John Mellencamp, one of Farm Aid's founding fathers, has been recording since the middle 1970's. Having sold over 40 million albums, he has received a total of eleven Grammy nominations and has, to date, won one Grammy. He was named the recipient of the 2001 Billboard Century Award for distinguished creative achievement and, this fall, will receive the Huntington's Disease Society of America's Woody Guthrie Award for his embodiment of Woody Guthrie's ideals.

John's latest album, Trouble No More, is the 21st album of his career. The album is the result of his deep seeded admiration for what he considers to be some of the finest examples of American song writing and recording. Inspired by the directness of Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie and Robert Johnson, Mellencamp immersed himself in folk, blues and other American music from the last century. Enthused by his research and study, Mellencamp challenged himself and his band to not only capture some of the songs' original sentiment, but also to transform them into something they could make their own. Trouble No More is the result of that challenge.

In order to undertake a project as special as this, Mellencamp sifted through delta blues, east Texas blues, west coast blues, country songs, folk songs, literally hundreds, if not thousands, of songs. But, in terms of underlying themes, most of the songs on the album chronicle anguish and tribulation that Mellencamp says reflect the climate and atmosphere of present times.

Before the album's release there was a great deal of attention paid to the song "To Washington" which is the only track credited to Mellencamp. Actually, the song dates back to 1902, if not earlier, and was made famous by Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers. Though considered as an anti-war song, John doesn't see it as such. "I didn't intend or think it would be perceived that way," he explains, "it's simply a commentary, a writer's view of what's happening." He adds, "It's the troubadour's responsibility to reflect his view of the world."

Thankfully, this troubadour has a deep commitment to saving America's family farms. John's dedication to Farm Aid has been unfaltering in the 18 years since he helped form it. Once again, he joins us on the Farm Aid stage to share his talent and conviction.