Oedipus explains the riddle of the Sphinx, by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, (ca. 1805).

In psychoanalytic theory, the term Oedipus complex denotes the emotions and ideas that the mind keeps in the unconscious, via dynamic repression, that concentrate upon a boy’s desire to sexually possess his mother, and kill his father.^[1][2] Sigmund Freud, who coined the term "Oedipus complex" believed that the Oedipus complex is a desire for the mother in both sexes (he believed that girls have a homosexual attraction towards their mother); Freud deprecated the term "Electra Complex", a term which was introduced by Carl Gustav Jung. The Oedipus complex occurs in the third — phallic stage (ages 3–6) — of five psychosexual development stages: (i) the Oral, (ii) the Anal, (iii) the Phallic, (iv) the Latent, and (v) the Genital — in which the source libido pleasure is in a different erogenous zone of the infant’s body.

In classical, Freudian psychoanalytic theory, the child’s identification with the same-sex parent is the successful resolution of the Oedipus complex and of the Electra complex; his and her key psychological experience to developing a mature sexual role and identity. Sigmund Freud further proposed that girls and boys resolved their complexes differently — he via castration anxiety, she via penis envy; and that unsuccessful resolutions might lead to neurosis, paedophilia, and homosexuality. Men and women who are fixated in the Oedipal and Electra stages of their psychosexual development might be considered “mother-fixated” and “father-fixated” as revealed when the mate (sexual partner) resembles the corresponding mother or father unit.

Background[link]

The psychologist Sigmund Freud (ca. 1921)

As a Freudian psychological metaphor describing son–father psychosexual competition for possession of mother, the Oedipus complex derives from the 5th-century BC Greek mythologic character Oedipus, who unwittingly kills his father, Laius, and marries his mother, Jocasta, (cf. Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, ca. 429 BC). As a psychiatrist, Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) proposed that the Oedipus complex is a universal, psychological phenomenon innate (phylogenetic) to human beings, and the cause of much unconscious guilt; Freud thus described the man Oedipus:

In classical psychoanalytic theory, the Oedipus complex occurs during the phallic stage of psychosexual development (age 3–6 years) when also occurs the formation of the libido and the ego; yet it might manifest itself at an earlier age.^[4][2]

Oedipal theoretic evolution[link]

The six-stage chronology of Sigmund Freud’s theoretic evolution of the Oedipus complex is:

• Stage 1. 1897–1909. After his father’s death in 1896, and having seen the play Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, Freud begins using the term “Oedipus”.
• Stage 2. 1909–1914. Proposes that Oedipal desire is the “nuclear complex” of all neuroses; first usage of “Oedipus complex” in 1910.
• Stage 3. 1914–1918. Considers paternal and maternal incest.
• Stage 4. 1919–1926. Complete Oedipus complex; identification and bisexuality are conceptually evident in later works.
• Stage 5. 1926–1931. Applies the Oedipal theory to religion and custom.
• Stage 6. 1931–1938. Investigates the “feminine Oedipus attitude” and “negative Oedipus complex”; later the “Electra complex”.^[5]

The Oedipus complex[link]

Oedipus and the Sphinx, by Gustave Moreau, (1864)

In the phallic stage, a boy’s decisive psychosexual experience is the Oedipus complex — his son–father competition for possession of mother. It is in this third stage of psychosexual development (ages 3–6) that the child’s genitalia are his or her primary erogenous zone; thus, when children become aware of their bodies, the bodies of other children, and the bodies of their parents, they gratify physical curiosity by undressing and exploring themselves, each other, and their genitals, so learning the anatomic differences between “male” and “female” and the gender differences between “boy” and “girl”.

Psychosexual infantilism — Despite mother being the parent who primarily gratifies the child’s desires, the child begins forming a discrete sexual identity — “boy”, “girl” — that alters the dynamics of the parent and child relationship; the parents become objects of infantile libidinal energy. The boy directs his libido (sexual desire) upon his mother, and directs jealousy and emotional rivalry against his father — because it is he who sleeps with his mother. Moreover, to facilitate union with mother, the boy’s id wants to kill father (as did Oedipus), but the pragmatic ego, based upon the reality principle, knows that the father is the stronger of the two males competing to possess the one female. Nonetheless, the boy remains ambivalent about his father’s place in the family, which is manifested as fear of castration by the physically greater father; the fear is an irrational, subconscious manifestation of the infantile Id.^[6]

Psycho-logic defense — In both sexes, defense mechanisms provide transitory resolutions of the conflict between the drives of the Id and the drives of the Ego. The first defense mechanism is repression, the blocking of memories, emotional impulses, and ideas from the conscious mind; yet its action does not resolve the Id–Ego conflict. The second defense mechanism is identification, by which the child incorporates, to his or her ego, the personality characteristics of the same-sex parent; in so adapting, the boy diminishes his castration anxiety, because his likeness to father protects him from father’s wrath in their maternal rivalry; by so adapting, the girl facilitates identifying with mother, who understands that, in being females, neither of them possesses a penis, and thus are not antagonists.^[7]

Dénouement — Unresolved son–father competition for the psycho-sexual possession mother might result in a phallic stage fixation conducive to a boy becoming an aggressive, over-ambitious, vain man. Therefore, the satisfactory parental handling and resolution of the Oedipus complex are most important in developing the male infantile super-ego, because, by identifying with a parent, the boy internalizes Morality, thereby, he chooses to comply with societal rules, rather than reflexively complying in fear of punishment.

Oedipal case study[link]

Female Oedipus attitude: Electra at the Tomb of Agamemnon, by Frederic Leighton, (c.1869).

In Analysis of a Phobia in a Five-year-old Boy (1909), the case study of the equinophobic boy “Little Hans”, Freud showed that the relation between Hans’s fears — of horses and of his father — derived from external factors, the birth of a sister, and internal factors, the desire of the infantile id to replace father as companion to mother, and guilt for enjoying the masturbation normal to a boy of his age. Moreover, his admitting to wanting to procreate with mother was considered proof of the boy’s sexual attraction to the opposite-sex parent; he was a heterosexual male. Yet, the boy Hans was unable to relate fearing horses to fearing his father. As the treating psychoanalyst, Freud noted that “Hans had to be told many things that he could not say himself” and that “he had to be presented with thoughts, which he had, so far, shown no signs of possessing”.^[8]

Feminine Oedipus attitude[link]

Initially, Freud equally applied the Oedipus complex to the psychosexual development of boys and girls, but later modified the female aspects of the theory as feminine Oedipus attitude and negative Oedipus complex;^[9] yet, it was his student–collaborator Carl Jung, who, in 1913, proposed the Electra complex to describe a girl’s daughter–mother competition for psychosexual possession of father.^[10]

In the phallic stage, a girl’s Electra complex is her decisive psychodynamic experience in forming a discrete sexual identity (ego). Whereas a boy develops castration anxiety, a girl develops penis envy rooted in anatomic fact: without a penis, she cannot sexually possess mother, as the infantile id demands. Resultantly, the girl redirects her desire for sexual union upon father, thus progressing to heterosexual femininity, which culminates in bearing a child, who replaces the absent penis.^[11] Furthermore, after the phallic stage, the girl’s psychosexual development includes transferring her primary erogenous zone from the infantile clitoris to the adult vagina.

Freud thus considered a girl’s negative Oedipus complex to be more emotionally intense than that of a boy, resulting, potentially, in a woman of submissive, insecure personality;^[12] thus might an unresolved Electra complex, daughter–mother competition for psychosexual possession of father, lead to a phallic-stage fixation conducive to a girl becoming a woman who continually strives to dominate men (viz. penis envy), either as an unusually seductive woman (high self-esteem) or as an unusually submissive woman (low self-esteem). Therefore, the satisfactory parental handling and resolution of the Electra complex are most important in developing the female infantile super-ego, because, by identifying with a parent, the girl internalizes Morality; thereby, she chooses to comply with societal rules, rather than reflexively complying in fear of punishment.

