What Is Uncle Kracker's Net Worth?
Uncle Kracker is an American singer, rapper, and musician who has a net worth of $5 million. Uncle Kracker has been known for being associated with Kid Rock and is a DJ and guitar player. Uncle Kracker released his debut studio album, "Double Wide," in 2000, and it was certified 2x Platinum in the U.S. and reached #7 on the "Billboard" 200 chart. He went on to release the albums "No Stranger to Shame" (2002), "Seventy Two and Sunny" (2004), "Happy Hour" (2009), and "Midnight Special" (2012), and "No Stranger to Shame" went Gold. His 2001 single "Follow Me" reached #1 on the "Billboard" Adult Top 40 chart as well as the charts in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and Sweden. Uncle Kracker also had a #1 hit with 2003's "Drift Away" (featuring Dobie Gray), which topped the "Billboard" Adult Contemporary chart, and his 2004 duet with Kenny Chesney, "When the Sun Goes Down," reached #1 on the "Billboard" Hot Country Songs chart.
Early Life
Uncle Kracker was born Matthew Shafer on June 6, 1974, in Mount Clemens, Michigan. In 1987, his older brother, Mike, competed against Kid Rock in a turntables competition at a nightclub in Clawson, Michigan, and Uncle Kracker and Kid Rock became friends. Uncle Kracker attended L'Anse Creuse High School, and he worked at his father's Amoco gas station until the age of 21. In 1994, Kid Rock (who gave him the nickname "Kracker") enlisted him to play turntables for his rock band, Twisted Brown Trucker, and though he had no experience with using turntables, he agreed. Uncle Kracker began performing at live shows, and he played turntables on the 1996 Kid Rock album "Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp." He was also featured on the track "Krack Rocks."
Career
Uncle Kracker released his debut album, "Double Wide," on June 30, 2000, on Lava Records. The album reached #7 on the "Billboard" 200 chart, #3 on the German Offizielle Top 100 chart, and #5 on the Ö3 Austria chart, and it was certified 2× Platinum in the U.S., Platinum in Canada, and Gold in Australia. The single "Follow Me" reached #1 in several countries and went Platinum in Australia, Sweden, and the U.K. and Gold in Austria and Germany. Kid Rock has produced every Uncle Kracker album except 2012's "Midnight Special." After his successful debut, Uncle Kracker released the 2002 album "No Stranger to Shame," which he co-produced. The album reached #43 on the "Billboard" 200 chart and was certified Gold in the U.S. The album included a cover of the 1973 Dobie Gray song "Drift Away," featuring Gray as a guest vocalist, and it reached #9 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, #2 on the Adult Top 40 chart, and #10 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart. The single "In a Little While" reached #4 on the Adult Top 40 chart.
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In 2004, Uncle Kracker collaborated with country artist Kenny Chesney on the duet "When the Sun Goes Down," and it reached #26 on the "Billboard" 200 chart and #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart and was certified 2× Platinum in the U.S. Uncle Kracker was one of the producers on his third album, 2004's "Seventy Two and Sunny," which reached #39 on the "Billboard" 200 chart. The single "Rescue" peaked at #20 on the Adult Top 40 chart. Next, Uncle Kracker released the 2009 album "Happy Hour," which reached #38 on the "Billboard" 200 chart and #13 on the Top Rock Albums chart. The album featured the hit single "Smile," which was certified 3× Platinum in the U.S., Platinum in Platinum, and Gold in Canada and reached the top 10 on the Adult Top 40 chart (#2), Adult Contemporary chart (#3), Hot Country Songs chart (#6), and Ringtones chart (#8). Kid Rock performed on the single "Good to Be Me," and it reached #13 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, #28 on the Hot Country Songs chart, #29 on the Adult Top 40 chart. In 2010, Uncle Kracker released the EP "Happy Hour: The South River Road Sessions," and it reached #9 on the Top Country Albums chart. As of this writing, his most recent album is 2012's "Midnight Special," which reached #16 on the Independent Albums chart and #33 on the Top Country Albums, but he released the single "Floatin'" in 2018. In December 2022, Uncle Kracker announced that he would be joining ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd on their 2023 "Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour."
Personal Life
Uncle Kracker married Melanie Haas on May 8, 1998, and they welcomed three daughters before divorcing in 2014. He later remarried, and he has had two sons with his second wife.
In 2007, Uncle Kracker was arrested on a second-degree sex offense charge after a woman accused him of assaulting her at a North Carolina nightclub. He was released on $75,000 bond, and after pleading guilty to misdemeanor assault, he was sentenced to a suspended 60-day jail sentence and a year of probation. He was also ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.
Award Nominations
Uncle Kracker has earned three Academy of Country Music Award nominations: Vocal Event of the Year and Album of the Year for "When The Sun Goes Down" (shared with Kenny Chesney and Buddy Cannon) in 2005 and Vocal Event of the Year for "Good To Be Me" (shared with Kid Rock) in 2011. In 2001, he earned a Teen Choice Award nomination for "Follow Me," and in 2004, he received a CMA Award nomination for Musical Event of the Year for "When the Sun Goes Down."
Real Estate
In 2015, Uncle Kracker put his 4,709 square foot home in Harrison Township, Michigan, on the market for $999,999. Built in 2003, the mansion includes four bedrooms, a gym, a wine cellar, and a four-car garage, and the property features a saltwater pool and koi pond.
