Buttercup Howell (formerly known as simply Buttercup and born Rebecca Hanna Ferskaad on May 7, 1956, in Necchas Della Morros, Texas) is an American country musician, actress, and songwriter. She is known for her marriage with country musician John Mulanco from 1977 to 1991, and for her major number-one hits that topped the charts in the late 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s. She is the biological mother of actor Ron Mulanco, who starred in Peter Swayde's sitcom Hangin' Out with Petey.