Freudian theoretic revision[link]

Oedipus complex: Otto Rank behind Sigmund Freud, and other psychoanalysts (1922).

When Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) proposed that the Oedipus complex was psychologically universal, he provoked the evolution of Freudian psychology and the psychoanalytic treatment method, by collaborator and competitor alike; some examples are:

The Electra complex: the matricides Electra and Orestes.

Carl Jung — In countering Freud’s proposal that the psychosexual development of boys and girls is equal, that each initially experiences sexual desire (libido) for mother, and aggression towards father, student–collaborator Carl Jung counter-proposed that girls experienced desire for father and aggression towards mother via the Electra complex — derived from the 5th-century BC Greek mythologic character Electra, who plotted matricidal revenge with Orestes, her brother, against Clytemnestra, their mother, and Aegisthus, their stepfather, for their murder of Agamemnon, her father, (cf. Electra, by Sophocles).^[13][14][15] Moreover, because it is native to Freudian psychology, orthodox Jungian psychology uses the term “Oedipus complex” only to denote a boy’s psychosexual development.

Otto Rank — In classical Freudian psychology the super-ego, “the heir to the Oedipus complex”, is formed as the infant boy internalizes the familial rules of his father. In contrast, in the early 1920s, using the term pre-Oedipal, Otto Rank proposed that a boy’s powerful mother was the source of the super-ego, in the course of normal psychosexual development. Rank’s theoretic conflict with Freud excluded him from the Freudian inner circle; nonetheless, he later developed the psychodynamic Object relations theory in 1925.

Melanie Klein — Whereas Freud proposed that father (the paternal phallus) was central to infantile and adult psychosexual development, Melanie Klein concentrated upon the early maternal relationship, proposing that Oedipal manifestations are perceptible in the first year of life, the oral stage. Her proposal was part of the Controversial discussions (1942–44) at the British Psychoanalytical Association. The Kleinian psychologists proposed that “underlying the Oedipus complex, as Freud described it . . . there is an earlier layer of more primitive relationships with the Oedipal couple”.^[16] Moreover, Klein’s work lessened the central role of the Oedipus complex, with the concept of the depressive position.^[17][18]

Wilfred Bion (1916)

Wilfred Bion — “For the post–Kleinian Bion, the myth of Oedipus concerns investigatory curiosity — the quest for knowledge — rather than sexual difference; the other main character in the Oedipal drama becomes Tiresias (the false hypothesis erected against anxiety about a new theory)”.^[19] Resultantly, “Bion regarded the central crime of Oedipus as his insistence on knowing the truth at all costs”.^[20]

Jacques Lacan — From the postmodern perspective, Jacques Lacan argued against removing the Oedipus complex from the center of psychosexual developmental experience. He considered “the Oedipus complex — in so far as we continue to recognize it as covering the whole field of our experience with its signification . . . [that] superimposes the kingdom of culture” upon the person, marking his or her introduction to symbolic order.^[21] Thus “a child learns what power independent of itself is as it goes through the Oedipus complex . . . encountering the existence of a symbolic system independent of itself”.^[22] Moreover, Lacan’s proposal that “the ternary relation of the Oedipus complex” liberates the “prisoner of the dual relationship” of the son–mother relationship proved useful to later psychoanalysts;^[23] thus, for Bollas, the “achievement” of the Oedipus complex is that the “child comes to understand something about the oddity of possessing one’s own mind . . . discovers the multiplicity of points of view”.^[24] Likewise, for Ronald Britton, “if the link between the parents perceived in love and hate can be tolerated in the child’s mind . . . this provides us with a capacity for seeing us in interaction with others, and . . . for reflecting on ourselves, whilst being ourselves”.^[25] As such, in The Dove that Returns, the Dove that Vanishes (2000), Michael Parsons proposed that such a perspective permits viewing “the Oedipus complex as a life-long developmental challenge . . . [with] new kinds of Oedipal configurations that belong to later life”.^[26]

In 1920, Sigmund Freud wrote that “with the progress of psychoanalytic studies the importance of the Oedipus complex has become, more and more, clearly evident; its recognition has become the shibboleth that distinguishes the adherents of psychoanalysis from its opponents”;^[27] thereby it remained a theoretic cornerstone of psychoanalysis until about 1930, when psychoanalysts began investigating the pre-Oedipal son–mother relationship within the theory of psychosexual development.^[28][29] Janet Malcolm reports that by the late 20th century, to the object relations psychology “avant-garde, the events of the Oedipal period are pallid and inconsequential, in comparison with the cliff-hanging psychodramas of infancy. . . . For Kohut, as for Winnicott and Balint, the Oedipus complex is an irrelevance in the treatment of severe pathology”.^[30] Nonetheless, Ego psychology continued to maintain that “the Oedipal period — roughly three-and-a-half to six years — is like Lorenz standing in front of the chick, it is the most formative, significant, moulding experience of human life . . . If you take a person’s adult life — his love, his work, his hobbies, his ambitions — they all point back to the Oedipus complex”.^[31]

Criticism[link]

Contemporary psychoanalysts accept the universality of the Oedipus complex to different degrees; Hans Keller proposed it is so “at least in Western societies”;^[32] and others consider that ethnologists already have established its temporal and geographic universality.^[33] Nonetheless, few psychoanalysts disagree that the “child then entered an Oedipal phase . . . [which] involved an acute awareness of a complicated triangle involving mother, father, and child” and that “both positive and negative Oedipal themes are typically observable in development”.^[34] Despite evidence of parent–child conflict, the evolutionary psychologists Martin Daly and Margo Wilson note that it is not for sexual possession of the opposite sex-parent; thus, in Homicide (1988), they proposed that the Oedipus complex yields few testable predictions, because they found no evidence of the Oedipus complex in people.^[35]

Moreover, in No More Silly Love Songs: A Realist’s Guide to Romance (2010), Anouchka Grose said that “a large number of people, these days believe that Freud’s Oedipus complex is defunct . . . ‘disproven’, or simply found unnecessary, sometime in the last century”.^[36] Moreover, from the post-modern perspective, Grose said that “the Oedipus complex isn’t really like that. It’s more a way of explaining how human beings are socialised . . . learning to deal with disappointment”.^[36] The elementary understanding being that “You have to stop trying to be everything for your primary career, and get on with being something for the rest of the world”.^[37] Nonetheless, the open question remains whether or not such a post–Lacanian interpretation “stretches the Oedipus complex to a point where it almost doesn’t look like Freud’s any more”.^[36]

Parent-child and sibling-sibling incestuous unions are almost universally forbidden.^[38] An explanation for this incest taboo is that rather than instinctual sexual desire there is instinctual sexual aversion against these unions (See Westermarck effect). Steven Pinker wrote that "The idea that boys want to sleep with their mothers strikes most men as the silliest thing they have ever heard. Obviously, it did not seem so to Freud, who wrote that as a boy he once had an erotic reaction to watching his mother dressing. But Freud had a wet-nurse, and may not have experienced the early intimacy that would have tipped off his perceptual system that Mrs. Freud was his mother. The Westermarck theory has out-Freuded Freud."^[39]

See also[link]

• Anti-Oedipus
• Feminism and the Oedipus complex

References[link]

