appealing. Still, he's one of the good ones.With my friend Sylvia at a WLPJ/New York showcase, December 2002.