Having just performed at the 27th annual Farm Aid benefit concert on Sept. 22, John 'Cougar' Mellencamp will have yet another reason to celebrate when he turns 61 on Oct. 7.

It was over three decades that the singer -- who originally rose to fame under the stage name John Couger -- began unleashing a long series of hit singles such as 'Jack and Diane,' 'Hurts So Good,' and 'R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.'

This year Mellencamp unveiled a project ten years in the making, the musical 'Ghost Brothers of Darkland County,' which he has been working on heavily with famous horror author Stephen King since 2000.

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