# Bert McCracken
**Bert McCracken** (born Robert Edward McCracken, 1982, in [Orem, Utah](https://www.edgepedia.org/orem-utah)) is an American singer and lyricist, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band [The Used](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-used), which he has fronted since the group formed in 2001.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1816151/bio/) • [2](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Bert-McCracken/252857056) • [3](https://www.grammy.com/news/interview-useds-bert-mccracken-warped-tour-musicares-canyon/) [Simon & Schuster](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-and-schuster), his book publisher, identifies him as lead singer and lyricist of the multi-platinum band.[2](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Bert-McCracken/252857056)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth | Robert Edward McCracken, born 1982 in Orem, Utah[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1816151/bio/) |
| Band role | Lead singer and lyricist of The Used, formed in 2001; the cited Grammy.com profile listed bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford[2](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Bert-McCracken/252857056) • [3](https://www.grammy.com/news/interview-useds-bert-mccracken-warped-tour-musicares-canyon/) |
| Breakthrough | The Used's 2002 self-titled debut, produced by John Feldmann, is platinum certified[4](https://www.revolvermag.com/music/used-bert-mccracken-tells-personal-stories-behind-debuts-standout-songs/) |
| Chart peak | The Canyon (2017), produced by Ross Robinson, reached No. 3 on Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart[3](https://www.grammy.com/news/interview-useds-bert-mccracken-warped-tour-musicares-canyon/) |
| Solo project | Records pop material as Robbietheused, including the tracks "The Feels", "Terrible", and "Just a Little Bit"[5](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/there-were-multiple-shows-that-i-would-show-up-for-fully-black-out-drunk-i-dont-remember-them-from-addiction-and-alcohol-abuse-to-parenthood-and-poetry-heres-everything-the-useds-bert-mccracken-has-learned) • [6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bert-mccracken-mn0000239015) |
| Recent activity | Albums Toxic Positivity (2023) and MEDZ (2024); a 25th-anniversary world tour playing the band's first three albums in full; first book In Love and Death: The Lost Notebook[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bert-mccracken-mn0000239015) • [7](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/take-5/bert-mccracken-from-the-used-songs-that-got-him-through/105658114) • [2](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Bert-McCracken/252857056) |
| Residence | U.S.-born Australian living in Sydney; he has lived in Australia with his wife since 2013[8](https://hmmagazine.com/feature/bert-mccracken-the-used/) • [4](https://www.revolvermag.com/music/used-bert-mccracken-tells-personal-stories-behind-debuts-standout-songs/) |
## Early life and background
McCracken was born Robert Edward McCracken in 1982, in Orem, Utah.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1816151/bio/) He grew up in a strict Mormon household where, by his account, he had to hide the rock CDs he loved from his parents. When he was 16, his parents disapproved of his punk-rock lifestyle and kicked him out; he then dropped out of high school, got into hard drugs, and endured a stretch of homelessness before joining The Used.[4](https://www.revolvermag.com/music/used-bert-mccracken-tells-personal-stories-behind-debuts-standout-songs/)
Music came early. He has been singing in front of people since about age 2, and he took up the trumpet in junior high because his school required a full year on another instrument before allowing students to play drums; his father played trumpet, so he picked it out of necessity.[9](https://www.thesoundcheck.com.au/post/interview-bert-mccracken-the-used) He also plays piano, and plays it on some of The Used's songs.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1816151/bio/)
The stage name has a documented origin: he grew up as Rob, and because he was in a ska-punk band with another Rob, the others called him Bert instead, and the nickname stuck.[5](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/there-were-multiple-shows-that-i-would-show-up-for-fully-black-out-drunk-i-dont-remember-them-from-addiction-and-alcohol-abuse-to-parenthood-and-poetry-heres-everything-the-useds-bert-mccracken-has-learned)
