John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp (b. Seymour, October 7, 1951 - ) – Singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Often thought of as the quintessential Hoosier star, Seymour native John Mellencamp got his start playing in cover bands in Southern Indiana and became John Cougar in the 1970s, although he later added his real last name and eventually dropped the stage name altogether. A 2008 inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Mellencamp has fairly consistently produced successful albums and singles, many of them depicting small-town life, childhood memories, and—more recently—American pride. He has charted over thirty singles, and his American Fool was album of the year in 1982. As of 2018, he has twenty-five studio albums, ten of them Platinum. In spite of his celebrity status, Mellencamp chooses to live in Monroe County.