Ronnie Kelly

Monday, January 7, 2002: Mellencamp Fan Club member Ronnie Kelly (some of you would recognize him from the VH1 show FanClub and as the guy that got pulled up to sing ROCK in the USA at the July 4 TV broadcast back in 1992) has done a pencil drawing of John.
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With John's permission Ronnie is offering an 11x17 inch print of the original with ALL proceeds going to the Southern Indiana Center for the Arts and a Welcome to Seymour sign in Seymour Indiana (John owns the house that the Art Center resides in and leases it for $1 a year.
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Ronnie Kelly1490 E 600 NAlexandria, Indiana 46001

Peaceful World Nominated for Grammy

Friends and family have always known Ron Ronnie Kelly was John Mellencamp's No. 1 fan.
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Ronnie , a rural Alexandria resident , was selected by VH1 to star on Fan Club , an hourlong show dedicated to some of the best rock-and-roll fans ever.

Ronnie's segment on VH1 will be about 6 to 10 minutes long.The crew filmed Ronnie over a two-day period -- last Wednesday and Thursday -- for 10 hours each day.What segments will be included in the hit show and how much of it will involve Madison County is not known.

Tentative air dates for the Mellencamp VH1 Fan Club episode are Nov. 26 , Dec. 3 or Dec. 10.VH1 will be back in touch with Ronnie later on in the year to give him a more definite scheduling date.

Ronnie and VH1 first hooked up earlier this summer.A good friend of his who's a member of a Mellencamp fan club immediately called him when VH1 contacted her to find ultimate fans.

That night , I wrote a six-page letter and faxed it to VH1 the next morning , Ronnie said.His letter explained his deep devotion to the singer and how he's attended around 30 concerts , performed on stage with him multiple times , knows his family and has an enormous amount of Mellencamp collectibles.

They got back with me within a few hours , Ronnie said.He was then asked to create a videotape that displayed how he was a Mellencamp fan as well as about his life in general.

I couldn't imagine with the way he's been in a part of my life for 20 years , me not being a part of this show , Ronnie said.

A short time later , VH1 called him at work and told him he would be one of four people on the show.The others are from Canada , New Jersey and right outside of Indianapolis.

They told me , 'You give us a tour and the next day we'll come to your house , work and you can sing with my friend's band ( Connecticut Yankee ) , Ronnie said.

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They asked leading questions and let me talk , said Ronnie , 38.

While Ronnie drove around Seymour on his motorcycle , a camera crew rode in a van ahead of him , doors open and hanging out the back.A cameraman also rode on the back of Ronnie's motorcycle and taped as the two explored the small town.

My biggest concern was my hair , Ronnie said.When it's wet , it's curly and it was foggy everywhere..

Isn't that funny?.his wife , Kathleen added.He's nervous about the cameras but more nervous about his hair..

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The final day of the VH1 taping explored what type of fan Ronnie is.They taped at his home , on the job as a shipping clerk at Jim's Formal Wear in Chesterfield and on stage singing Mellencamp songs at an Indianapolis bar.

The camera crew thought Ronnie and Kathleen's home was the perfect image of the Midwest they were searching for.Three corn fields almost surround his home.

They loved it.Very Indiana , Ronnie said.We had tried taping outside with the corn and the bird feeder and the windmill but the crickets were too loud.They kept wanting the crickets to shut up because they were messing up the sound system..

Crew members even tried and running around and clapping to startle the crickets , but it only worked for a moment and the chirping would start up again.

So everyone moved inside.
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Despite temperatures being in the 80s , the crew lit the fireplace behind Ronnie for more ambiance.

I could talk to them without the cameras on , but when it went on , when the camera was rolling , I'd freeze , Ronnie said.I was especially nervous the first day but did better and felt more relaxed as time went on and I got to know the director and the crew..

The night ended with Ron singing four Mellencamp songs with Connecticut Yankee in World Mardi Gras , Circle Center Mall , Indianapolis.

I enjoy the collecting and the reading about him or taping him on video but when I'm up there performing him , that's my favorite part about being a fan , Ronnie said.The more my life keeps going on , the more of a dedicated fan I become..

Ronnie's collection is phenomenal.It includes 225 magazines with Mellencamp on the cover , 40 books , momentous amounts of newspaper clippings , posters and album covers , paintings , clocks , Mellencamp's elementary class photos , drum sticks and countless pieces of Mellencamp paraphernalia -- so many and so much , Ronnie doesn't even know anymore all that he owns.His collection fills one room in his house and is slowly spreading -- even though Kathleen is trying to stop it -- out into the rest of the house and garage.Some of it sits in boxes too.
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What I like so much about him is his music and how so many people can connect with this music , Ronnie said.When he writes a song , instead of it being about him , it's about you.It's his experiences , but he writes it so they're your experiences too.He's taught me that your life is what you make of it..

The VH1 crew left with copies of the Kelly's prom picture , wedding picture and a photo of him lip syncing and doing an impression of Mellencamp , to possibly use in the segment about Ronnie.
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Ron asked a woman on the street in Seymour for directions to where Mellencamp grew up.
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Mellencamp's parents have even given Ron an enormous painting of their son as a gift.

I know John's family's birthdays but I don't know my own family's , Ron joked.

Ron has been to too many Mellencamp concerts to count and has been pulled up on stage to sing with him on three occasions.

It's been nine years since I've been on stage with him.I hate to be greedy , but I want to do it again.