Kid Rock
Kid Rock performs on a United Service Organizations show at Camp Phoenix, January 2006.
Background information
Birth name	Robert James Ritchie
Born	(1971-01-17) January 17, 1971 (age 41) Romeo, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Rock, hip hop, rap rock, rap metal, heavy metal, southern rock, blues
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter, actor, rapper
Instruments	vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, banjo, slide guitar, steel guitar, lap steel guitar, pedal steel guitar, dobro, keyboards, piano, organ, mellotron, synthesizers, turntables, drums, percussion, talkbox
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Atlantic, Jive, Top Dog
Associated acts	Uncle Kracker, Joe C., Champtown, Yelawolf, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Martina McBride, R. Kelly, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Too Short, Ice Cube, Chuck Nice, Run-D.M.C., Aerosmith, Ludacris, Eminem, Methods of Mayhem, LL Cool J, Esham, Hank Williams Jr., The Howling Diablos, T.I., Bob Seger, Zac Brown, Gretchen Wilson, Robert Bradley, Diana Ross, Dope, Monster Magnet, Hed PE, D Nice, Yo-Yo, Limp Bizkit, Staind, Blink-182, Powerman 5000, Professional Murder Music, Metallica, Sevendust, Creed, Korn, System of Down, Buckcherry, Fuel, David Allen Coe, Lit, Tenacious D, Saliva, Puddle of Mudd, Gov't Mule, Jerry Cantrell, Peter Frampton, Whitestarr, Dicky Betts, Peter Wolf, Bon Jovi, Paradime, Allison Moorer, Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Mohammed Omar, Pamela Anderson
Website	KidRock.com

Robert James "Bob" Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, multi-instrumentalist and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations. Kid Rock released several studio albums that mostly went unnoticed before his 1998 record Devil Without a Cause, released with Atlantic Records, sold 11 million albums behind the hits, "Bawitdaba", "Cowboy", and "Only God Knows Why". In 2000, he released The History of Rock, a compilation of remixed and remastered versions of songs from previous albums as well as the hit single, "American Bad Ass" and the previously unreleased "Abortion".

Kid Rock released the follow-up in 2001, Cocky. After a slow start, his country-flavored hit "Picture" with Sheryl Crow resurrected the album and it went gold as a single and pushed the album's sales over 5 million. It was followed by 2003's self-titled release, which went platinum in the USA and reached No. 8 on the Billboard charts. In 2006 he released Live Trucker, a greatest hits live album that went mostly unnoticed.

He made his comeback in 2007. Kid Rock released Rock n Roll Jesus, which produced a hit in "All Summer Long". It was his first worldwide smash hit, charting No. 1 in eight countries across Europe and in Australia.^[1][2] Rock N Roll Jesus sold 5 million albums worldwide and was certified triple platinum in the U.S. He released Born Free on November 16, 2010. It was announced on June 16, 2011 that "Born Free" was certified platinum by the 'Recording Industry Association Of America' (RIAA) for selling more than one million copies. This gives Kid Rock his sixth Platinum album certification and gives him a career tally of 23 million albums sold.

His sales are not aided by iTunes, as he has boycotted sales of his music on the service. This also affects his singles' chart positions without digital downloads added in (for example, "All Summer Long" only peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100). The only Kid Rock album available on iTunes is "Grits Sandwiches For Breakfast" because Jive Records owns the rights to the album.

Early life[link]

Robert James "Bob" Ritchie was born on January 17, 1971 in Romeo, Michigan to William "Bill" Ritchie, a car dealer who owned several local dealerships, and Susan Ritchie. His family also owned a six-acre orchard and Ritchie regularly helped pick apples and cared for the family's horses.^[3] He has three siblings: two are older, brother William "Billy" Ritchie and sister Carol Ritchie; and one is younger, sister Jill Ritchie who is an actress.^[4] Ritchie found small-town life dull; he became interested in rap music, learned how to breakdance and participated in talent shows in the Detroit area.^[5] At age eleven he joined a breakdance crew called the Furious Funkers, and taught himself to work a cheap belt-driven turntable. In high school, Ritchie DJed at parties for beer. He eventually joined Bo Wisdom of Groove Time Productions, in Mt. Clemens, Michigan to perform basement parties for thirty dollars a night. He was then given his stage name; club goers dubbed him "Kid Rock" after they had enjoyed watching "that white kid rock."

Ritchie eventually ran away to Mt Clemens at 15 and stayed with his friend Chris Pouncy. He was forced to sell drugs out of a car wash he worked at by a local drug gang known as the "Best Friends". A man in the neighborhood, angered by the actions, organized a rap group to keep the neighborhood kids out of trouble. It was composed of The Blackman (founder of the group), Champtown, KDC, Chris "Doc Roun-Cee" Pouncy and Bob. They were known as "The Beast Crew". Rock befriended producer D-Nice of the legendary hip-hop group Boogie Down Productions. When Rock opened for BDP one night, D-Nice invited an A&R representative from Jive Records to see him perform. This meeting led to a demo deal, which developed into a full record contract.

Against his parents' wishes, Rock signed the deal at age seventeen. Despite his new record deal, he had a falling out with The Beast Crew when he signed over fellow member Champtown (the two have become friends again since). They left his vocals on the tracks of their debut underground album "Chapter 1: He Don't Want Us No More," against his wishes. Rock later became part of the Straight From The Underground Tour alongside several heavyweights of rap including Ice Cube, Too Short, D-Nice, Mac Dre, and Yo-Yo.

Career[link]

Early career[link]

On December 30, 1990 Kid Rock released his debut album Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast. As noted by Insane Clown Posse member Violent J, this album made Kid Rock one of the two biggest rap stars in Detroit in 1990, along with local independent rapper Esham.^[6][7] Though Jive Records did not push the album it gained infamy when radio station WSUC-FM (90.5) of Cortland, NY was fined $23,700 by the FCC for playing the song Yo Da-Lin In the Valley then the largest fine against a radio station. Kid Rock's career had begun to decline towards the end of 1990.^[7] Jive Records released Kid Rock from his contract in 1991. Once back in Detroit he became friends with Uncle Kracker after battling his brother in a freestyle rapping competition; Uncle Kracker became Kid Rock's DJ.

In late 1991 Kid Rock was picked up by an independent record label called Continuum Records. Though Insane Clown Posse's Violent J disliked Kid Rock's rapping style, he paid Kid Rock to appear on Insane Clown Posse's first album, Carnival of Carnage in 1992, in an attempt to gain notice for the album.^[7] Kid Rock showed up to record the song "Is That You?" intoxicated, but re-recorded his vocals and record scratching the following day.^[7] In March 1993, Continuum released his second album The Polyfuze Method, which featured a more rap rock-oriented sound with Kid Rock teaching himself how to play several different instruments including guitar, drums, keyboard and organ. The album saw some local college radio success at Central Michigan University with the tracks "Back From The Dead" and "Balls In Your Mouth". He released "U Don't Know Me" as the first single from the album, but it failed to chart, and the music video received little airplay on major music video channels. Kid Rock re-released "Back From The Dead" as a single to mainstream radio, but that too failed as a single. The album has sold around 15,000 copies.

He released an EP called Fire It Up in December 1993. The EP featured the song "I Am the Bullgod" which wouldn't be a hit until six years later. Continuum didn't see a future with Kid Rock after this and released him from his contract in 1994.

He moved back to Detroit where his on again off again relationship with Kelly South resulted in a son Robert James Ritchie Jr. Kid Rock released monthly demo tapes dubbed The Bootleg Series which featured demos of him and other up-and coming rappers and garage rock bands in the Detroit area. Around the same time Kid Rock formed his back up band Twisted Brown Trucker, later recruiting Joseph "Joe C." Calleja whom he met at a 1994 concert as part of the group. In 1995 Rock took a job as a janitor at Whiterooms Studios to pay studio fees. When he wasn't working, Kid Rock recorded the material that eventually made up his fourth album Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp, which Rock released on his own label Top Dog Records. During the recording process he met piano player Jimmie Bones who joined the band soon after. The album was released on February 12, 1996. A loan from his father aided the release and Kid Rock sold 6,000 copies from the trunk of his car including after his concerts.

