And both are still pursuing the muse that united them as teens. But now ... under the names of Johnny Cougar (the creation of an agent) and John Cougar Mellencamp before a series of hit records ...

Mellencamp started singing in a band as a teenager in Seymour ... Cougar was at last able to use his family name, becoming John “Cougar” Mellencamp for his most commercial era.

The best-selling John Cougar ditty, this song has become different things at different times. Mellencamp has said ... narrator remembering how good his teen years once were, and how maybe he ...

It elevated Mellencamp ... for the reissue of John Mellencamp’s 1985 album “Scarecrow.” (Mercury/UME via AP) Still, the singer professionally christened “Johnny Cougar” against his ...

Mellencamp released his first album under the name Johnny Cougar in 1976. After modest success, his breakthrough came in 1979 with the album John Cougar and the single “I Need a Lover.” ...