Quotable Kid - Those Close To The Man Share Their Favorite Kid Rock Memories

"More than anything, I'm delighted he lived this long."

— Jimmy Kimmel, host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!

"I first met Bob back in the early '90s, he was down at White Room Studios ... He would get studio time in exchange for being the janitor, which meant sweeping up and scrubbing out the toilet. Bob brought a turntable and a crate of records up to the Bear's Den in Berkley and jammed with the Howling Diablos, he showed up every week after that and we always had a great time making music."

— Tino Gross, Howling Diablos

"He's a rock star to the core, for sure, but he's also a really sweet guy and a great rep for Detroit. "

— Erin Cummings, Detroit 1-8-7 actress

"In 1996, we were sitting in his basement listening to records. He put on Folsom Prison Blues ... we were like wtf?? He said 'See, country is just like rap. They sing about shooting guns, getting wasted and beating the shit out of dudes!'

— Mark EP, DJ and producer

"Not only has he become the biggest thing in Detroit, he has become one of the biggest names on the planet. And most importantly, he has not forgotten where he came from. He has been a loyal friend over the years and a staunch supporter of the 'D.' I appreciate all the shows he did at the Emerald for me, and I am proud to say I know him."

— Joe Nieporte

"It was probably 1999 ... Bob was technically a studio intern, but he spent most of the time working on his own music. Anyway, he was working on a song, and a bunch of us at the studio were giving him shit about it: 'Who wants to hear a song about a cowboy?!' In hindsight, I guess a lot of people would."

— Al Sutton, Kid Rock's longtime recording engineer and owner of Rustbelt Studios

"We were backstage after one of his shows, and there's probably about eight people hanging out, including a group of girls. And in this group is one girl, it was clear she wanted attention. She keeps going 'Rock star, Rock star, I'm bored.' Now, this is 10 minutes after Rock just got off stage. Rock looks at her and asks, 'You like to be entertained?' And she says, 'Yes, Rock star, I'm bored.' And Rock, in his perfect Kid Rock voice says, 'You didn't see the show?' Everyone started dying, his timing and delivery was perfect.

— JB Carlin, director of the "Picture" video

"When he told me that Axl Rose called him and invited him to New York to Axl's show, knowing that I'm a huge Axl Rose fan, Rock said 'I got a seat on the jet. You want to go?' We ended up hanging out for three days straight, leaving the clubs at 11 in the morning."

— Mikey Eckstein, Embarco Management

"A work ethic that defies reason; talent beyond description; and a damn good guy."

— Arthur Penhallow Jr., Punch Enterprises

"Lots of hanging out around the crib making amazing music and partying my ass off ... thoroughly peppered with private jets to Nashville to hang with Hank and weekends in NYC to roll with Axl. For a kid that just came from flipping burgers, this was the most magical time in my life."

— Ty Stone, musician

"The first time I ever saw Bob perform was on MTV for 1999's Woodstock. I was 14. Not only did he leave my jaw on the floor with his swagger and stage presence, but it was one of the first times I heard something new from my generation that made me excited for music's future."

— Shannon Curfman, singer

Photo Credit: Real Detroit Weekly

SOURCE: RealDetroitWeekly.com