Lava/Atlantic Records A&R man Andy Karp was interested, after seeing Kid Rock in Cleveland in December 1996 and again in March 1997. Following a two song demo tape containing "Somebody's Gotta Feel This" and "I Got One For Ya" [Jason Flom] supported Karp in signing Kid Rock for $100,000.^[8] However, when recording sessions began Atlantic wanted more of a rock sound and didn't initially like "Cowboy," "Devil Without A Cause" and "Only God Knows Why." They asked Rock to take out the "I'm going platinum" line on the tile track's chorus but he refused. The conflict slowed down production, however Devil Without a Cause was completed on schedule with Rock mostly playing all the instruments himself.

[edit] Devil Without a Cause to Cocky (1997–2002)

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In 1997, Kid Rock added drummer/vocalist Stefanie Eulinberg to his band, joining Kenny Olson, Jason Krause, Jimmie Bones, Uncle Kracker, Misty Love, Shirley Hayden and Joe C.. On August 18, 1998, Atlantic released Devil Without a Cause behind the single "Welcome 2 The Party." Kid Rock went on the Vans Warped Tour to support the album, performing one of his first New York City shows at Luna Lounge on the Lower East Side during the CMJ convention.

Sales of "Welcome 2 The Party" and Devil were slow, though the 1998 Warped Tour in Northampton, Massachusetts stimulated regional interest in Massachusetts and New England. This led to substantial airplay in the summer and fall of 1998 on rock staples in Massachusetts WZLX and WAAF for the single "I Am The Bullgod." In December 1998, while DJ'ing at a club he met and became friends with MTV host Carson Daly. He performed on MTV Fashionably Loud in Miami, then on MTV's Wanna B A VJ doing "My Name Is Rock" and was the DJ for TRL on the Spring Break Special as well as a judge on Say What Karaoke. This raised his profile so by April 1999 Devil Without a Cause had achieved a gold disc.^[9] In May 1999 the single "Bawitdaba" off the album was released to radio outlets, and by June, Devil had gone platinum.^[9] Kid Rock went on his first major tour, Limptropolis, with Limp Bizkit and Staind. By the time he made his career defining performance at Woodstock 1999 on July 24, 1999, he was double platinum.^[9] The following single "Cowboy" was an even bigger hit. It was a mix of southern rock, country and rap that made the Top 40. Rock's next single, the rock ballad "Only God Knows Why", was the biggest hit off the album charting at No 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. By the time the final single "Wasting Time" was released the album had sold 7 million albums, Devil Without A Cause was certified 11 times platinum by the RIAA on April 17, 2003.^[9]

Rock was nominated as Best New Artist at the 2000 Grammy Awards, but lost to Christina Aguilera. He was nominated for "Bawitdaba" for Best Hard Rock Performance, but lost to Metallica's "Whiskey in the Jar."

After reacquiring the rights to his early material in 2000, Rock released The History of Rock, a collection of remixed and re-recorded songs from The Polyfuze Method and Early Mornin Stoned Pimp. "American Bad Ass", one of two new tracks, was released as a single. It sampled the Metallica track "Sad But True".

On May 27 Kid Rock appeared on Saturday Night Live performing "American Bad Ass" and an acoustic version of "Only God Knows Why" that featured Phish's Trey Anastasio. Kid Rock joined Phish later in the year in Las Vegas, Nevada, for a set of cover songs.

A 2000 tour in which David Allan Coe performed as an opening act for Kid Rock was the subject of criticism from journalist Neil Strauss, who alleged that Coe's songs were racist.^[10]

From June 30 to August 22, 2000, Kid Rock joined the Summer Sanitarium Tour with Metallica, Korn, Powerman 5000, and System of a Down. Kid Rock filled in for James Hetfield of Metallica, singing vocals on the songs "Enter Sandman", "Sad But True", and "Nothing Else Matters" and the turntables for "Fuel", for three shows after Hetfield injured his spine riding a jet ski on Lake Lanier the day before the July 7 Atlanta concert.

On November 16, 2000 Joseph "Joe C" Calleja died in his sleep from Coeliac disease in Taylor, MI. The disease stunted his growth and forced him to take 60 pills a day. Joe C's final song was "Cool Daddy Cool" for the Osmosis Jones soundtrack. The band made a cameo in the movie as the band playing in the club scene. Kid Rock was referred to as Kidney Rock to go along with the cartoon aspect of being a cell in the body of Frank played by Bill Murray.

In early 2001, Rock inducted Aerosmith into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performed "Sweet Emotion" at the induction ceremony. The same year, Rock landed his first acting role in the David Spade white trash comedy Joe Dirt. His character was Robbie a redneck bully to Joe Dirt who was chasing after Joe's unaware love interest Brandy.

"American Bad Ass" was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 2001 Grammy Awards. Losing out to Rage Against The Machine's "Guerilla Radio". The History of Rock would go on to be certified double platinum.

In November, Kid Rock blessed us with Cocky, which was marketed as the official follow up to Devil Without a Cause. With the era of rap metal on the decline, Kid Rock included several southern rock and country ballads on the album. The first single, "Forever", featured his standard brash rap-rock sound, but lacked the selling power of "Devil Without A Cause". The songs "Lonely Road of Faith"and "You Never Met a Motherfucker Quite Like Me" were released as singles, but were only minor hits, and the album struggled to reach platinum a year later. Rock had problems with the release of "Picture", a country-influenced duet with Sheryl Crow: his label felt it was wrong for his image, and was not keen to spend more money promoting a flagging album; then, when they agreed to release it, Sheryl Crow's label initially refused to give permission. Rock, meanwhile, made a radio version with Allison Moorer, which was gaining airplay. Crow's label caved and their version was finally released. When "Picture" was released it introduced Kid Rock to a wider audience, and was ultimately the most successful single on the album.^[11] The song would chart at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 17 on Country radio. The song remains his most successful pop song in the U.S. to date.

On December 14, 2001, CMT aired an episode of Crossroads featuring Rock with Hank Williams, Jr. The episode drew 2.1 million viewers, a record on CMT.^[12] He would perform for troops in January 2002 on an MTV USO Special at Germany's Ramstein Air Base along with Ja Rule and Jennifer Lopez.

At the end of 2002, Uncle Kracker left the band to pursue a solo career, and Detroit underground rapper Paradime replaced him. Kid Rock made his second movie, Biker Boyz, with Laurence Fishburne.

[edit] Kid Rock to Rock n Roll Jesus (2003–2009)

In 2003, Kid Rock returned with an eponymous album, almost stripping away the accustomed rap metal sound he had created, opting for southern rock and several country ballads in the wake of "Picture"'s success. The album's lead single was a cover of Bad Company's "Feel Like Makin' Love". A media blitz accompanied the single capped off by the VH-1 special called A Kid Rock Christmas, which aired on December 14, 2003. He would release "Cold and Empty", "Jackson, Mississippi" and "I Am" I Am (Kid Rock song) to minor success on radio. The David Allan Coe-penned "Single Father", became his second charting country song, although like the other singles it was minor hit at #50.^[9] The album would go on to go platinum.

Kid Rock was involved in the halftime show controversy at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, Texas on February 1, 2004. He was criticized by the Veterans of Foreign Wars for desecrating the American flag, by wearing one slit in the middle as a poncho.^[13]

The following month, Kid inducted Bob Seger into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In September 2005, Kid Rock filled in for Johnny Van Zant, the lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd on the band's hit "Sweet Home Alabama" at the Hurricane Katrina benefit concert.^[14]

He performed the theme song for Spike TV's Striperella, which featured Pamela Anderson in 2003, the song was entitled "Erotica". He appeared in cartoon form on some episodes.

Kid Rock in concert on September 16, 2006 in Denver, Colorado.