## The Used: formation and rise
The Used formed in 2001; a Grammy.com profile listed its members as vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford. Over more than two decades the band has amassed a passionate following.[3](https://www.grammy.com/news/interview-useds-bert-mccracken-warped-tour-musicares-canyon/) The band's self-titled debut, released in 2002 and produced by [John Feldmann](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-feldmann), is platinum certified. Revolver describes it as lyrically a personal, intensely raw record addressing addiction, depression, and heartbreak, and musically built on sinewy post-hardcore guitar leads, visceral metalcore screams, and a pained singing style influenced by Nineties emo bands such as [Sunny Day Real Estate](https://www.edgepedia.org/sunny-day-real-estate) and Texas Is the Reason; its songs include "The Taste of Ink" and "A Box Full of Sharp Objects".[4](https://www.revolvermag.com/music/used-bert-mccracken-tells-personal-stories-behind-debuts-standout-songs/)
## Recording career and songwriting
AllMusic credits McCracken as vocalist, composer, and pianist across The Used's catalog from the 2002 debut through Toxic Positivity (2023) and MEDZ (2024).[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bert-mccracken-mn0000239015) He has said that each record represents a different point in his life and what was going on at the time, which is why he would not change anything about his old songs.[5](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/there-were-multiple-shows-that-i-would-show-up-for-fully-black-out-drunk-i-dont-remember-them-from-addiction-and-alcohol-abuse-to-parenthood-and-poetry-heres-everything-the-useds-bert-mccracken-has-learned)
**The Canyon.** The band's 2017 LP, produced by Ross Robinson, landed at No. 3 on Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart.[3](https://www.grammy.com/news/interview-useds-bert-mccracken-warped-tour-musicares-canyon/) McCracken has explained that the record was about a friend who died by suicide, so the band never wanted to rush it; they recorded it without computers, totally on tape.[5](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/there-were-multiple-shows-that-i-would-show-up-for-fully-black-out-drunk-i-dont-remember-them-from-addiction-and-alcohol-abuse-to-parenthood-and-poetry-heres-everything-the-useds-bert-mccracken-has-learned) In a 2017 Billboard interview he discussed how suicide and loss influenced the album.[10](https://www.billboard.com/artist/bert-mccracken/)
The band's later studio albums include Heartwork, released in April 2020, which HM Magazine noted had earned the band their most radio play since roughly 2004 to 2006.[8](https://hmmagazine.com/feature/bert-mccracken-the-used/) Published sources disagree on the album's ordinal position in the band's catalog: HM Magazine calls it the band's seventh studio album,[8](https://hmmagazine.com/feature/bert-mccracken-the-used/) while The Soundcheck called it the eighth, due April 24, 2020.[9](https://www.thesoundcheck.com.au/post/interview-bert-mccracken-the-used)
## Side projects and collaborations
McCracken's solo pop project is credited as Robbietheused, a name that returns to his birth name; its tracks include "The Feels", "Terrible", and "Just a Little Bit".[5](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/there-were-multiple-shows-that-i-would-show-up-for-fully-black-out-drunk-i-dont-remember-them-from-addiction-and-alcohol-abuse-to-parenthood-and-poetry-heres-everything-the-useds-bert-mccracken-has-learned) • [6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bert-mccracken-mn0000239015)
His guest credits span two decades of rock: background vocals on [My Chemical Romance](https://www.edgepedia.org/my-chemical-romance)'s *Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge* (2004), [Black Veil Brides](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-veil-brides)' *Wretched and Divine* (2012), and [Escape the Fate](https://www.edgepedia.org/escape-the-fate)'s "Out of the Shadows 2.0" (2024); composer credits on mgk's *Tickets to My Downfall* (2020); and credits on the *Transformers: The Album* (2007) and *Saw II* (2005) soundtracks.[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bert-mccracken-mn0000239015) AllMusic also lists 2026 featured-artist credits: Coldrain's "Poison" (lead vocals, lyricist) and David Lebon's "Nuevas Mañanas".[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bert-mccracken-mn0000239015)
