Mellencamp’s American spirit rocks the stage Friday

Time for some “R-O-C-K” from John Mellencamp and his Plain Spoken Tour, coming Friday to Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte.

With a career that spans four decades, Mellencamp’s working-class, rebellious core remains marvelously intact – and critically impressive when viewed as a whole body of work.

Originally influenced by key rock pioneers from Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan to James Brown and The Rolling Stones, Mellencamp has faithfully marched to his own steady drummer.

We first knew the Indiana rocker in the early ’80s as John Cougar, then later as John Cougar Mellencamp, which evolved into just John Mellencamp.

Along the way, he made his melodic point via vocals, guitar and harmonica, and he developed his rock brand by exerting the American spirit and championing regular, everyday people.

Mellencamp’s music crosses a classic array of sounds but keeps a solid footing in mainstream America. Call it roots rock, heartland rock, folk rock, Americana rock, just plain rock or all of the above, Mellencamp sets up a plain-spoken perspective with a defiant spirit.

Selling more than 40 million albums worldwide, he holds the record for most solo tracks to hit No. 1, with 22 Top 40 hits in the U.S. A founding member of Farm Aid, Mellencamp has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards and took one home. He received the 2001 Billboard Century Award and the 2004 Woody Guthrie Award. In 2008, Mellencamp was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

By the way, you can add to Mellencamp’s list of accomplishments that he is a painter, an actor and co-author with Stephen King of the musical “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County.” He proves that sticking with what you honestly believe will eventually reap success. His latest album – “Plain Spoken,” released in late 2014 – has garnered critical acclaim and lends its title to the current tour.

“Life goes on / so let it rock, let it roll” with John Mellencamp at Ovens Auditorium, Independence Boulevard in Charlotte. Call 704-335-3100 or go to ovensauditorium.com for concert details. For more on the music, find him on Facebook and visit mellencamp.com.

Upcoming

Friday: Oneppo Brothers Band at End Zone, Rock Hill; Whiskey All-Star Grass at Handle Bar & Grill, Catawba; Khaos Kings Acoustic at Hambone’s Place, Great Falls; Rob McHale, Charlie Coxe, Jessica Lynn at Sylvia Theater, York; Mad Monster Party at Sheraton Hotel, Charlotte; Angel Incident Unplugged at Tilted Kilt, Charlotte; Perfect Strangers Acoustic at Big Als Pub, Charlotte; McGroover at T-Bones, Lake Wylie; Crashbox at Hot Fish Club in Murrell’s Inlet; Abysmal Dawn, Enford Darkness, more at Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte; Christie Snow at EagleSpeak Coffee House, Charlotte; Animals, Solis, The Air Station at Visulite Theater, Charlotte; Heroes at Last at RiRa, Charlotte; Incognito with Maysa at McGlohon Theater, Charlotte; Barber, Copland, & Bernstein at Belk Theater, Charlotte; Jeffrey Broussard & The Creole Cowboys, Carolina Gator Gumbo at Double Door Inn, Charlotte; Open Mic with Brett Greet at Tommy’s Pub, Charlotte; Posture & The Grizzly, Brightside, Knowne Ghost at Snug Harbor, Charlotte; The Record Collection, Take the Fall, Steve Gilbert at Milestone, Charlotte; Swon Brothers at Coyote Joe’s, Charlotte; Black Glass Anniversary at Stooges Pub, Mint Hill-Charlotte; Ole Towne Criers at Puckett’s Farm Equipment, Charlotte; ASG, The Seduction, Black Chasm, more at Chop Shop, Charlotte; The Broken Napoleons at Evening Muse, Charlotte; Waka Flocka Flame at Neighborhood Theater, Charlotte.

Saturday: Weekends at Cheap Seats, Rock Hill; Oneppo Brothers Band John’s Place, Fort Mill; Shotgun Saints at Youngun’s Sports Bar, Kings Mountain; Crashbox at Bubba’s Love Shak in Murrell’s Inlet; Bill Miller Band at Comet, Grill, Charlotte; Battle of the Bands Finale at Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte; Mitch Hayes at EagleSpeak Coffee House, Charlotte; Birds with Teeth, Faith & Fiction, Musket King, The Bleeps at The Rabbit Hole, Charlotte; Broods, Erik Hassle at Visulite Theater, Charlotte; Nighthawks at Double Door Inn, Charlotte; Son Lux, Natalie Prass, Shadowgraphs at Snug Harbor, Charlotte; U-Phonik at RiRa, Charlotte; Bruce in the USA at The Fillmore, Charlotte; Sherman Hellville, Little War Twins, more at Milestone, Charlotte; Poor Blue at Puckett’s Farm Equipment, Charlotte; Dead Sara, The Wans, Grown Up Avenger Stuff at Chop Shop, Charlotte; Asleep at The Wheel, Mike Strauss Band at Neighborhood Theater, Charlotte; Peter Mulvey; Solar Cat, The Business People, more; at Evening Muse, Charlotte.

Sunday: Charlotte Sometimes at Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte.

Monday: Open Mic with 3 Piece Bucket at Puckett’s Farm Equipment, Charlotte.

Tuesday: Single Mothers, The Dirty Nil, Viajando, more at Milestone, Charlotte.

Wednesday: Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express at Double Door Inn, Charlotte; Andy The Doorbum at Snug Harbor, Charlotte; Rhiannon Giddens at McGlohon Theater, Charlotte; Death of Paris, Signs of Iris, Mr. Gold, more at Milestone, Charlotte; Defeater, Counterparts, Capsize, more at Neighborhood Theater, Charlotte; Tosco House Party at Evening Muse, Charlotte.

Thursday: Tom Williams & Daron Cogar at Comet Grill, Charlotte; Almost Kings, Failure Anthem, Beyond the Broken, Second to None, more at Amos'’ Southend, Charlotte; T-Bird at The Breaks at Double Door Inn, Charlotte; Burnt Books, Pig Mountain, Sea of Storms, more at Milestone, Charlotte; NoDa F.A.M Ralley Art, Music, Food Trucks at Chop Shop, Charlotte; Laney Jones & The Lively Spirits, Dust & Ashes at Evening Muse, Charlotte.

“And that was all she wrote.”

This story was originally published March 26, 2015 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Mellencamp’s American spirit rocks the stage Friday."