ARTIST SPOTLIGHT = Uncle Kracker (3 songs)

Born Matthew Shafer, this singer-guitarist is best known by his stage name. He entered the mainstream scene in 2001 with his debut single, “Follow Me”, from his 1st solo album ‘Double Wide’.

#1
Released 09/16/2002 as the 1st single from his 2nd album ‘No Stranger To Shame’, this song peaked at #59 on the Billboard Hot 100, #26 on the Adult Contemporary & #4 on the Adult Top 40 charts. It was featured in the 2003 reality film ‘The Real Cancun’. Elsewhere, the song notched at #39 in Australia, #37 in Switzerland & #18 in New Zealand.

#2
This song hit the airwaves 03/17/2003, just over 2 months after my 01/06/2003 open heart surgery. Released as the 2nd single from his 2nd album ‘No Stranger To Shame’, the song featured Dobie Gray, who had a #5 Billboard Hot 100 hit with the song 30 years earlier as the tune’s original singer (1973, my birth year). Uncle Kracker’s version peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart & claimed #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, while reaching #2 on the Adult Top 40. On a personal note, the single became a “theme song” of sorts for my August 2003 road trip, during which I drove my then-newest daily driver (1987 MC LS) through Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia & Tennessee.  Since, the song has become 1 of those that, when I hear it, tells me things are going to be OK.

#3
After none of his releases late 2003 through 2004 notched on the charts & releasing no new music 2005-2008, this song hit the airwaves 07/13/2009 as the 1st single from his 2009 album ‘Happy Hour’. It notched at #31 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the Adult Contemporary, #2 on the Adult Top 40 & #6 on the Country charts. Elsewhere, the single reached #3 in Australia, #31 in Austria, #44 in Canada & #47 in Germany.