Uncle Kracker Blog

The old story about Uncle Kracker meeting Kid Rock at a 1987 turntable competition in Clawson is true.

But Uncle Kracker, aka Matt Shafer, said the alleged competition between his brother, Mike, and Kid never actually happened.

"It never really went down," Shafer said. "(My brother) didn't bring his own equipment. Kid Rock was going to charge my brother $100 to use his turntables.

"Kid Rock would have destroyed my brother."

But the meeting was the start of a long friendship between the younger Shafer -- who was 13 at the time -- and a then 16-year-old Kid Rock (Robert James Ritchie) that continues until this day.

Shafer was in Kid Rock's band as a DJ and, after Kid's first album went big, Shafer received a record deal of his own and branched out under the name Uncle Cracker.

"My nickname when I was young was 'Cracker,'" Shafer said. "But there was already a band called 'Cracker,' so I had to come up with something else. 'Uncle' just seemed creepy enough to use. It's a boring story, I know, but we were young and stupid."

Shafer, who still lives in his hometown of Mount Clemens, is on a 35-city headlining a tour that makes a March 13 stop at Ground Zero. Rehab, whose catchy hit "Bartender Song" peaked at No. 11 in 2008, is also playing the $22 18-and-up show.

Uncle Kracker is best known for his hits "Follow Me," "Drift Away," "In A Little While" and his most recent, "Smile," from the 2009 album "Happy Hour."

His first single, "Follow Me" was an instant success, coming off his debut CD "Double Wide" and hitting No. 1 on the Adult Top 40.

All this while he never expected to be a music star.

"I never thought I could," Shafer said. "Never in a million years. But I got my first record deal when I was 15, and I still didn't think I could even then. It's just been one accident after another, to tell you the truth. I literally walked into this with no expectations whatsoever. It started with my best friend and we were together playing shows back years ago.

"It's never really stopped since then. I don't think I'd believe it if anybody would have told me 20 years ago this is what would have happened."

Shafer's band opened for Kid Rock at Boyne Mountain last fall, and the two have collaborated on many of Kid Rock's hits.

"I helped him write 'All Summer Long' and was writing a little bit for on his new record next year," Shafer said. "We hang out together more than we work."

Uncle Kracker's music, much like Kid Rock's, is a blend of rap, rock and country.

"I started listening to rap records when I was 10 years," Shafer said. "And I started writing songs when I was about 13. The first 'Fat Boys' record in '84 was what got me started, and it's been downhill ever since."

The influence of country music has gotten stronger and stronger as his career has progressed, and 2009's "Smile" also hit the top 40 country charts.

"It was very much kind of gradual," Shafer said. "Even on my first record, we had pedal steel, which is a big country element. I've always loved country. I grew up listening to George Jones and Patsy Cline. I think it was about my graduating year in high school, I started getting into Hank Williams Jr. He was singing about whiskey and trucks. The rappers were talking about 40s and low-riders, so to me it was the same thing, really."

Shafer said he's looking forward to his first tour with Rehab, whose 2001 single "It Don't Matter" peaked on the modern rock charts at No. 20.

"I've seen them play a couple times," Shafer said. "I think it's a good pairing for a tour. I'm happy to tour with them, because I'm a fan, to tell you the truth. I'll enjoy being able to listen every night."

Read the original JAMES COOK article here.