Bert McCracken
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Robert Edward McCracken (born February 25, 1982) is an American singer who is the lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band
The Used The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah, that formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford. Former members include Quinn Allman, Branden Stei ...
.


Early life

McCracken was born in
Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU). Provo lies between the ...
, and grew up in
Orem Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah M ...
. He was raised in a
Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
family with three sisters (Katie, Melanie, Rachel) and one younger brother (Joseph Taylor). McCracken has stated that he read quite voraciously growing up, due to the influence of his mother, who was a schoolteacher. At age 12, he started playing the trumpet in a local band called "I'm With Stupid". He attended Timpanogos High School for a brief time, before dropping out at 16. Eldest son of the household, Bert enjoyed a happy home life as a child, but as he grew into a teenager his and his parents' views conflicted. He rebeled against his parents and against their Mormon religion, eventually leaving the Latter Day Saint Church. He dropped out of high school; soon after, he left his home at the age of 16. For some time he was homeless until he found enough money for an apartment, moving in with then-girlfriend Kate.


Career

In January 2001, when the band called Dumb Luck (which later became The Used, then consisting of Quinn, Jeph and Branden) were looking for a singer, Quinn remembered Bert and he was invited to try out. After being given music that the band had written without words, Bert wrote the lyrics to what would become "Maybe Memories" and returned the next day with a newly recorded version of the song. The band welcomed him immediately, and renamed themselves "Used". They were eventually discovered by
John Feldmann John Feldmann (born June 29, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He serves as the lead singer/guitarist of the band Goldfinger. Early life Feldmann grew up in Saratoga, California. He started writing song ...
and signed to Reprise Records; they became "The Used" when it was discovered that a
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
band had already trademarked the name "Used". On June 25, 2002, they released their self-titled debut album.


Personal life

McCracken appeared on the
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
show ''
The Osbournes ''The Osbournes'' is an American reality television program featuring the domestic life of heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne and his family—his wife Sharon, their daughter Kelly, and their son Jack. The series premiered on MTV on March 5, 2002 ...
'' while he was dating
Kelly Osbourne Kelly Michelle Lee Osbourne (born 27 October 1984) is an English television personality, singer, actress, model, and fashion designer. The daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, she appeared on the reality show ''The Osbournes'' (2002–2005) w ...
, to her mother's dismay and disapproval. In 2004, McCracken's then-pregnant ex-girlfriend Kate died of a drug overdose, as the recording of The Used's second album '' In Love and Death'' was coming to a close. In July 2008, McCracken married his Australian fiancée, Alison, at a private ceremony in Los Angeles. In July 2013, he announced that he and his wife had relocated from Los Angeles to
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, Australia, where their first daughter, Cleopatra Rose McCracken, was born in January 2014. Their second child, Minnie Bloom McCracken, was born on March 23, 2018. McCracken has struggled with
drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use of ...
and
alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...
in the past, the former referenced in the song "Bulimic" on
The Used The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah, that formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford. Former members include Quinn Allman, Branden Stei ...
's self-titled album. However, he has since overcome his addictions, being sober since 2012. Bert McCracken has voiced his
support Support may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Supporting character Business and finance * Support (technical analysis) * Child support * Customer support * Income Support Construction * Support (structure), or lateral support, a ...
for
Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
and
left-wing politics Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political%20ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically in ...
alongside being critical of aspects of contemporary American culture and society, such as the influence of larger corporations on the music industry; which partly prompted his move to Australia in 2013. His political views were also influential in the lyrical content of The Used's 2014 album '' Imaginary Enemy''. About a year prior to the recording of The Used's 2017 album ''
The Canyon ''The Canyon'' is a 2009 thriller film written by Steve Allrich and directed by Richard Harrah. Plot The story starts with Nick and Lori, a newlywed couple who, after eloping, want to take a mule ride down into the canyon with a guide, Henry. ...
'', McCracken's friend Tregen died via suicide which heavily influenced the album's lyrical content.


Discography


Singles


Other appearances


Filmography


Film


Television


References


External links

*
The Used official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCracken, Bert 1982 births Living people Alternative rock pianists Alternative rock singers American alternative rock musicians Former Latter Day Saints American male singer-songwriters American rock keyboardists American rock pianists American male pianists VJs (media personalities) American rock singers American rock songwriters Musicians from Provo, Utah The Used members 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male singers American expatriates in Australia 21st-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from Utah