Sugar Ray and Uncle Kracker

The members of Sugar Ray grew up in Orange County, California, US, but initially pursued differing musical paths. Rodney Sheppard the band’s principal guitarist had played in several reggae band’s and had even collaborated with Dean Butterworth (the drummer of Good Charlotte). Later on Sheppard formed the band the Tories with future Sugar Ray drummer Stan Frazier. With the addition of bassist Murphy Karges and vocalist Mark McGrath, the group changed its name to Shrinky Dinx, but eventually settled on the name Sugar Ray.

Though the origins of the band date back to the mid 80s the group’s debut album “Lemonade and Brownies” did not come out until 1995. The album did not produce a hit single; however, it did grab the attention of several critics and acted as a platform on which the band showcased their unique blend of hip-hop, funk, and metal.

The group struck gold with their next album “Floored”. This release featured songs written in a similar vein of their previous material; however, their single “Fly” went in an entirely different direction and went on to be the band’s most successful song to date. The song reached No.1 on the Billboard’s Airplay List and pushed album sales to double platinum status. The hype surrounding this single also landed the band a cameo in the Billy Crystal and Robin Williams’ movie “Father’s Day”.

The group released their sarcastically titled follow up “14:59” in 1999. The album’s title was a statement against the criticism of those labeling the group as a one hit wonder. It was a hint that their 15 minutes of fame had not yet expired. The band’s assessment seemed to be spot on. The album debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 and contained two standout singles “Every Morning”, which entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart at No. 3 and “Someday” which entered at No. 7.

Sugar Ray started off the turn of the millennium recording a cover of John Cale and Brian Eno’s “Spinning Away” for the Danny Boyle dystopian film “The Beach”. They also made another appearance in the 2002 film “Scooby-Doo”, but before that they released their 2001 self-titled album that rose to commercial success thanks due to the hit single “When It’s Over”.

In 2003 the band issued their album “In the Pursuit of Leisure”, which featured a cover of Joe Jackson’s “Is She Really Going Out with Him” . In 2005 they put out a greatest hits album that contained previously unreleased material.

Following the release of their greatest hits album the band took a break from recording and touring. They were also released from their contract with Atlantic Records during this time. The group broke this period of inactivity with the release of “Into Yesterday” which was specifically written for the “Surf’s Up” soundtrack and they also went on a small tour in Asia. Sugar Ray put out their long awaited follow up “Music For Cougars” in 2009 and subsequently did a round of nostalgic tours with artists such as Smash Mouth and the Spin Doctors.

Uncle Kracker was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan, in the early 70’s. After early attempts at rapping in his early years, his first taste of performing came after meeting a young Robert James Ritchie aka Kid Rock at a turntable competition his brother was playing at. After hitting it off with Kid Rock, he agreed to perform with his then band “Twisted Brown Trucker”.

As Kid Rock blew up, he kept Shafer on as his tour DJ and also used him as a back up vocalist for his 1996 album “Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp”. After continuing DJing for Ritchie over a number of years, Shafer decided to begin work on his own solo album.

In 2000, Shafer released his debut LP, “Double Wide” under the moniker Uncle Kracker. The albums rock and rap blending sound was a hit around the world, proven by its success in the charts, as Double Wide rose as high number 7 in the US, as well as charting in many European countries. This album remains Shafer’s most successful to date and has been certified double platinum.

Following the release of his first effort, Uncle Kracker went on an extensive tour around the US, before writing and recording his follow up album, “No Stranger To Shame”, which came out in 2002. Shafer’s sophomore effort was also a success commercially, especially after the release of it’s first single, “Drift Away” was an instant hit. The track is a cover of Dobie Gray’s 70’s hit song.

Moving forward, Uncle Kracker ditched his rap rock leanings and moved into the world of country music, releasing a further three albums in that genre, the latest being 2012’s “Midnight Special”.