Darius Rucker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Darius Rucker
Rucker at the Daytona International Speedway in 2020
Background information
Birth name	Darius Carlos Rucker
Born	(1966-05-13) May 13, 1966 (age 59) Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Genres	Rock pop country R&B blues alternative rock
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter musician
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Atlantic Hidden Beach Capitol Nashville

Darius Carlos Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He first became famous as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. He started this band in 1986 at the University of South Carolina with Mark Bryan, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld, and Dean Felber. The band released five studio albums and had six songs reach the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Darius helped write most of their songs.

Later, Darius released his first solo album, an R&B record called Back to Then (2002). Six years later, he decided to try country music and signed with Capitol Nashville. His second album, Learn to Live (2008), was a country album. Its first song, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It", became number one on the Hot Country Songs chart. This was a big deal because it was the first time a Black artist had a number one country song since Charley Pride in 1983. More hit songs followed, like "It Won't Be Like This for Long", "Alright", and "History in the Making".

In 2009, Darius Rucker made history again. He was the first Black American to win the New Artist Award from the Country Music Association. He was also only the second Black person to win any award from that association. His third album, Charleston, SC 1966, came out in 2010 and included two more number one country songs: "Come Back Song" and "This". His fourth album, True Believers (2013), reached number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. It featured popular songs like "True Believers" and "Wagon Wheel". He also released a country Christmas album, Home for the Holidays (2014), and other albums like Southern Style (2014), When Was the Last Time (2017), and Carolyn's Boy (2023).

Darius Rucker's Early Life

Darius Rucker grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. His mother, Carolyn, was a nurse who raised him and his five siblings. Darius has said his father was not often around. His father was part of a gospel band called The Traveling Echoes. Darius remembers his childhood fondly, even though his family was large and lived in a small house. His sister, L'Corine, shared that Darius always dreamed of singing.

Darius Rucker and Hootie & the Blowfish

Darius Rucker has been the lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish since the band started in 1986. He met the other band members, Mark Bryan, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld, and Dean Felber, while they were all students at the University of South Carolina. Mark Bryan first heard Darius singing in the shower, and they started playing music together. They later added Dean and Jim to form the band.

As part of Hootie & the Blowfish, Darius has recorded seven studio albums. These include Cracked Rear View (1994) and Imperfect Circle (2019). Many of their songs reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Darius, Mark, Dean, and Jim wrote all the songs on these albums. Fans sometimes called Darius "Hootie" because he was the lead singer, but the band's name actually came from nicknames for his college friends.

Darius is known for his deep, strong voice. Rolling Stone magazine called it "ingratiating," and TIME described it as "low, gruff, [and] charismatic." Darius once mentioned that his band flipped the usual idea of a band with a Black singer and white musicians. He also sang "Drowning," a protest song about the Confederate flag flying over the South Carolina statehouse.

After the band became famous, Darius and Dean Felber, who are best friends, lived in an apartment in Columbia, South Carolina. Darius's fame brought him many new chances. In 1995, he sang the national anthem at the World Series. He was also invited to sing at Frank Sinatra's 80th birthday party. He sang "The Lady Is a Tramp" there. He also made a voice cameo in an episode of the TV show Friends.

Darius has said that Hootie & the Blowfish will likely never completely break up. He believes they will make another record and go on tour again someday. After a ten-year break, the band announced a tour with Barenaked Ladies in 2019 and released their sixth studio album, Imperfect Circle, on November 1, 2019.

Darius Rucker's Solo Career

Rucker at Yokota Air Base in Japan, May 2004

In 2001, Darius Rucker started his solo career with an R&B album called The Return of Mongo Slade. This album was later released as Back to Then in 2002 by Hidden Beach Recordings. The song "This Is My World" from the album was used in the 2001 movie Shallow Hal. Darius later said he was listening to a lot of R&B artists at the time and wanted to make a "neo soul" record. He also mentioned that country music became his main focus and he probably wouldn't record another R&B album.

In 2001, Darius appeared on a special edition of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. In 2005, he played a singing cowboy in a TV commercial for Burger King. He also lent his voice to a song called "God's Reasons" for the 2007 film The Still Life.

Darius Rucker's Country Music Journey

Starting in Country Music: Learn to Live (2008–2009)

In 2008, Darius Rucker began his country music career by signing with Capitol Records Nashville. His first country song, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It," was released in May 2008. He wrote this song with Clay Mills. It quickly climbed the charts and reached number one in September. This made Darius the first solo African-American artist to have a number one country hit since Charley Pride in 1983.

