The History of The ClemTown Cowboys

Brian Odell W. and Raymond Ray-Ray B. were two creative kats from the city of Mount Clemens, Michigan. Becoming best-friends at L’Anse Creuse HS North in 1994/5, they put their creativity to use, and began to make their own music. Dreams of starting a band ran through their heads, but that dream never really left the ground. Their love of music left an open mind for all types of genres, and they were especially fond of local artists. Already fans of the local Kid Rock; they found something special in the man behind the turntables in Rock’s band: Twisted Brown Trucker. That man, was Matt Shafer. You all know him now, by the name: Uncle Kracker. Odell’s girl Sabrina Sabs M. and Ray-Ray’s girl Nicole Coley R. attended a handful of Kid Rock shows, and were also hooked on the talent of Uncle Kracker. When Kracker dropped his debut album in June of 2000, the four friends from Mount The Clem Clemens, MI picked up the disc when it first hit the record store shelves. Pumping the tracks in their cars, cruising the Clem during car shows, and late night cruises; the kats from the Clem promoted Kracker’s music to friends & family. They liked the music so much, that they began to promote Kracker’s tunes to people they didn’t know. From then on, they dubbed themselves The ClemTown Cowboys or cTc for short. The idea to build a cTc website, and run the Fans Fan Club for the local musician started to take form. They presented the idea to what would be the fifth member of cTc: Sabs’ brother: Christopher Lil Chris M. Odell & Ray-Ray ran with the ideas, built the site, hosted it on www.clemtowncowboys.com, and the rest is history!!

The site really took off. The self-proclaimed the #1 Uncle Kracker site on the internet and.. it easily was! With their constant up-keep on Kracker’s news, schedule, and the happenings in Kracker’s, and cTc’s, hometown of Mount Clemens, the site was an instant local success. Within time, the site spread throughout the US, and even overseas. Kracker’s fans had a loyal fan based powerhouse to go to on the internet. When people wanted to know all about their favorite Uncle, they didn’t have to look far. cTc met many people along the way: from fans, big-wigs, and even Kracker himself. Sabs had a connection to Matt Shafer himself, through family, so it made the “job” of up-keeping the site even that much more special. The BIGGEST accomplishment link was that on Kracker’s official website! Talking to Kracker’s producer, manager, and reps from Atlantic Records & Lava Records, and even VH1 (just to name a few) were also a few other perks that came along w/the site. Through persistence and commitment, cTc became much BIGGER than expected.

The ClemTown Cowboys built this site, for the fans. cTc hopes that the fans stay loyal to the all new – version 2.0 – of the cTc website. Let’s keep Kracker’s music going strong! We were there from the beginning; when Kracker was spinnin’ for Rock. Through Double Wide, and No Stranger To Shame. Through the Kenny Chesney colab, and beyond! We’ll still be here in the future. We hope all of you will join us!!

Special Thanks...
Too many positives came out during the process of creating and maintaining the site. Too many to list here. But, cTc would like to thank the following people:

First: Matt Shafer.
Thanks, first of all, for making great music. Second, for bein’ so damn cool, and so damn real, each and every time we met ya! We really do appreciate the way you act towards your fans. It shows that you are REAL. REAL MUSIC. REAL FRESH. FOR REAL PEOPLE. Good luck as an artist, and as a fellow resident of the COOLEST lil city in the state: Mount Clemens!! Also, thanks for the inspiration...Clem style!! (And – thanks to both Matt and Mel – for treating Sabrina so nice) We’ll ALWAYS support you as an artist, and as a person! Thanks for EVERYTHING!!

Second: The ClemTown Cowboys ourselves!
Not to sound conceited, but, we’d all like to thank each other - for putting our time, dedication, and money into this site each and every year in-order to keep it running at ‘top-notch’ quality...It was an absolute BLAST !!

Third: the FANS!!
Thanks a ton for making this the #1 Uncle Kracker site on the net – built by the fans, for the fans. And thank you all for the hits that we constantly receive; even when it seemed like your Uncle didn’t have that much going on public / news wise... That shows your dedication.

Finally: all the GREAT people we met along the way...

Thanks to the ‘Double Wide’ band lineup
– Steve & Eric (good luck w/Gold Cash Gold)
– Nick & Scott (good luck w/Shipwreck Union)
– and Mark (good luck w/the new ‘No Stranger’ lineup).
All of you were great, and showed your appreciation for ‘true’ fans.

Mike Bradford – thanks for bein’ so down to earth, and thanks for all the great news you sent our way!

Jocaine & 75 North – Thanks ‘caine. Kick the Clem’s ass w/your bright-ass, pure-talent music. Thanks for keeping us up on the happenin’s around town!!

All the FANS in the cTc Fan Alliance!! Thanks for joining up, and keeping this site alive!!

The select few at Atlantic/Lava Records (for the info, and goods for our contest), and the original peeps who set up unclekracker.com (for the HUGE link).

Paradime, White Boy Ric, and any other local artists who support the Cowboys!! Thanks!!

EKR – our boy in England – Extreme Kid Rock. Thanks for sharing some of your news w/us. We had fun exchanging info. Keep your site alive bro!!

Eric Wilcox – man, what to say about you. There’s just too much to write in this little space. Thanks for sharing the experience of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH with us...Those memories will NEVER be forgotten. We all miss ya lil buddy!! RIP.

To the new “staff” that will take over the reigns, grab the cTc torch, and launch & maintain the new site – version 2.0. Good luck!!

Well, that’s about all we have to say. Thanks to anyone we missed. It was fun while it lasted... Take care, and don’t treat people like crap. Like our boy Jocaine told us – “We all breathe the same air” – Kracker seems like he follows this rule; and that’s why this site was so HUGE, cause it was REAL !!!”

Sincerely,

Your ClemTown Cowboys
Odell, Ray-Ray, Sabs, Coley, and Lil Chris

Want to know what the Cowboys are doing now? As of October 2004: Brian “Odell” W – is a small business owner (Automotive Detailing) in Clinton Township .. just seconds away from The Clem. He plans on opening another, or multiple businesses, in the near future. A musical project may also be on the horizon... Sabrina “Sabs” M – currently enrolled in College -- Early Childhood Care / Teaching. She's pretty close to graduation, and wants to teach pre-school & possibly open her own Day Care in the near future. She is a manager at a retail store at a local mall in Roseville. Odell & Sabs have been currently dating for almost 8 years. Engagement???... Raymond “Ray-Ray” B – graduate of MSU. currently occupied as an engineer in Southfield... Nicole “Coley” R – in charge of payroll at a local dealership in Clinton Township. Ray-Ray & Coley currently live together in a home in Roseville, and just recently got engaged... Chris “Lil Chris” M – works in the field of Automotive Detailing. Lives in a condo in Clinton Twp...

The sky’s the limit!! Good luck to us all!!