Matthew Shafer, a.k.a. Uncle Kracker, was way ahead of his time when he combined country, hip-hop, and rock influences in the early 2000s. Born in Mount Clemens, MI, in 1974, he worked as the DJ in Kid Rock’s band in the second half of the ’90s when the latter was taking off. Kid Rock co-produced Double Wide, Shafer's first album as Uncle Kracker, for a 2000 release, and it turned into a huge success with help from the easy-grooving, feel-good hit single “Follow Me.” In 2003 Uncle Kracker was all over the radio with a cover of Dobie Gray’s soul/pop crossover classic “Drift Away,” featuring a guest appearance from Gray himself, that ruled the U.S. Adult Contemporary charts for half a year. But the closer the Nashville mainstream came to adopting his innovative stylistic mix, the more Kracker moved toward a straight-up rootsy country sound, starting with 2004’s Seventy Two & Sunny. Consequently, from the late 2000s onward, he had his biggest successes on the country charts. After 2012’s Midnight Special, his release schedule went quiet, but his 2020 single “No Time To Be Sober” showed fans he remained on the case.