Music
Uncle Kracker
born 1974 · singer, songwriter, DJ
Mount Clemens-born singer who started as Kid Rock's DJ in Twisted Brown Trucker and scored solo hits with “Follow Me” and “Drift Away”.
- Born
Mount Clemens, Michigan
age 52- Birth name
- Matthew Shafer
- Detroit years
- 1974–
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Matthew Shafer, known as Uncle Kracker, was born in Mount Clemens in Macomb County and grew up in the area, attending L'Anse Creuse High School. As a teenager he went with his older brother to a turntable competition at a nightclub in suburban Clawson, where his brother faced a then-unknown Kid Rock; Shafer and Kid Rock became friends, and in 1994 he joined Kid Rock's band Twisted Brown Trucker as its DJ. He contributed vocals and songwriting to Kid Rock's records as the band broke through nationally from its metro Detroit base. Launching a solo career on Kid Rock's Top Dog imprint through Lava Records, he released Double Wide in 2000, and its laid-back single “Follow Me” reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. His cover of “Drift Away” with Dobie Gray hit the top 10 in 2003, and “Smile” later became a country crossover success.
Highlights
- DJ in Kid Rock's Twisted Brown Trucker band from 1994
- “Follow Me” (2000) reached No. 5 on the Hot 100
- “Drift Away” with Dobie Gray reached No. 9 (2003)
- “Smile” (2009), a pop and country hit
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · late 1980s–early 1990s
L'Anse Creuse High School
Macomb County high school he attended.