Kid Rock Biography

Kid Rock was born Robert James Ritchie on January 17, 1971, in Romeo, Michigan, U.S., to William Ritchie, who worked as a car dealer, and Susan Ritchie. He has two sisters and a brother.

He has been interested in rap music since his childhood. At that time, he learned the art of breakdance and took part in various talent hunt shows in Detroit.

While attending ‘Romeo High School,’ he performed as a DJ at several parties. To perform in basement parties, he joined Bo Wisdom of ‘Groove Time Productions’ in Michigan. During this time, he adopted the name Kid Rock.

After watching his remarkable performance as part of the hip-hop group ‘Boogie Down Productions,’ ‘Jive Records’ signed a contract with him for an album. In 1990, his first album ‘Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast’ was released.

After leaving ‘Jive Records,’ he moved to Brooklyn and started working with ‘Continuum Records.’ In 1993, his album ‘The Polyfuze Method’ was released. Though the album generally received praise for its distinctive musical style, some critics criticized the album for housing the song ‘Balls In Your Mouth.’

In 1996, he released his album ‘Early Mornin’ Stoned Pimp’ under his own label ‘Top Dog Records.’ At that time, he also formed his own band ‘Twisted Brown Trucker.’

With ‘Atlantic Records,’ he released his fourth album ‘Devil Without a Cause’ in 1998. In this context, the name of his song ‘Only God Knows Why’ deserves special mention for its representation of a road ballad.

In the same year, he performed in ‘MTV Fashionably Loud’ in Miami. Later, with the help of MTV, he released his single ‘Bawitdaba’ from his album ‘Devil Without a Cause.’

Later, his single ‘Cowboy’ achieved huge success after its release and was featured in the ‘Top 40’ list. In 2000, he joined the ‘Summer Sanitarium Tour’ along with bands like ‘Powerman 5000,’ ‘System of a Down,’ and ‘Metallica.’

His first live album ‘Live Trucker’ was released in 2006. In the same year, along with Bob Seger, he made ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Never Forgets.’ He also made a guest appearance in the film ‘Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector.’

In 2010, he released ‘Born Free,’ one of his most successful albums. In the following year, he released his album ‘Care,’ which questioned the political activities of America. His next album ‘Rebel Soul’ was released in 2012.

He released his tenth studio album ‘First Kiss’ under ‘Warner Bros. Records’ on February 24, 2015.

In 2017, his 11th studio album ‘Sweet Southern Sugar’ was released.

‘Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ sued Kid Rock for using their slogan "Greatest Show on Earth" as the name of his 2018 tour.

In 2018, he released his first greatest hits album titled ‘Greatest Hits: You Never Saw Coming.’

He put out his twelfth studio album ‘Bad Reputation’ in March 2022. The album was largely panned by critics but it still managed to reach number 22 on the US Top Rock Albums. In 2023, he released his single “No Limits.”

He released his album ‘The Polyfuze Method’ under ‘Continuum Records’ in 1993. Some of its singles include ‘Back From The Dead,’ ‘U Don’t Know Me,’ and ‘Prodigal Son.’ The album showcased his ability to use an advanced form of rap music.

Besides containing controversial songs like ‘Balls In Your Mouth,’ this album also possesses songs like ‘My Oedipus Complex,’ which is notable for its mature content. The song was composed in the memory of his estranged father.

He released his extended play ‘Fire It Up’ in 1993. It contains some of his memorable songs like ‘I Am the Bulldog.’ ‘Fire It Up’ marked his first attempt at performing country music.

He released his compilation album ‘The History of Rock’ in 2000. Besides some new songs, this album also included some of his hit songs from albums like ‘The Polyfuze Method’ and ‘Early Mornin’ Stoned Pimp.’

In 2001, he released his album ‘Cocky’ under ‘Atlantic Records.’ This album denotes his success as a Southern rock music composer. Millions of copies of this studio album were sold in the US alone.

In 2003, he released his album ‘Kid Rock,’ which contained praiseworthy songs like ‘Cold and Empty’ and ‘Rock n Roll Pain Train.’ The song ‘I Am’ expresses his view about his own freedom as an American and artist.

The album’s emotional song ‘Single Father’ was his attempt to express his love for his son. Moreover, this song expresses his grief and pain of being a single father.

He has a son named Robert Jr., from a previous relationship. In 2002, he and actress Pamela Anderson got engaged. However, their relationship ended in 2003. In July 2006, Kid Rock and Pamela got married when the news of Pamela’s pregnancy surfaced. He divorced Pamela after being married to her for five months.

Ritchie got engaged to his longtime girlfriend Audrey Berry in November 2017.

This influential music composer has gone through legal difficulties on several occasions. Police detained him in 2005 for punching DJ Jay Campos in a strip club.