Uncle Kracker cuts right to the chase. He knows people want to kick back, forget about their troubles, and have a good time, so he’s always willing to oblige. For over two decades, the multi-platinum artist born Matthew Shafer has consistently soundtracked such good times with his boldly breezy blend of country, pop, and rock spiked with a splash of hip-hop. The world initially met Uncle Kracker during his stint in Kid Rock’s Twisted Brown Trucker Band, lending his songwriting and musical acumen to seven cuts off the RIAA diamond-certified Devil Without A Cause. However, fans fell in love with him on his solo debut Double Wide in 2000. It not only crashed the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 at #7, but it also picked up a double-platinum certification and paved the way for the gold-certified follow-up No Stranger To Shame [2002].
He has impressively notched #1 entries in three different genre lanes, topping Pop, Adult Contemporary, and Country charts. The platinum “Follow Me” clinched #1 in four countries, while the double-platinum “When The Sun Goes Down” [with Kenny Chesney] vaulted to #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart. He made history with his cover of Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away.” It logged 28 consecutive weeks at #1 on Adult Contemporary Radio, earning “the most weeks atop any Billboard chart.” Meanwhile, “Smile” shined across culture. It reached triple-platinum status and landed dozens of syncs, including a spot for The Office and a tribute montage to Regis Philbin on his final episode of Live With Regis & Kelly. Following 2012’s country album Midnight Special, he served up singles such as “Endlessly,” “Floatin’,” and “No Time To Be Sober.” Now in 2023, he’s released “Sweet 16” — his first proper single since the notorious pandemic — followed by “Reason To Drink” and most recently, “Cruising Altitude.”
BLANCO BROWN
Blurring the lines between Country and Hip-Hop music, Blanco Brown makes a southern sound that he proudly calls “TrailerTrap.” Honing in on his unique sound, Blanco balances both the urban and rural settings in which he grew up. His viral hit “The Git Up” (certified 11x PLATINUM across three countries) took the world by storm, claiming the top spot in charts across the globe and spawning nearly four billion views across social platforms. It claimed the No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for 12 weeks and was the top- selling digital Country song in the US for 13 weeks, resulting in Billboard naming him as their No. 1 Top New Country Artist for 2019. Apart from being a Grammy-nominated engineer who has worked with the likes of Fergie, Childish Gambino, Kane Brown and Chris Brown, the multi-talent’s multi-national Platinum-certified collaboration “Just the Way” with Parmalee garnered more than 500 million on-demand streams, earning Brown his first No. 1 hit on Country radio (in the US and Canada). More recently, he doubled down on his genre- bending collaborations, teaming with Nelly on the funky, country inspired track “High Horse,” T.I. for “Trap Still Bumpin’,” LOCASH and the late Leslie Jordan for the funky “Let It Slide,” while pairing with Diplo for “Do Si Do” and Lee Brice and R3HAB for the remix of Brice’s hit song, “Soul.” In 2021, Blanco Brown also lent soaring vocals to the song “Never Gonna Tame You (Original Song from “The Mustangs: America’s Wild Horses”),” written by Diane Warren. Recovering from a life-threatening accident and leaning on music to heal, Blanco released “Nobody’s More Country” in 2021. Then, while hitting the road hard this summer, he instantly captured the attention of festival audiences across the nation opening his set with a breathtakingly powerful cover blend of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” and Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey.” Showcasing his world-class vocal talent and captivating stage presence throughout 2022, Blanco’s latest emotionally charged new track “I’ll Never,” available now, is unlike anything the No. 1 hitmaker has ever released.