Bert McCracken

American singer

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Bert McCracken

Background information
Birth name| Robert Edward McCracken
Born|  (1982-02-25) February 25, 1982 (age 41)
Provo, Utah, U.S.
Genres|

* Emo
* screamo
* post-hardcore
* hardcore punk
* punk rock
* alternative rock
* pop-punk

Occupation(s)|

* Singer
* songwriter
* musician

Instrument(s)|

* Vocals
* piano
* keyboards

Member of| The Used

Musical artist

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[edit]

McCracken was born in Provo, Utah, and grew up in Orem. He was raised in a Mormon 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.[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.

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.[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[edit]

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 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.

## Personal life[edit]

McCracken appeared on the MTV show The Osbournes while he was dating Kelly Osbourne, 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.[5]

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,[6] where their first daughter, Cleopatra Rose, was born in January, 2014. Their second child, Minerva Bloom, was born on March 23, 2018.[7]

McCracken has struggled with drug addiction and alcoholism in the past,[5] the former referenced in the song "Bulimic" on The Used's self-titled album.[8] However, he has since overcome his addictions, being sober since 2012.[5]

Bert McCracken has voiced his support for Palestine and left-wing politics[9] 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.[10]

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.[11][12]

## Discography[edit]

See also: The Used discography

### Singles[edit]

List of singles, showing year released and album name  Single  | Year  | Album

|
|

"Happy Christmas (War Is Over)"
(Street Drum Corps featuring Bert McCracken)[13] | 2005  | Taste of Christmas
"Vampire's Diet"
(with 3OH!3)[14] | 2021  | NEED

### Other appearances[edit]

Title  | Year  | Artist  | Album  | Note(s)

|
|
|
|

"Spokesman"  | 2002  | Goldfinger | Open Your Eyes | Additional vocals
"Open Your Eyes"
"Woodchuck"
"Anthem of Our Dying Day"[15] | 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

## Filmography[edit]

### Film[edit]

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[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2002–03  | The Osbournes | Himself  | 2 episodes

## References[edit]

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. 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. ^ a b c "The Used's Bert McCracken Discusses Losing A Loved One To Drugs, Overcoming Substance Abuse – Theprp.com". September 1, 2016.
6. ^ "Interview – Bert McCracken (The Used) – Cool Try". Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
7. ^ Imaginary Enemy Album Booklet
8. ^ "r/Music – We're Bert, Jeph, Quinn + Dan, AKA – The Used. Ask us anything!". reddit. April 14, 2014.
9. ^ 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.
10. ^ "Bert McCracken of The Used is Mad as Hell and He's Not Gonna Take It Anymore". April 21, 2014.
11. ^ "The Used's Bert McCracken has powerful words about life and death – Alternative Press". Alternative Press. October 26, 2017.
12. ^ "The Used's Bert McCracken Talks Suicide & Loss, How It Influenced New Album 'The Canyon'". Billboard.
13. ^ "Happy Xmas (War Is Over) – Single". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. November 15, 2005. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
14. ^ "Vampire's Diet – Single". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
15. ^ "Making Page Avenue: Part 1 by Page Avenue Crew".

## External links[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Bert McCracken.

* Bert McCracken profile at IMDb
* The Used official website

* v
* t
* e

The Used

* Bert McCracken
* Jeph Howard
* Dan Whitesides
* Joey Bradford

* Justin Shekoski
* Quinn Allman
* Branden Steineckert

Studio albums|

* The Used
* In Love and Death
* Lies for the Liars
* Artwork
* Vulnerable
* Imaginary Enemy
* The Canyon
* Heartwork
* Toxic Positivity

Live albums|

* Berth
* Live & Acoustic at the Palace

Compilation albums|

* Maybe Memories

EPs|

* The Ocean of the Sky

Singles|

* "The Taste of Ink"
* "Buried Myself Alive"
* "Blue and Yellow"
* "Take It Away"
* "All That I've Got"
* "I Caught Fire"
* "The Bird and the Worm"
* "Pretty Handsome Awkward"
* "Blood on My Hands"
* "I Come Alive"
* "Cry"

Related articles|

* Discography

Authority control databases: Artists |

* MusicBrainz

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