John Mellencamp Releases ‘The Songbook’ Chronicling Five Decades of Lyrics With Stephen King Foreword

John Mellencamp will release The Songbook: 50 Years of Song and Poetry on Sept. 29 through Rizzoli New York. This 272-page hardcover brings together words from his five-decade career. It also has unpublished photos, handwritten drafts, and personal notes.

Stephen King wrote the foreword. The horror writer teamed up with Mellencamp and T Bone Burnett in 2012 when they created the musical Ghost Brothers of Darkland County.

Material spans every period of his work. Readers will discover photos that have never been seen in print before, along with early handwritten drafts that show how tracks changed from first ideas into finished recordings.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer spent 50 years crafting heartland anthems like "Jack and Diane" and "Small Town." His breakthrough arrived in 1982 when "Jack and Diane" climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. He is also a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has received the John Steinbeck Award, Woody Guthrie Award, and ASCAP's Founders Award.

He started Farm Aid with Willie Nelson and Neil Young. April pre-sales benefit this organization, which helps American family farmers.

"This landmark volume pairs the lyrics to America's most enduring anthems with personal photographs, handwritten drafts, and notes from Mellencamp himself," according to Rizzoli New York's official publisher description.

The Dancing Words Tour: The Greatest Hits kicks off July 10 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and ends on Aug. 12 in Mountain View, Calif. Live Nation produces this 19-city tour, which hits the Hollywood Bowl, Northwell at Jones Beach Theater, and Ruoff Music Center in Indianapolis. A trailer for the tour features actor Sean Penn.

Fans can buy the book online from the publisher Rizzoli's website.