John Mellencamp

John "Cougar" Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951 in Seymour, Indiana) is an American singer and songwriter, known for a long and successful recording and performing career highlighted by a series of 1980s hits, including "Jack

John "Cougar" Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951 in Seymour, Indiana) is an American singer and songwriter, known for a long and successful recording and performing career highlighted by a series of 1980s hits, including "Jack and Diane", and by his role in the Farm Aid charity event. Mellencamp now has a home in Monroe County, Indiana.

Mellencamp, who has a mild form of spina bifida, had a troubled childhood marked by several brushes with the law. He eloped with his pregnant girlfriend at seventeen and began performing with a band the following year.