Uncle Kracker Talks New Album, Kenny Chesney, and Crossover ‘Sweet Spot’

Hip-hop was born in the summer of 1973, the same summer that Jimmy Buffett’s carefree anthem was topping the Billboard charts. Fifty years later, The Tennessean caught up with Uncle Kracker, a notable hip-hop DJ turned chart-topping singer-songwriter. Known for embracing a lifestyle Jimmy Buffett once described as “escapist Caribbean rock ‘n’ roll,” Kracker’s career success is defined by his unique navigation between these varied musical influences.

Born Matthew Shafer, Uncle Kracker hails from 30 minutes north of Detroit, just across Lake St. Clair from Ontario. Currently, he’s on tour between Los Angeles and Denver, supporting his long-time collaborator Kenny Chesney. The tour also features rising star Megan Moroney and favorites the Zac Brown Band. Adding to his busy schedule, Kracker recently released “Coffee & Beer,” his first full-length album since 2012. The tour will hit Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on Saturday.

“Remaining relevant and successful for so long is a pretty good feeling,” says Kracker, reflecting on his enduring career.

In 2004, Uncle Kracker had evolved from Kid Rock’s party-rocking tour DJ into a pop-ready, doo-wop-style soul crooner who sold millions of albums and had two Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles (“Follow Me” and a cover of Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away”). At that time, Kenny Chesney was already a crossover superstar with eight albums and numerous country No. 1 singles. Collaborating on “When the Sun Goes Down” helped cement Chesney’s status as a pop fixture.

“I’m still ecstatic about it,” says Kracker. “We walked each other through the respective gates of our genres.” This collaboration has remained fruitful, as Chesney continues to bring Kracker on the road for his latest stadium tour.

Reflecting on their hit collaboration, Chesney said in a press statement, “Our song captured a vibe and a moment perfectly. No matter how much fun you’re having all day long, everything gets hotter when the sun goes down.” Kracker adds, “This tour is insane. We’re spreading a contagious love of what we get to do every night.”

“Ironically, being a DJ taught me that party culture is about more than just rap music. I still have an open mind about how genres work together to create the best atmosphere possible,” Kracker explains. He recalls that the music industry initially struggled to embrace this genre-blending approach. In the late 1990s, mainstream labels began adding country elements to chart-topping songs, attempting to capitalize on the broad popularity of artists like Garth Brooks and Faith Hill.

Acts like Sublime had already fused the beats and grooves of West Coast rap with rock. By 2003, Uncle Kracker’s moment arrived as a countrified Southern rock and break-beat-driven soul-pop artist. His cover of “Drift Away” set a record for the longest-reigning No. 1 single on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, surpassing Celine Dion.

“Eventually, timeless records that couldn’t be pigeonholed impacted the marketplace as much as they were changing the culture,” Kracker notes.

Kracker’s latest album, “Coffee & Beer,” is his fifth release in 25 years. Targeted as a summer soundtrack, it’s meant to offer an “escape from the nonsense” of “strange times.” He feels fortunate that fans still embrace his work. “Just trying to keep people from being distracted by their phones and not scare them out of the room,” Kracker explains about the appeal of tracks like “Beach Chair.”

During the conversation, Kracker alludes to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Freebird,” showing how his career has woven together various musical threads. He has contributed to country music’s evolution into a crossover genre by blending influences from Skynyrd, Kid Rock, Motown, and more. “Contributing to country music’s potential as a crossover genre allows me to do what I want while working within a sound I’ve always loved,” he says. “Returning to the sweet spot where I’ve been most successful always lets me leave any room filled with positive energy.”

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Uncle Kracker discusses new album, Kenny Chesney, and finding the crossover ‘sweet spot’.

Source: Nashville Tennessean