On February 28, 2006, Kid Rock released his first live album, Live Trucker, comprising songs from his homestead performances in Clarkston (on September 1, 2000, and August 26 through August 28, 2004), and Detroit's Cobo Hall (March 26, 2004). The album contained the last two performances of Joe C. on "Devil Without a Cause" and "Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp," as well as Kid duetting with country star Gretchen Wilson on "Picture."^[15]

He brought Bob Seger back from semi-retirement during his pre-Super Bowl concerts on February 2 and 3, 2006 in Detroit. The two performed a version of Seger's "Rock 'n' Roll Never Forgets" on both nights. Kid Rock would appear on Bob Seger's album, Face the Promise, on a Vince Gill cover of "Real Mean Bottle," a tribute to country legend Merle Haggard. He would make a cameo in the movie Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector and was in an episode of CSI: New York in 2006.

He inducted Lynyrd Skynyrd into the 2006 Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and performed "Sweet Home Alabama" with them.

Rock n Roll Jesus was released on October 9, 2007, becoming Kid Rock's first album to go number 1, selling 172,000 copies in its first week.^[16] He made the cover of Rolling Stone magazine for the second time,^[17] and appeared for the first time on Larry King Live to discuss the new album.

The album's first two singles were successful on rock radio in "So Hott" and "Amen". The album's third single "All Summer Long", became a global hit. It utilized a mash up of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" and Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London".^[18] "All Summer Long" would chart at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Rock n Roll Jesus" returned to the Top 10 for 17 straight weeks. Both "Roll On" and the title track were released as follow-up singles. The album's final single was "Blue Jeans and a Rosary" which was a minor country hit at No. 50.

In 2008, Kid Rock recorded "Warrior" for a National Guard advertising campaign.^[19][20]

Kid Rock performing at WrestleMania XXV for the Divas Battle Royal on April 5, 2009.

Kid Rock performed on VH1 Storytellers on November 27, 2008, giving an insight to how he wrote some of his hit songs. On April 5, 2009 he performed a 5-song medley at WrestleMania XXV.

He was nominated for best rock album and best male pop/rock performance for "All Summer Long" at the 2009 Grammys. He lost to Coldplay's Viva La Vida for best Rock Album and John Mayer's "Say" for Best Male Pop/Rock Performance. He achieved his first country award winning for Best Wide Open Country Video for "All Summer Long" at the 2009 CMT Awards.

On May 22 Kid Rock's June 8, 2008 concert at Germany's Rock AM Festival was aired on every MTV affiliate around the world on their debut show "World Stage".^[21]

At the 2008 Download Festival Kid Rock was meant to appear between Seether and Disturbed on the Main Stage but pulled out at the last minute. It was first announced that this was due to illness.^[22] Rock later claimed he left the festival grounds after becoming dissatisfied with the amenities.^[23] But, the following year, Download's booker theorized that it had been due to a broken heart.^[24]

On July 3, 2009 "Rock N Roll Jesus" was certified triple platinum by the RIAA. Two weeks later, Kid Rock performed at Comerica Park on July 17 and 18, 2009.

[edit] Born Free (2009–present)

In April 2010 Kid Rock started the Born Free era off with a spring cruise dubbed "The Chillin The Most Cruise". Then he followed that up by hosting the CMT Awards in June and performed "Cowboy".

Kid Rock released Born Free on November 16, 2010 and it debuted at No 5 selling 189,000 copies in its first week. The album was produced by Rick Rubin and featured David Hidalgo and Matt Sweeney on guitar as well as Chad Smith on drums and Benmont Tench on keys and piano. The album became his first album without a parental advisory sticker on it. The album's lead single was the patriotic "Born Free." It peaked at No 14 on the mainstream rock charts, it also charted on the country and hot ac chart. It was the theme song to the 2010 MLB playoffs on TBS as well as WWE's Tribute To The Troops Special. The album reached gold status on December 15, 2010. The follow up single was the southern working man's anthem "God Bless Saturday", which peaked at no 37 on the mainstream rock tracks. It is the secondary theme song for College Gameday on ESPN. The third single was "Collide", Sheryl Crow rejoined him along with Bob Seger (on piano). They then went on a joint tour together the song peaked at No 26 on the hot ac chart and no 51 on the country chart. The next single "Purple Sky" a cover of Jason Boland would fail to chart. In November 2011, Kid Rock released "Care" a protest song about current politics in D.C. There were multiple versions released for the single. The album version feat. Martina McBride and T.I., the international single feat. Mary J. Blige. The last version which was released when Martina McBride's label wouldn't let her in on the music video, and the video was shot with the Pistol Annie's Angeleena Pressley. Id peaks no 26 on the hot ac chart and no 58 on the country chart. An ep was released in the Detroit area along with the album called the Racing Father Time EP feat. It included remixes of Slow My Roll and Lonely Road Of Faith along with "The Midwest Fall" and "Forty". Born Free went platinum in July 2011.

On January 15, 2011 Kid Rock celebrated his 40th birthday with a performance at Ford Field in Detroit. The marathon concert featured Uncle Kracker, Peter Wolfe, Rev Run, Sheryl Crow, Cindy Crawford, Jimmie Johnson and Anita Baker. He also returned to Comerica Park on August 12 and 13.In December he went a 12 city club tour and donated proceeds to various charities in each city to support his single "Care". Kid Rock became the first musician to play in a recorded concert for television at Elvis Presley's Graceland on November 28, 2011 when PBS taped an episode for their Live from the Artists Den series that will air beginning February 24, 2012. He performed "Born Free" at a Michigan Rally for Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney in February as well. On May 12, 2012 he will perform a benefit concert with the Detroit Orchestra, in hopes to raise 1 million dollars.

On December 7, 2011 Kid Rock joined Metallica on-stage at The Fillmore San Francisco during the 30 Years of Metallica celebration (Day 2) to perform Seger's "Turn the Page". On April 14, 2012 he along with Travis McCoy, Black Thought,?uestlove and The Roots performed a medley of Beastie Boys classics at the 2012 Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony.

Kid Rock is currently in the studio for his successor to Born Free. He stated to Billboard.com that he had 16 ideas written and is hoping for a fall release. He made mention of a "very dark" ballad for the album. He described it has a greatest hits album with new songs.

Musical style and influences[link]

Kid Rock's musical style ranges from Midwest hip hop and heavy metal to country rock and rap rock.^[25] His influences include Warren Zevon, Jim Croce, Hank Williams, Jr., Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, David Allan Coe, Bob Seger, Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, Whodini, Too Short, Eric B. & Rakim, Esham, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Die Antwoord.^[25][26]

Kid Rock has influenced such artist and groups as Uncle Kracker,Paradime,Ty Stone,Jocaine and 75 North, Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson and Jason Aldean. His son released his debut EP "Wanted Dead Or Alive" under the stage name "Bandit" adapting his father's pre fame rap flow.

Twisted Brown Trucker[link]

Twisted Brown Trucker is Kid Rock's band, formed in 1994 in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The original lineup included Kenny Olson on lead guitar, Uncle Kracker on turntables, Andy Gould and George Metropolous on guitar, Paul Anthony on bass and Bob Ebeling on drums. The band's first involvement was on the 1994 demo of "Dark & Gray" on his Bootleg Series Tapes, they would make three more appearances on the tapes in Watch Me Come, Only a Dog and Box #10. Trucker became both Rock's studio and live band in 1997.

Chris Peters was the studio guitarist for The Polyfuze Method and Fire It Up. Matt O'Brien (Bass) and Kenny Tudrick (Guitar, Drums) were studio musicians for Devil Without a Cause. Kenny Tudrick also played on 2007's "New Orleans" off Rock N Roll Jesus and co-wrote Rock N Roll Jesus.

Kenny Olson went on to form numerous bands for more creative outlets. A Pack of Wolves, The Flask, Five Star Carni, The Motorfly's, and most recent (2010) 7 Day Binge. He has also made appearances on many other recordings such as the song "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" which can be found on the Les Paul & Friends CD as well as a version of "Little Wing" with Chaka Khan on "The Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix" among numerous others.

Tudrick is with the band Detroit Cobras, who he was with before touring on Kid Rock's 'Live' Trucker tour.

Percussionist Larry Frantangelo won a Detroit Music Award in 2009 for Outstanding Urban/Funk Musician.

