Everyone’s favorite musical relative, the multi-genre and multi-platinum hitmaker, Uncle Kracker, has released his first proper single since the notorious pandemic. The nostalgic “Sweet 16”weaves the infectious melodies and clever lyricism he’s always been known for. Available on all DSPs today, the song was written by Matthew Shafer (Uncle Kracker), Marlon Young, Frederick L. Beauregard and Herschel Boone.
American Songwriter exclusively unveiled the single yesterday, raving, “carried by an infectious melody… ‘Sweet 16’ is an earworm on the surface but, becomes a moving vignette of growing old the closer you listen.”
“‘Sweet 16’ is about growing up,” says Uncle Kracker. “It’s life and love in America in all of its glory as I’ve seen it unravel around me. I’ve been lucky to witness it on multiple levels and even luckier to be able to write about it, so watching this single finally roll out is a breath of fresh air. Been a while.”
Always active on the road, Uncle Kracker performed yesterday at CMA Fest and will do so again today on the Dr. Pepper Amp Stage before hitting the highway for headlining dates, in addition to a run with ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd for the “Sharp Dressed Simple Man” tour that kicks off on July 21. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
CATCH UNCLE KRACKER LIVE:
DATE
CITY/STATE
VENUE
Friday, June 9
Nashville, TN
CMA Fest: Dr Pepper Amp Stage
Saturday, June 10
Bellevue, NE
Bellevue Rocks! Riverfront Festival
Monday, July 3
Minneapolis, MN
Taste of Minnesota Festival
Friday, July 14
Santa Maria, CA
Santa Barbara County Fair
Saturday, July 15
West Yellowstone, MT
Wild Bill Days
Friday, July 21
West Palm Beach, FL^
iThink Financial Amp
Saturday, July 22
Tampa, FL^
MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sunday, July 23
Alpharetta, GA^
Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Wednesday, July 26
Artesia, NM
Eddy County Fair
Friday, July 28
Rogers, AR^
Walmart Amphitheatre
Saturday, July 29
Fort Worth, TX^
Dickies Arena
Sunday, July 30
The Woodlands, TX^
Cynthia Woods Mitchel Pavilion
Friday, August 4
Mitchell, NE
Scotts Bluff County Fair
Saturday, August 5
Casper, WY
Gaslight Social
Sunday, August 6
Gunnison, CO
I Bar Ranch
Monday, August 7
Denver, CO^
Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
Thursday, August 10
Mountain View, CA^
Shoreline Amphitheatre
Friday, August 11
Wheatland, CA^
Toyota Amphitheatre
Saturday, August 12
Pioneertown, CA
Pappy & Harriet’s
Sunday, August 13
Phoenix, AZ^
Talking Stick Pavilion
Wednesday, August 16
Kansas City, MO%
Starlight Theater
Thursday, August 17
St. Louis, MO^
Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Friday, August 18
Van Buren, MO
Hellbender’s on the Current
Saturday, August 19
Tinley Park, IL^
Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Sunday, August 20
Noblesville, IN^
Ruoff Music Center
Thursday, August 24
Normal, IL
The Corn Crib
Friday, August 25
Cincinnati, OH^
Riverbend Music Center
Saturday, August 26
Detroit, MI^
Pine Knob Music Theatre
Sunday, August 27
Toronto, ON^
Budweiser Stage
Friday, September 1
Charlotte, NC^
PNC Music Pavilion
Saturday, September 2
Columbia, MD^
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Sunday, September 3
Burgettstown, PA^
The Pavilion at Star Lake
Friday, September 8
Saratoga Springs, NY^
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Saturday, September 9
Hershey, PA^
Hersheypark Stadium
Sunday, September 10
Holmdel, NJ^
PNC Bank Arts Center
Friday, September 15
Raleigh, NC^
Coastal Credit Union Music Park
Sunday, September 17
Camden, NJ^
Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
^ denotes with ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd
% No Lynyrd Skynyrd
ABOUT UNCLE KRACKER:
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.”
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