John Mellencamp will follow in the footsteps of Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Joan Baez, playwright Arthur Miller, author Studs Terkel and many others when he is presented with the Steinbeck Award on July 30th in San Jose.

Presented by the Center for Steinbeck Studies at San Jose State University, the awards is given to those artists and activists whose work exemplifies the themes and values found in the writings of John Steinbeck: in particular, his concern for the natural environment, his commitment to the common people, and his willingness to critique the contrasts between the powerful and the poor. Mellencamp will be the first musician since Joan Baez in 2003 to receive the award.

The night will also feature A Conversation and Special Performance, with Mellencamp doing a question-and-answer session that will be moderated by Robert Santelli, executive director of the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. --Sal Cirrincione