Before he was John Mellencamp, he was John Cougar Mellencamp,, and before that he was simply John Cougar; a stage name that an ex-manager gave him that he always hated. Unfortunately, before he could change it back to his real name (Mellencamp) he had a massive hit single with the song, "I Need A Lover," (which was also a hit for Pat Benatar), so he was stuck with it.
It would take five years and three albums for Cougar to return to being Mellencamp, and during that time he made some exceptional albums and memorable tours.