Current members

• Jimmie "Bones" Trombly – keyboards, piano, organ, harmonica, backing vocals (1996–present)
• Marlon Young – lead & rhythm guitar (1996–1997, 2007–present)
• Jason Krause – rhythm & lead guitar (1997–present)
• Stefanie Eulinberg – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1998–present)
• Paradime – turntables, programming, keyboards (2002–present)
• Aaron Julison – bass guitar, backing vocals (2003–present)
• Shannon Curfman – backing vocals & guitar (2010–present)

with:

• Larry Frantangelo – percussion (2007–present)
• David McMurray – saxophone (2007–present)
• Jessica Wagner;– backing vocals (2007–present)
• Tyra Juliette -backing vocals (2007–present)

Former members

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• Barbara Payton- backing vocals (2007–2009, on and off)
• Stacy Michelle- backing vocals (2007–2009)
• Kenny Olson – lead guitar (1994–2005)
• Uncle Kracker – turntables (1994–2002)
• Joe C – backing vocals (1994–2000)
• Andy Gould – rhythm guitar (1994–1995)
• George Metropolous – rhythm guitar (1994–1995)
• Paul Anthony – bass (1994–1995)
• Bob Ebeling – drums (1994–1995)
• Bill Keros – drums (1995)
• Eric Hogemeyer – drums (1995)
• Jeff Hall – rhythm guitar (1995–1996)
• Chris Zuccaro – drums (1995–1998)
• Ray Echlin – bass (1996)
• Lonnie Motley – bass (1996–1998)
• Chris Lebroux – bongos (1997)
• Thornetta Davis – backing vocals (1997–1998)
• Mike Bradford – bass (1998–2001)
• Misty Love – backing vocals (1998–2001)
• Shirley Hayden – backing vocals (1998–2001)
• Bobby East – bass (2001–2003)
• Smith Curry – dobro (2004–2005)
• Karen Newman – backing vocals (2004–2005)
• Lauren Creamer – backing vocals (2004–2005)
• Kenny Tudrick – lead guitar (2005–2006)

Personal life[link]

Marriage to Pamela Anderson[link]

Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock in 2003

In 2001 Kid Rock began dating actress Pamela Anderson, after the two met at a VH1 tribute to Aretha Franklin. By April 2002, he and Anderson were engaged, but the engagement was later called off.^[27] They later got married in a surprise wedding in July 2006 after it was reported Anderson was pregnant. They divorced five months later because Rock wanted to live in Detroit and Anderson wanted to stay in Los Angeles. It has been suggested that his no-show at the Download Festival 2008 was due to a broken heart.^[28]

Kid Rock has stated in numerous interviews that he is a lover of hunting and fishing. He has hunted with his good friend Hank Williams Jr. several times. When Rock and Pamela Anderson divorced, it was rumored that Rock's hunting passion was the cause of the relationship's end, Anderson being a keen animal rights activist.^{[citation needed]}

Rock later claimed, however, that the divorce was due to Anderson openly criticizing his mother and sister in front of his son from a previous relationship, Robert Jr., which Rock took offense to.^[29] Rock has actively raised Robert Jr., born in 1993, as a single father since birth, and continues to live with him in Michigan.^[30] On July 6, 2011, Kid Rock appeared on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight show where he said he has no regrets about anything he has done in the past. He declined to say whether his marriage to Pamela Anderson had taught him any lessons.

Legal troubles[link]

Kid Rock has had multiple run-ins with law enforcement:

In March 1991 and September 1997, Kid Rock was arrested in Michigan for alcohol related incidents.^[31]

In February 2005, he was arrested on assault charges for punching DJ Jay Campos in 'Christies Cabaret' strip club. Rock pleaded no contest and was sued for $575,000 by Campos.^[32]

Kid Rock was cited for assault on Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee on September 9, 2007 at MTV's Video Music Awards, and pled guilty.^[33]

In October 2007, Kid Rock was involved in a brawl at a Waffle House in Atlanta and charged with simple battery.^[34][35] He pleaded nolo contendere ("no contest") to one count, was fined $1,000, required to perform 80 hours of community service and complete a 6-hour course on anger management.^[36]

Sex tape[link]

Kid Rock and Scott Stapp, singer of the band Creed, appear in a sex tape from 1999 in which the two have sex with four groupies in a mobile home.^[37] California pornography company Red Light District planned to release the tape in 2006, but both Rock and Stapp filed with the California courts to sue Red Light District and stop the tape's distribution.^[38]

Politics[link]

In 2011, Kid Rock agreed to allow Mitt Romney's GOP campaign to officially make use of his music in campaign events. Kid Rock later endorsed Mitt Romney's candidacy and performed on Romney's behalf at campaign event(s). By May 2012, Kid Rock was still the first of only a handful of high-profile musicians to endorse Mitt Romney, including Ted Nugent and Lee Greenwood.

Activism[link]

Kid Rock has been involved with many charitable organizations but his main support has gone to Operation Homefront. Kid Rock has frequently partnered with Jim Beam to make large donations to the organization. He is close friends with Tony Stewart as he helps with charity events, and Kid Rock narrated Tony Stewart: Smoke, a documentary of Stewart's 2002 championship season.^{[citation needed]} Kid Rock has performed for American service men and women in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Kosovo, and has performed for U.S. servicemembers in Great Britain at R.A.F. bases such as RAF Lakenheath.

Discography[link]

• 1990: Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast
• 1993: The Polyfuze Method
• 1996: Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp
• 1998: Devil Without a Cause
• 2000: The History of Rock
• 2001: Cocky
• 2003: Kid Rock
• 2006: Live Trucker
• 2007: Rock n Roll Jesus
• 2010: Born Free
• 2012: TBA

Tours[link]

• 1989: Straight From the Underground Tour (opened for Ice Cube, Too $hort, D Nice and Yo-Yo)
• 1998: Lollapalooza Tour
• 1998: Vans Warped Tour
• 1998–99: White Thrash on Dope Tour (with Monster Magnet and Hed PE)
• 1999: Destroy Your Liver Tour
• 1999: Limptropolis Tour (with Limp Bizkit and Staind)
• 1999: European Tour (with Blink-182)
• 1999: Between the Legs Tour (with Powerman 5000, Professional Murder Music)
• 1999-00: Millennium Tour (with Metallica, Sevendust and Creed)
• 2000: Summer Sanitarium Tour (with Metallica, Korn, System of a Down, Powerman 5000)
• 2000: The History of Rock Tour (with Dope)
• 2001: The American Bad Ass Tour (with Buckcherry, Fuel and David Allan Coe)
• 2002: The Cocky Tour (with Lit, Tenacious D and Saliva)
• 2002: Girls of Summer Tour (opening for Aerosmith with Run-D.M.C.)
• 2004: Rock n Roll Pain Train Tour (with Puddle of Mudd, Gov't Mule, Jerry Cantrell)
• 2005: Lazy Muthafuga Tour (only 6 concert dates)
• 2006: 'Live' Trucker Tour (with Ty Stone, Peter Frampton (opened in Auburn Hills, Michigan) and Whitestarr)
• 2007–2008: Rock n Roll Revival Tour (with Reverend Run, Dicky Betts, Duane Betts, Peter Wolf, Lynyrd Skynyrd, in a revue style)
• 2008: Rock n Roll Revival Tour: European Tour
• 2008: Rock n Rebels Tour (with Lynyrd Skynyrd and Backdoor Slam)
• 2008: European Tour (with Finger Eleven)
• 2008: All Summer Long Tour (4 nights at Pine Knob with Uncle Kracker & Rev Run)
• 2009: Rock n Rebels Tour II (with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights, Black Stone Cherry, Alice in Chains, Cypress Hill, Robert Randolph and the Family Band)
• 2010: The Circle Tour (opening for Bon Jovi)
• 2011: Born Free Tour Pt 1 (with Ty Stone, Randy Houser,Jamey Johnson)
• 2011: Born Free Tour :Canadian Leg
• 2011: Born Free Tour Pt 2 (with Sheryl Crow)
• 2011: Care Tour

