John Mellencamp Inks ‘Lifetime’ Deal with Republic Records, Announces New Album

Looks like it's time to add another win to John Mellencamp's already golden record books. The veteran heartland rocker just signed an amazing "lifetime" recording deal with Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group, and announced a new full-length album set to come out this fall.

The forthcoming album, titled Plain Spoken, will be Mellencamp's 22^nd record. It is his first one since 2010's No Better Than This, which was released by Rounder Records. He's previously recorded for the likes of Universal Republic, Columbia, Mercury, Riva and Hear Music. Yet it appears Republic Records is where it all ends, which isn't necessarily a bad thing considering the label's impressive history.

Monte Lipman, co-founder and chief executive of Republic Records released a statement on the subject, saying, "We're thrilled to be working with John Mellencamp as part of this historic deal. Not only has he served as an ambassador of social consciousness in America, but he has also provided the soundtrack of a generation."

Over the years, the former John "Cougar" Mellencamp has sold 27.5 million albums, as stated by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has produced hits such as "Hurts So Good," "Wild Night" and "Jack & Diane."

Twenty of the 62-year-old Mellencamp's albums have hit the Billboard 200 charts since 1979, with ten reaching the top 10. His previous three albums have met some incredible praise, earning a place on Bilboard 200's top 10 – Freedom's Road (2007), Life Death Love and Freedom (2008) and No Better Than This (2010).

Not all the details of this historic deal have been disclosed, but we're assuming it's a pretty good one.

Listen to one of Mellencamp's little ditties below:

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John Mellencamp, Universal, Columbia