## Artistry, vocal style and standing
HM Magazine characterizes his voice as "definitive and striking, reminiscent of Kurt Cobain and Gerard Way merging into one voice", and describes The Used as a grunge-punk-pop-emo-alternative-metal-infused act, a genre-blending identity rather than a single-scene band.[8](https://hmmagazine.com/feature/bert-mccracken-the-used/) The debut combines post-hardcore guitar leads, visceral metalcore screams, and a pained singing style influenced by Nineties emo bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate and Texas Is the Reason.[4](https://www.revolvermag.com/music/used-bert-mccracken-tells-personal-stories-behind-debuts-standout-songs/)
His performances were affected for years by addiction. He has described multiple shows he played fully black-out drunk, without remembering them afterward.[5](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/there-were-multiple-shows-that-i-would-show-up-for-fully-black-out-drunk-i-dont-remember-them-from-addiction-and-alcohol-abuse-to-parenthood-and-poetry-heres-everything-the-useds-bert-mccracken-has-learned) As of June 2018 he had been sober for six years, a change he credited to the support of MusiCares, the Recording Academy-affiliated health and human services charity; by a later interview he was 13 years sober.[3](https://www.grammy.com/news/interview-useds-bert-mccracken-warped-tour-musicares-canyon/) • [5](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/there-were-multiple-shows-that-i-would-show-up-for-fully-black-out-drunk-i-dont-remember-them-from-addiction-and-alcohol-abuse-to-parenthood-and-poetry-heres-everything-the-useds-bert-mccracken-has-learned)
## What has changed since 2023
The band's recent catalog includes Toxic Positivity (2023) and MEDZ (2024), both credited to McCracken as composer.[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bert-mccracken-mn0000239015) Around the band's 25th anniversary, The Used toured the world playing their first three albums in full night after night; ABC, which describes McCracken as the frontman and a founding member, framed the quarter-century mark as the occasion for the tour.[7](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/take-5/bert-mccracken-from-the-used-songs-that-got-him-through/105658114) McCracken also published his first book, *In Love and Death: The Lost Notebook*, built around a personal notebook originally thought to be lost forever.[2](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Bert-McCracken/252857056) Guest releases continue into 2026, including the Coldrain and David Lebon collaborations noted above.[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bert-mccracken-mn0000239015)
## Personal life
IMDb records that he has been married to Alison McCracken since July 25, 2008, and that they have two children.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1816151/bio/) He is a U.S.-born Australian living in Sydney since around 2012,[8](https://hmmagazine.com/feature/bert-mccracken-the-used/) and said in a 2020 interview that he had lived in Australia with his wife since 2013.[4](https://www.revolvermag.com/music/used-bert-mccracken-tells-personal-stories-behind-debuts-standout-songs/)
## References
1. [Bert McCracken – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1816151/bio/)
2. [Bert McCracken | Official Publisher Page, Simon & Schuster](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Bert-McCracken/252857056)
3. [The Used's Bert McCracken On Warped Tour, MusiCares & 'The Canyon', Grammy.com](https://www.grammy.com/news/interview-useds-bert-mccracken-warped-tour-musicares-canyon/)
4. ['The Used': Bert McCracken Tells Personal Stories Behind Debut's Standout Songs, Revolver](https://www.revolvermag.com/music/used-bert-mccracken-tells-personal-stories-behind-debuts-standout-songs/)
5. [Bert McCracken on addiction, parenthood and poetry, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/there-were-multiple-shows-that-i-would-show-up-for-fully-black-out-drunk-i-dont-remember-them-from-addiction-and-alcohol-abuse-to-parenthood-and-poetry-heres-everything-the-useds-bert-mccracken-has-learned)
6. [Bert McCracken – Credits, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bert-mccracken-mn0000239015)
7. [Bert McCracken from The Used, ABC listen](https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/take-5/bert-mccracken-from-the-used-songs-that-got-him-through/105658114)
8. [Bert McCracken Of The Used, HM Magazine](https://hmmagazine.com/feature/bert-mccracken-the-used/)
9. [INTERVIEW: Bert McCracken from The Used, The Soundcheck](https://www.thesoundcheck.com.au/post/interview-bert-mccracken-the-used)
10. [Bert McCracken | Biography, Music & News, Billboard](https://www.billboard.com/artist/bert-mccracken/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical practice and theory › Popular music genres › Rock performers, groups, and musicians*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license