Filmography[link]

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• The Howard Stern Show (8 episodes, 1999–2008)
• Saturday Night Live (Musical Guest, 2000)
• The Simpsons (1 episode, 2000)
• WWF Raw is War (Musical Guest, 2000)
• Joe Dirt (2001)
• All Access: Front Row, Backstage. Live! (IMAX) (Musical Performance)(2001)
• Osmosis Jones (Voice, 2001)
• Kid Rock: Lonely Road of Faith (2001)
• King of the Hill (2002)
• Punk'd (1 episode, 2003)
• Biker Boyz (2003)
• Stripperella (You Only Lick Twice, 2003)
• CMT Outlaws (2003)
• South Park (2004)
• CSI: NY (1 episode, 2005)
• Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector (2005)
• Motorcycle Mania 3 (2005)
• Coors Light Mountain Jam (2005)
• Stacked (1 episode, 2002)
• The 2006 Billboard Music Awards (2006)
• VH1 Storytellers (2008)
• WrestleMania XXV (Musical Guest, 2009)
• 2010 Spike Guy Choice Awards (Presenter, 2009)
• Top Gear (U.S. TV series) (1 episode, 2010)
• Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (1 episode, 2011)
• Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (1 episode, 2011)

Awards and nominations[link]

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• Grammy Awards
  • 2000 Best New Artist (Nominated)
  • 2000 Best Hard Rock Performance for "Bawitdaba" (Nominated)
  • 2001 Best Hard Rock Performance for "American Bad Ass" (Nominated)
  • 2009 Best Rock Album for Rock n Roll Jesus (Nominated)
  • 2009 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "All Summer Long" (Nominated)

• Academy of Country Music
  • 2003, Vocal Event of the Year: "Picture" (Nominated)

• American Music Awards
  • 2008, Favorite Male Pop/Rock Artist (Nominated)
  • 2003, Favorite Male Pop/Rock Artist: (Winner)
  • 2003, Favorite Pop/Rock Album: Cocky (Nominated)
  • 2001, Favorite Male Pop/Rock Artist: (Winner)
  • 2000, Favorite Alternative Artist: (Nominated)
  • 2000, Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist: (Nominated)

• Billboard Music Awards
  • 1999 Best New Artist (Winner)
  • 1999 Best Hard Rock Performance for "Bawitdaba" (Winner)
  • 1999 Best New Hard Rock Artist (Winner)

• MTV Video Music Awards
  • 2001, Best Male Video: "Cowboy" (Nominated)
  • 2001, Best Rock Video: "Cowboy" (Nominated)
  • 2000, Best Male Video: "Bawitdaba" (Nominated)
  • 2000, Best New Artist: "Bawitdaba" (Nominated)

• Teen Choice Awards
  • 2003, Choice Love Song: "Picture" (Nominated)
  • 2003 Choice Hookup Song: "Picture" (Nominated)

• Detroit Music Awards
  • 1999
    • Outstanding National Album for Devil Without a Cause (Winner)
    • Outstanding National Single for "I Am the Bullgod" (Winner)
    • Outstanding National Single for "Bawitdaba" (Nominee)
    • Outstanding National Hip Hop Writer/Producer (Winner)
  • 2000
    • Outstanding National Album for History of Rock (Nominee)
    • Outstanding National Single for "American Bad Ass" (Winner)
    • Outstanding National Single for "Cowboy" (Nominee)
    • Outstanding National Duet for "Higher" with Robert Bradley (Winner)
    • Outstanding National Spokesperson (Winner)
  • 2001
    • Outstanding National Album for Cocky (Nominated)
    • Outstanding National Single for "Forever" (Nominated)
  • 2003
    • Outstanding National Single for "Picture" (Nominated)
  • 2004
    • Outstanding National Album for Kid Rock (Nominated)
    • Outstanding National Single for "Cold and Empty" (Nominated)
    • Outstanding National Single for "Jackson, Mississippi" (Nominated)
  • 2006
    • Outstanding National Album for Live Trucker (Nominated)
  • 2008
    • Outstanding National Album for Rock n Roll Jesus (Winner)
    • Outstanding National Single for "So Hott" (Nominated)
    • Outstanding National Single for "Amen" (Nominated)
  • 2009
    • Outstanding National Single for All Summer Long (Winner)
    • Outstanding National Single for Roll On (Nominated)
• MTV European Music Awards
  • 2008 Most Attictive Track for "All Summer Long" (Nominated)
• BMI Songwriting Award
  • 2002 "Picture" (Winner)
• CMT Music Awards
  • 2003 Choice Male Video for "Picture" (Nominated)
  • 2009 Video of The Year for "All Summer Long" (Nominated)
  • 2009 Wide Open Country Video of the Year for "All Summer Long" (Winner)
• World Music Awards
  • 2008 Worlds Best Male Pop Artist (Winner)
  • 2008 Worlds Best Pop/Rock Artist (Winner)
• People's Choice Awards
  • 2009 Best Rock Song for "All Summer Long" (Winner)
• Kid's Choice Awards
  • 2009 Favorite Male Singer (nominated)
• Echo Award (Germany)
  • 2009 Hit Of The Year for "All Summer Long" (Winner)

Other ventures and honors[link]

• He has his own clothing line called Made in Detroit which he purchased from its creator, Detroit designer Robert Stanzler, in 2003. Stanzler, a longtime friend of Kid Rock, is mentioned by name in Rock's song "Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp".^[39]
• Wayne State University named a scholarship after Kid Rock for musicians. Kid Rock is using his clothing line to fund it.^[40]
• He was Grand Marshal of the Krewe of Endymion Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans on February 21, 2009 and was accompanied by The Chee-Weez, a local area cover band.^[41]
• He released his own beer called Bad Ass Beer on July 17, 2009 released over the entire midwestern part of the U.S.
• Kid Rock is a steadfast loyal supporter of the United States military. He gave proceeds of a concert to the families affected by the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000. He has quietly made numerous trips with the USO, and on his own, to play concerts for soldiers overseas in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. He also made his album Born Free available to military members to download for free.

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Christe, Ian (2003). Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-380-81127-8
• Friedlander, Paul; Peter, Miller (2006). Rock & Roll: A Social History. Westview Press. ISBN 0-8133-4306-2. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kid Rock

• Official website
• Kid Rock at Imeem.com
• Kid Rock at the Internet Movie Database
• Kid Rock Interview on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos
• "Kid Rock: 'I was the kid with the vial full of rocks…'. 11 August 2008 thrashhits.com

Frank O’Connor (born Michael Francis O'Connor O'Donovan) (17 September 1903 – 10 March 1966) was an Irish author of over 150 works, best known for his short stories and memoirs.

Early life[link]

Raised in Cork, the only child of Minnie O'Connor and Michael O'Donovan, he attended school in the famous North Monastery CBS. O'Connor's early life was marked by his father's alcoholism, debt, and ill-treatment of his mother. O'Connor's childhood was shaped in part by his mother, who supplied much of the family's income because his father was unable to keep steady employment due to his drunkenness.

Irish nationalism[link]

In 1918 O'Connor joined the First Brigade of the Irish Republican Army and served in combat during the Irish War of Independence. He opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 and joined the Anti-Treaty IRA during the Irish Civil War, working in a small propaganda unit in Cork City. He was one of twelve thousand Anti-Treaty combatants who were interned by the government of the new Irish Free State, O'Connor's imprisonment being in Gormanston, County Meath between 1922 and 1923.

