This is the first in what I hope will be a series of  many short clips where I talk about some of the greats who appear on SiriusXM.

John Mellencamp is enjoying a long career as one of the greatest American singer/songwriters ever. John is also one of the great lyrical poets of the last several decades. Along with Tom Petty, he has helped to define pure Americana with his honest voice and killer song arrangements.

The above-pictured record “American Fool” holds a couple of John’s biggest hits in “Hurts So Good” and “Jack and Diane”. From start to finish the record is a complete story of life and love back in the day this was written. Like most of John’s recordings, each record is a complete storybook where each song tends to play off the other.

My personal favourite is the brilliant “Scarecrow”. This record tells the story of a family losing the farm it had for generations and the fallout from it. Yet, it also offers poignant reflection on small town living and even rocking out to some of the great American artists that inspired John “R.O.C.K. in the USA”. This record has had a major impact on my life as it has been a tremendous inspiration. I never forget where I come from and often miss small town living when I spin this. Every trip back to Nova Scotia means I take the CD with me.

John is set to release his new album ”No Better Than This” on August 17. It contains 13 classic studio sounding material with older country flavours throughout. John still has a lot to offer audiences and hopefully his health will allow him to keep doing what he does.

John can often be heard on Sirius 15 Classic Rewind, Sirius 8 80′s on 8, Sirius 63 Outlaw Country and also Sirius 18 The Spectrum.