John Mellencamp

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John Mellencamp

American musician

Also known as: John Cougar Mellencamp, Johnny Cougar

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 13, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

Also called:: Johnny Cougar or John Cougar Mellencamp

Born:: October 7, 1951, Seymour, Indiana, U.S. (age 73)

Awards And Honors:: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (2008); Grammy Award (1982)

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John Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951, Seymour, Indiana, U.S.) is an American singer-songwriter who became popular in the 1980s by creating basic, often folk-inflected hard rock and presenting himself as a champion of small-town values. Growing up in southern Indiana—with which he is strongly identified—Mellencamp began playing in rock bands as a teenager. His first two albums, released in the late 1970s, disappeared without a trace; however, repackaged as a heartland rocker, he had his first hit, “I Need a Lover,” in late 1979. With two more big hits, “Hurts So Good” and “Jack and Diane,” the album American Fool ...(100 of 410 words)

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