John J. Mellencamp, previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, followed by an induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.
Mellencamp in 2007
Mellencamp (right) and his band perform at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2007.
John Mellencamp and Sheryl Crow perform Mellencamp's 2008 single "My Sweet Love" in the Hunter Region, New South Wales, Australia on November 29, 2008.
Mellencamp performing in 2008
Heartland rock is a genre of rock music characterized by a straightforward, often roots musical style, often with a focus on blue-collar workers, and a conviction that rock music has a social or communal purpose beyond just entertainment.
Bruce Springsteen, the most commercially successful act in the genre of heartland rock, performing in East Berlin in 1988
John Mellencamp, shown in 2007, among the most successful of the "second generation" of acts in the genre
Melissa Etheridge, the first significant female figure in the genre, performing live in 2010
