John Mellencamp Scarecrow

Personnel: John Cougar Mellencamp, Rickie Lee Jones (vocals); Larry Crane, Mike Wanchic (guitar); A. Jack Wilkins (saxophone); Richard Fanning (trumpet); John Cascella (keyboards); Kenny Aronoff (vibraphone, drums, tambourine); Toby Myers (bass); Sarah Flint, Mimi Mapes (background vocals).Recorded in 1985.Recorded in 1985.When John Cougar Mellencamp released 1985's SCARECROW, American farmers were taking a major hit from bank foreclosures and soaring interest rates that were destroying their way of life. For Mellencamp, this issue hit close to home since his great-grandfather's family farm had been sold after his sudden death. Looking to his Midwest upbringing for inspiration, the Indiana native composed 11 rootsy songs, featuring fully realized characters that drew from his experiences growing up as a rebel then escaping from small-town life, before he re-embraced his roots.Among the many highlights of this breakthrough album were the tribute to '60s AM Top 40 radio "R.O.C.K. in the