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Bert McCracken

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Bert McCracken
McCracken in 2014
McCracken in 2014
Background information
Birth nameRobert Edward McCracken
Born (1982-02-25) February 25, 1982 (age 42)
Provo, Utah, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Member ofThe Used

Robert Edward McCracken (born February 25, 1982) is an American singer who is the lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band the Used.

Early life

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McCracken was born in Provo, Utah, and grew up in Orem, Utah. He was raised in a Mormon family with three sisters (Katie, Melanie, Rachel) and two younger brothers (Joseph Taylor and Phil McCracken-Wicum). McCracken has stated that he read quite voraciously growing up, due to the influence of his mother, who was a schoolteacher.[1] 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.[citation needed]

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 rebelled against his parents and against their Mormon religion, eventually leaving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[1][2][3] 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.[4]

Career

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McCracken with The Used in 2005

Prior to joining The Used, McCracken was the vocalist in a straight edge band called Cobra Kai, which he was kicked out of after beginning to smoke marijuana.[5]

In January 2001, when the band called Dumb Luck (which later became The Used, then consisting of Quinn Allman, Jeph Howard, and Branden Steineckert) were looking for a singer, Allman remembered McCracken and he was invited to try out. After being given music that the band had written without words, McCracken 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 and signed to Reprise Records; they became "The Used" when it was discovered that a Boston band had already trademarked the name "Used". On June 25, 2002, they released their self-titled debut album.

In 2017, Allman sued McCracken for touring, album, and merchandise proceeds that occurred before his dismissal from the band, as well as damages for late and irregular royalty payments due to him.[6] The case was settled out of court in 2020.

In early 2024, McCracken announced that he would be releasing a solo album under the name “robbietheused”.[7] His debut single, "Just A Little Bit", was released on May 31, 2024.[8]

Personal life

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McCracken appeared on the MTV show The Osbournes while he was dating Kelly Osbourne,[9] 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.[10]

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, Australia,[11] where their first daughter, Cleopatra Rose, was born in January, 2014. Their second child, Minerva Bloom, was born on March 23, 2018.[12]

McCracken has struggled with drug addiction and alcoholism in the past,[10] the former referenced in the song "Bulimic" on The Used's self-titled album.[13] However, he has since overcome his addictions, being sober since 2012.[10]

Bert McCracken has voiced his support for Palestine and left-wing politics[14] 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.[15]

About a year prior to the recording of The Used's 2017 album The Canyon, McCracken's friend Tregen died via suicide which heavily influenced the album's lyrical content.[16][17]

Discography

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The Used

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see The Used discography

Solo album

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  • robbietheused (October 25, 2024)

Singles

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List of singles, showing year released and album name
Single Year Album
"Happy Christmas (War Is Over)"
(Street Drum Corps featuring Bert McCracken)[18] 		2005 Taste of Christmas
"Vampire's Diet"
(with 3OH!3)[19] 		2021 NEED
"Just A Little Bit" 2024 robbietheused

Other appearances

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Title Year Artist Album Note(s)
"Spokesman" 2002 Goldfinger Open Your Eyes Additional vocals
"Open Your Eyes"
"Woodchuck"
"Anthem of Our Dying Day"[20] 2003 Story of the Year Page Avenue
"You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison" 2004 My Chemical Romance Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
"Ocean Size" 2005 Goldfinger Disconnection Notice
"At Least I'm Good at Something" 2006 The Distance The Rise and Fall and Everything in Between Guest
"Handjobs for Jesus" 2008 Goldfinger Hello Destiny... Guest vocals
"Days Are Numbered" 2013 Black Veil Brides Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones Additional vocals
"Body Bag" 2020 Machine Gun Kelly Tickets to My Downfall Featured, Writer
"Over My Head" Girlfriends Girlfriends Featured
"Think About Me" 2021 Jxdn Tell Me About Tomorrow Writer
"Give Your Heart a Break" (Rock Version) 2023 Demi Lovato Revamped Featured
"Dearly Departed" 2024 Escape the Fate Out of the Shadows 2.0 Featured, Writer
"You're So Ugly When You Cry"[21] The Funeral Portrait Single Featured
"Just A Little Bit" robbietheused Debut single from his solo project

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2004 Punk Rock Holocaust Himself
2006 My Chemical Romance: Life On The Murder Scene Himself Documentary film
2007 Punk's Not Dead Himself Documentary film
2013 Black Veil Brides in the Studio: The Making of Wretched & Divine Himself Documentary film

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2002–03 The Osbournes Himself 2 episodes

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Used's Bert McCracken on Time, Philosophy + More". Loudwire. March 12, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  2. ^ "Now That The Used Are No Longer Using, Life Is 'Unreal'". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  3. ^ "The Used's Bert McCracken: "I'm brave, courageous, courteous, careful, loyal, thrifty and kind"". FasterLouder. April 24, 2014. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  4. ^ "I'm Out Of My Head!". www.blender.com.
  5. ^ Payne, Chris (2023). Where Are Your Boys Tonight? The Oral History of Emo's Mainstream Explosion 1999-2008. Dey Street Books. p. 146. ISBN 9780063251281. Jeph Howard: Bert had a metal band called Cobra Kai. We knew he could scream nonstop the whole show, but he also had a good singing voice.
    Bert McCracken: I started smoking pot and the straight-edge band I was in kicked me out. After that, I drifted away from music for a while and drugs became my everyday. Slowly from alcohol, then weed and cocaine to crystal methamphetamines. I got caught up in that world, living with some tweakers in a garage, and on and on and on.
  6. ^ "Former The Used lead guitarist sues ex-bandmates two years after being fired from Utah-based group". February 7, 2024. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  7. ^ "The Used's Bert McCracken launches pop solo project, robbietheused". Kerrang!. May 31, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  8. ^ robbietheused (May 30, 2024). robbietheused- Just a Little Bit (Audio). Retrieved May 31, 2024 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ "Meet Kelly Osbourne's ex-drug addict boyfriend". The Sydney Morning Herald. February 19, 2003. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c "The Used's Bert McCracken Discusses Losing A Loved One To Drugs, Overcoming Substance Abuse – Theprp.com". September 1, 2016.
  11. ^ "Interview – Bert McCracken (The Used) – Cool Try". Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  12. ^ Imaginary Enemy Album Booklet
  13. ^ "r/Music – We're Bert, Jeph, Quinn + Dan, AKA – The Used. Ask us anything!". reddit. April 14, 2014.
  14. ^ Loudwire (June 19, 2015). "The Used on Quinn Allman's Hiatus + Band's Future Goals". Archived from the original on December 13, 2021 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ "Bert McCracken of The Used is Mad as Hell and He's Not Gonna Take It Anymore". April 21, 2014.
  16. ^ "The Used's Bert McCracken has powerful words about life and death – Alternative Press". Alternative Press. October 26, 2017.
  17. ^ "The Used's Bert McCracken Talks Suicide & Loss, How It Influenced New Album 'The Canyon'". Billboard.
  18. ^ "Happy Xmas (War Is Over) – Single". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. November 15, 2005. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  19. ^ "Vampire's Diet – Single". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  20. ^ "Making Page Avenue: Part 1 by Page Avenue Crew".
  21. ^ "THE FUNERAL PORTRAIT Enlist THE USED Vocalist BERT MCCRACKEN On New Track "You're So Ugly When You Cry" Out Today, April 19". April 19, 2024.
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