Legendary rock artist John Mellencamp has been elected for induction into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2008 and will be honored at the ceremony on March 10 in New York City. Mellencamp will be inducted alongside Madonna, Leonard Cohen, The Ventures, Dave Clark Five, Little Walter and songwriters Gamble and Huff. In order to be eligible for a nomination, an artist must have released their first single or album in 1982.

The Indiana native began his career in the late 70s as "Johnny Cougar". Over the course of nearly 30 years in music however, Mellencamp has become one of the most admired and thoughtful singer-songwriters of his generation. His popularity escalated in the early 80s with the hits “Jack and Diane” and “Hurts So Good”.

In 1985, Mellencamp released the critically acclaimed Scarecrow, which is arguably his best-reviewed album. Peaking at #2, Scarecrow generated the Top Ten singles "Lonely Ol' Night", "Small Town", and "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A."

Mellencamp was not only received for his music, but also for his philanthropic work. Shortly after the release of Scarecrow, he helped fashion the annual Farm Aid concert benefiting small American farms.

Bridging rock, folk, country, blues and R&B, Grammy Award winner John Mellencamp has sold more than 40 million albums in his illustrious career.

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Sources: Rollingstone.com, MTV.com