A new statue of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Seymour native John Mellencamp now stands on Indiana University’s campus next to a statue of Hoagie Carmichael.
Mellencamp spoke and performed with his band at a ceremony on IU’s campus Friday, when the university unveiled the statue. He played the songs Jack & Diane, Rain on the Scarecrow, and Small Town.
As a young man, Mellencamp said he was not a good student and was admitted to IU on academic probation. He attended Vincennes University in the 1970s with plans to get his grades up.
Read more: IU honors Mellencamp’s Hoosier roots with statue
Mellencamp never attended IU. But he has an honorary doctorate from the university.
He said Bloomington’s been home for him since he returned from a two-year stint in London.
“When I moved back, I moved here, and I knew I would never leave here, because it just felt like home,” Mellencamp said.
Mellencamp said the statue would not have been possible without IU President Pamela Whitten.
“Pam, when I met her, I just felt some sort of connection to her as a human being,” he said. “And for me, that's unusual.”
Whitten said the statue recognizes Mellencamp’s contributions to music, IU, and southern Indiana.
Cindy Briggs, a lifelong Mellencamp fan from Cincinnati, said it was important for her to be at the statue’s unveiling.
“We know Bloomington is important to John, this is where he considers his home,” Briggs said.
The life-sized sculpture of Mellencamp depicts him holding a guitar, with one hand raised. It was created by IU alumnus and Bloomington native Michael McAuley.
