Matthew Shafer (born June 6, 1974), known professionally as Uncle Kracker, is an American singer and musician. He became known in the 1990s as a turntablist for Kid Rock’s backing group Twisted Brown Trucker and began a solo career in 1999. He is best known for the singles "Follow Me", "Drift Away", and "Smile", all of which reached the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Shafer was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan. During his youth, he and his brother Mike Shafer attended a nightclub in Clawson
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Matthew Shafer (born June 6, 1974), known professionally as Uncle Kracker, is an American singer and musician. He became known in the 1990s as a turntablist for Kid Rock’s backing group Twisted Brown Trucker and began a solo career in 1999. He is best known for the singles "Follow Me", "Drift Away", and "Smile", all of which reached the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Shafer was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan. During his youth, he and his brother Mike Shafer attended a nightclub in Clawson, Michigan where a turntable competition was taking place. Mike Shafer competed against Kid Rock, and the two later became friends with Shafer. At the time, Shafer was primarily working as a rapper. He attended L'Anse Creuse High School. In 1994, Kid Rock invited him to join Twisted Brown Trucker as a turntablist. Although he had limited experience with turntables, he accepted the role, partly due to his brother’s background as a DJ. He initially performed mainly at live shows and later contributed to recordings for Kid Rock’s album "Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp", including guest vocals on selected tracks. He continued working with Kid Rock while developing solo material. Following the release of Kid Rock’s album "The History of Rock", Shafer released his debut solo album "Double Wide" in 2000.
"Double Wide" was released on June 30, 2000 and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. It was produced by Kid Rock, with additional mixing and production by Michael Bradford. The lead single "Follow Me", co-written with Bradford, reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 2001. The album remained on the Billboard 200 for approximately ten months. The single "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, although it had previously appeared on the soundtrack of the film "Shanghai Noon". "Double Wide" was certified 2× platinum by the RIAA on November 29, 2001.
His second album, "No Stranger to Shame", was released on August 27, 2002 and reached No. 43 on the Billboard 200. It included a cover version of Dobie Gray’s song "Drift Away", featuring guest vocals by Gray. The song peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 28 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Other singles included "In A Little While", which reached No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 26 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and "Memphis Soul Song", which reached No. 35 on the Adult Top 40 chart. A remix of "Memphis Soul Song" featured harmonies by The Jordanaires. The album was certified gold by the RIAA. During this period, Shafer toured extensively and developed a touring partnership with Kenny Chesney, also appearing on Chesney’s single "When the Sun Goes Down", which reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
The third album, "Seventy Two and Sunny", marked a stylistic shift toward country music and was the first release without a parental advisory label and without hip-hop tracks. The single "Rescue" reached No. 20 on the Adult Contemporary chart, while "Writing It Down" did not chart. Shafer also appeared on Kenny Chesney’s track "When the Sun Goes Down". The album sold approximately 200,000 copies and peaked at No. 39 on the Billboard 200.
His fourth album, "Happy Hour", was in development for several years and involved production changes, including the involvement of Rob Cavallo. The single "Smile" was released on July 13, 2009 and reached No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was released on September 15, 2009. "Smile" later reached No. 6 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 2010. A music video was released for "My Girlfriend". The album also included a duet with Jesse Lee titled "Me Again".
In 2010, the EP "Happy Hour: The South River Road Sessions" was released, featuring country-style reinterpretations of songs from "Happy Hour". Singles included reworked versions of "Smile" and "Good to Be Me", the latter featuring Kid Rock.
The album "Midnight Special" was released on November 16, 2012 and was produced by Keith Stegall. It was released through Sugar Hill Records and Vanguard Records under Welk Music Group. It was his first album without any involvement from Kid Rock. Singles from the album included "Nobody's Sad on a Saturday Night" and "Blue Skies". In 2013, Shafer toured while performing material from the album alongside Kid Rock.
From 2018 onward, Shafer released several singles, including "Floatin'" (2018), "No Time to Be Sober" (2020), "Silver Bells" (2020), "Sweet 16" (2023), "Reason to Drink" (2023), "Cruising Altitude" (2023), and "Beach Chair" (2024). In 2023, he also toured with Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top on the Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour. His album "Coffee & Beer" was released on July 12, 2024, marking his first studio album in approximately ten years.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Kracker
Studio albums
Double Wide (2000)
No Stranger to Shame (2002)
Seventy Two and Sunny (2004)
Happy Hour (2009)
Midnight Special (2012)
Coffee & Beer (2024)
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…shrink me down again