In his early 20s, having just graduated from Vincennes University in his home state of Indiana, John Mellencamp went to New York to pursue one of two careers, either painter or musician. He brought demo tapes of him singing in bars, because he thought all he needed was to let people hear him sing to get a recording contract. And he had an appointment at the Art Students League of New York.
Tony Defries, David Bowie’s manager at the time, liked his voice and wanted to sign him. Art school, John discovered, was going to be expensive. “I had one set of people telling me I had to give
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