Willie Nelson, Mellencamp Announce Farm Aid 2010

Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews will perform once again at this year's Farm Aid, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary on October 2nd at Milwaukee's Miller Park. This year's concert marks the first time Farm Aid, which raises awareness and money for American farmers, will take place in Wisconsin — and the first time the event will go down in a major baseball stadium. "This anniversary concert is a chance for everyone to join with Farm Aid to support the family farmers who are growing hope for America, through the good food they produce, the economies they build, and their care for the soil and water," Willie Nelson said in a statement. "Family farmers are the backbone of our country, and right now we need them more than ever." This year's event will be broadcast live on DirecTV.

Check out photos from Farm Aid 2009.

Nelson, Mellencamp, Young and Matthews have headlined every Farm Aid going back to 2001, but the quartet is always joined by special guests, who will be announced in the coming weeks. Last year's concert featured appearances from Wilco, Jason Mraz, Jamey Johnson and others.

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Mellencamp and Nelson made the announcement this afternoon on Ustream, with Nelson donning a Milwaukee Brewers jersey (although he mistakenly referred to them as the "Braves," the name of the city's old team). "Willie ought to get the Noble Peace Prize for Farm Aid," Mellencamp said. "Willie is the guy who deserves all the credit for Farm Aid." For more on Farm Aid, check out the official website.

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Song Stories

“1999”

Prince | 1982

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.

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