Literary career[link]

Following his release, O'Connor took various positions including that of teacher of Irish, theatre director, and librarian. In 1935, O'Connor became a member of the Board of Directors of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, founded by William Butler Yeats and other members of the Irish National Theatre Society.^[1] In 1937, he became managing director of the Abbey. Following Yeats's death in 1939, O'Connor's long-standing conflict with other board members came to a head and he left the Abbey later that year.^[2] In 1950, he accepted invitations to teach in the United States, where many of his short stories had been published in The New Yorker and won great acclaim.^[3]

Death[link]

Frank O'Connor had a stroke while teaching at Stanford University in 1961, and later died from a heart attack in Dublin, Ireland on 10 March 1966. He was buried in Deans Grange Cemetery on 12 March 1966.^[4]

Family[link]

In 1939 O'Connor married Evelyn Bowen (who had previously been married to the actor Robert Speaight): they had two sons and a daughter. They were divorced in 1953. O'Connor married secondly Harriet Rich of Baltimore, whom he met while lecturing at Northwestern University. They had one daughter.

Work[link]

O'Connor was perhaps best known for his varied and comprehensive short stories but also for his work as a literary critic, essayist, travel writer, translator and biographer.^[5] He was also a novelist, poet and dramatist.^[6]

From the 1930s to the 1960s he was a prolific writer of short stories, poems, plays, and novellas. His work as an Irish teacher complemented his plethora of translations into English of Irish poetry, including his initially banned translation of Brian Merriman's Cúirt an Mheán Oíche ("The Midnight Court"). Many of O'Connor's writings were based on his own life experiences — notably his well-known The Man of the House in which he reveals childhood details concerning his early life in County Cork. The Sullivan family in this short story, like his own boyhood family, is lacking a proper father figure. Also, evocative descriptions of the Irish countryside are featured in this bitter-sweet tale. In other stories, his character Larry Delaney, in particular, is reminiscent of events in O'Connor's own life. O'Connor's experiences in the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War are reflected in The Big Fellow, his biography of Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins, published in 1937, and one of his best-known short stories, Guests of the Nation (1931), published in various forms during O'Connor's lifetime and included in Frank O'Connor — Collected Stories, published in 1981.

O'Connor's early years are recounted in An Only Child, a memoir published in 1961 which has the immediacy of a precocious diary. U.S. President John F. Kennedy remarked anecdotally from An Only Child at the conclusion of his speech at the dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center in San Antonio on November 21, 1963: "Frank O'Connor, the Irish writer, tells in one of his books how, as a boy, he and his friends would make their way across the countryside, and when they came to an orchard wall that seemed too high and too doubtful to try and too difficult to permit their voyage to continue, they took off their hats and tossed them over the wall--and then they had no choice but to follow them. This nation has tossed its cap over the wall of space and we have no choice but to follow it."^[7]

O'Connor continued his autobiography through his time with the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, which ended in 1939, in his book, My Father's Son, which was published in 1968, after O'Connor's death.

Frank O'Connor Festival and Prize[link]

Since 2000, The Munster Literature Centre in O'Connor's hometown of Cork has run a festival dedicated to the short story form in O'Connor's name. The longest established annual festival dedicated to the short story form in an English-speaking country, it regularly hosts readings, workshops and masterclasses for contemporary practitioners of the form, as well as celebrating the work of O'Connor and other local short fiction writers such as Elizabeth Bowen, Seán Ó Faoláin and William Trevor.^[8]

The festival has hosted readings by : Richard Ford, Julia O'Faolain, James Lasdun, Alasdair Gray, Dan Rhodes, Eugene McCabe, Bernard MacLaverty, Desmond Hogan, James Plunkett, Lyudmila Ulitskaya, Rebecca Miller, Anne Enright, Mike McCormack, Etgar Keret, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Cónal Creedon, Samrat Upadhyay, Philip Ó Ceallaigh, Rachel Sherman, David Marcus, Panos Karnezis, Nisha da Cunha, William Wall, Bret Anthony Johnston, David Means, Claire Keegan, Miranda July, Rick Moody, Jhumpa Lahiri, Yiyun Li, Julie Orringer, ZZ Packer, Simon Van Booy, Wells Tower, Charlotte Grimshaw and Kevin Barry among others.^[8] It also has a tradition of encouraging younger writers at the start of their career, Jon Boilard for example.

The Cork City - Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, is awarded to the best short fiction collection published in English anywhere in the world in the year preceding the festival. The prize is also open to translated works and in the event of a translation winning the prize is divided equally between author and translator. The award is described as "the richest prize for the short story form" and at €35,000 in 2010 is one of the most valuable literary prizes for any category of literature.^[8]

In popular culture[link]

Neil Jordan's award winning film The Crying Game was inspired in part by O'Connor's short story, Guests of the Nation. The story is set during the Irish War of Independence and chronicles the doomed friendship between the members of an I.R.A. unit and the two British Army hostages whom they are guarding.

Bibliography[link]

Incomplete - to be updated

Short story collections[link]

• Guests of the Nation (1931), including the famous title story
• Bones of Contention (1936), including the story "The Majesty of Law", a short story adapted as an episode of the 1957 film The Rising of the Moon.
• Crab Apple Jelly (1944)
• The Common Chord (1947)
• Traveller's Samples (1951), including the classic story "First Confession"
• The Stories of Frank O'Connor (1952), including the first publication of perhaps his most popular story "My Oedipus Complex"
• More Stories by Frank O'Connor (1954)
• Domestic Relations (1957)
• A Set of Variations (1969)
• The Cornet Player Who Betrayed Ireland (1981)
• The Collected Stories (Edited by Richard Ellmann) (1981)
• The Collar: Stories of Irish Priests (1993)
• A Frank O'Connor Reader (1994)

Novels[link]

• The Saint and Mary Kate (1932)
• Dutch Interior (1940)

Autobiography[link]

• An Only Child (1961)
• My Father's Son (1968)

Poetry from the Irish[link]

• The Wild Bird's Nest (1932)
• Lament for Art O'Leary (1940)
• The Midnight Court (1945)
• Kings, Lords, and Commons (1959)
• The Little Monasteries (1963)

Irish history[link]

• The Big Fellow, biography of Michael Collins (1937)

Travel writing[link]

• Irish Miles (1947)
• Leinster, Munster and Connaught (1950)

Criticism[link]

• The Road to Stratford, U.S. Title: Shakespeare's Progress (196l)
• The Mirror in the Roadway: A Study of the Modern Novel (1956)
• The Lonely Voice: A Study of the Short Story (1962)
• The Backward Look: A Survey of Irish Literature (1967)

See also[link]

• Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award
• List of people on stamps of Ireland

References[link]

1. ^ My Father's Son, by Frank O'Connor, Black Staff Press, Belfast, 1968, p. 153.
2. ^ My Father's Son, p. 199.
3. ^ My Father's Son, note on the author, unnumbered
4. ^ Frank O'Connor
5. ^ Frank O'Connor Page
6. ^ Frank O'Connor's Collected Stories, Introduction, Knopf, N.Y., 1981. p. xii
7. ^ The Kennedy Library, Boston, Mass., Speech of Nov. 21, 1963, Dedication of Aerospace Medical Health Center, San Antonio, Tex.
8. ^ ^{a b c} http://www.munsterlit.ie/FOC%20FESTIVAL.html

Further reading[link]

• Irish Writers on Writing featuring Frank O'Connor. Edited by Eavan Boland (Trinity University Press, 2007).

External links[link]

• THE CORK CITY - FRANK O'CONNOR SHORT STORY AWARD Non-profit arts organisation The Munster Literature Centre - Frank O'Connor House, 84 Douglas Street, Cork, Ireland.
• Frank O'Connor: Critical Essays
• Biography
• Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award
• Beyond Appearances
• Interview with his wife
• Anthony Whittier (Autumn-Winter 1957). "Frank O'Connor, The Art of Fiction No. 19". The Paris Review. http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/4847/the-art-of-fiction-no-19-frank-oconnor. 
• Irish Writers Online page
• Frank O'Connor at the IMDB