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Series of Closeups of World-Class Performers Supporting Family Farmers
By the early 1980s, John Mellencamp — then performing as John Cougar Mellencamp at the insistence of a record executive — had not only achieved superstar status. The native of Seymour in southern Indiana had established himself as a clarion of small-town, working class Midwesterners with hits such as "Jack and Diane" and "Pink Houses."
In 1985, he turned his attentions to the plight of family farmers who were losing their land, livelihood and legacy to low prices for their products, astronomical interest rates and a corporate-driven conventional food system rising to dominance with the philosophy of "go big or go home."
His album Scarecrow — which included "Small Town," one of his most enduring hits — spelled out the era's farm crisis in searing fashion in the song Rain on the Scarecrow:
Scarecrow on a wooden cross blackbird in the barn
Four hundred empty acres that used to be my farm
I grew up like my daddy did my grandpa cleared this land
When I was five I walked the fence while grandpa held my hand
Rain on the scarecrow blood on the plow
This land fed a nation this land made me proud
And son I'm just sorry there's no legacy for you now
Rain on the scarecrow blood on the plow
Rain on the scarecrow blood on the plow...
Well there's ninety-seven crosses planted in the courthouse yard
Ninety-seven families who lost ninety-seven farms
I think about my grandpa and my neighbors and my name and some nights
I feel like dying like that scarecrow in the rain
So it was virtually a natural progression that John joined with fellow artists Willie Nelson and Neil Young to present the first Farm Aid fundraising concert that September in Champaign, Illinois. And on Saturday (September 21), they all gathered with other musicians at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York for the 39th annual Farm Aid Festival.
John Mellencamp remains devoted to the fight to protect family farmers, build a healthier and more sustainable food system, and combat corporate greed. His powerful lyrics have not lost their punch, but there is joy in his Farm Aid performances, with audiences providing a singalong chorus.
I had the privilege to attend the Farm Aid Festival this past Saturday on behalf of Local Food Forum and to spend some time in the photographer pit just below the stage. Enjoy the photos.
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