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.

He altered his stage name to John Cougar. It was a name that wouldn’t drive him crazy. Mellencamp stayed John Cougar through his 1982 breakthrough, American Fool, and its hits “Hurts So Good ...

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 ...

Whether going by Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, John Cougar Mellencamp, or simply John Mellencamp, the music that this Indiana native has made is truly legendary. He's responsible for some of the ...