Rucker sings to a crowd during an Operation Pacific Greetings tour concert.

His album, Learn to Live, was very successful. It was certified gold and then platinum, meaning it sold over a million copies. The next two songs from the album, "It Won't Be Like This for Long" and "Alright", also reached number one. This made him the first singer since Wynonna in 1992 to have his first three country songs hit number one. The fourth song, "History in the Making", reached number 3.

Darius visited many country radio stations to introduce himself as a new artist. He was very humble and eager to connect with the country music community. In November 2009, he won the Country Music Association New Artist of the Year award. This was a historic moment, as he was the first African American to win this award since it started in 1981.

Charleston, SC 1966 (2010–2011)

Darius released his second country album, Charleston, SC 1966, in October 2010. The title was inspired by another artist's album. The first song from this album, "Come Back Song," became his fourth number one country hit. The second song, "This", also reached number one. The album also included a duet with country star Brad Paisley called "I Don't Care." Charleston, SC 1966 also earned a gold certification.

True Believers (2012–2014)

Darius started working on his third country album in 2011. The first song from this album, "True Believers," came out in September. His album, also called True Believers, was released in May 2013. A very popular song from this album was his cover of "Wagon Wheel", which featured Lady Antebellum singing backup. "Wagon Wheel" became a number one hit in May 2013.

In October 2012, Darius Rucker was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry, a famous country music stage. Brad Paisley surprised him with the invitation during a performance. Darius accepted and officially became a member on October 16.

In January 2013, he sang the national anthem at the Outback Bowl football game. In May 2013, he gave the graduation speech at the University of South Carolina and received an honorary music degree. He also sang the national anthem at the NBA finals in June 2013.

In 2014, Darius won a Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance for "Wagon Wheel." He was only the third African American artist to win a vocal performance Grammy in a country music category.

Southern Style and Home for the Holidays (2014–2015)

In August 2014, Darius released a new song called "Homegrown Honey". This was the first song from his fourth country album, Southern Style, which came out in March 2015. "Homegrown Honey" reached number 2 on the Country Airplay chart. The album's second song was the title track, "Southern Style".

Darius also released his first Christmas album, Home for the Holidays, in October 2014. It included a song with Sheryl Crow called "Baby, It's Cold Outside".

Recent Albums: When Was the Last Time and Carolyn's Boy (2016–present)

In 2016, Darius announced he was working on his fifth country album. The first song, "If I Told You," was released in July 2016 and became a number one hit a year later. He also performed at the C2C: Country to Country festival in the UK in 2017.

Darius sang the national anthem at the 2016 Indianapolis 500 car race and at several NFL games. In 2017, he released his fifth country album, When Was the Last Time.

In 2021, Darius covered the Metallica song "Nothing Else Matters" for a charity album. In 2022, he released a new song called "Same Beer Different Problems." He later announced his seventh solo album, Carolyn's Boy, named after his mother, which was released in 2023. He also appeared on the song "To Be a Man" by Dax.

Darius Rucker and Golf

Darius Rucker loves golf! In 2016, he became a partner in MGC Sports, a company that represents athletes like golfers and football players. He plans to perform fewer concerts so he can spend more time helping athletes. He believes his experience in the entertainment business will be helpful to them.

Since 2012, Darius has hosted the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate golf tournament in Hilton Head. This three-day event brings together some of the best women's college golf teams in the country.

Darius Rucker's Personal Life

Darius Rucker is a big fan of the South Carolina Gamecocks sports teams, as well as the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Reds.

His mother passed away in 1992. His sadness inspired two Hootie & the Blowfish songs: "I'm Goin' Home" and "Not Even the Trees." Darius has a daughter, Carolyn Pearl Phillips, born in 1995. He married Beth Leonard in 2000, and they had two children, Daniela Rose and Jack. They later divorced in 2020. The Hootie song "Where Were You" is about his relationship with his father. His country song "Alright" was inspired by his marriage.

Darius is good friends with golfer Tiger Woods. They met in a bar in 1993. Darius sang at Tiger Woods' wedding and at his father's funeral. Darius's interest in golf is very strong. He was a special guest at the 2016 Ryder Cup golf tournament and attended Arnold Palmer's funeral.

In 2017, Darius Rucker appeared on the TV show Undercover Boss. For the show, he dressed up as an older music teacher, ran an open mic night, and worked as a roadie.

In 2024, Darius Rucker released a book about his life called Life's Too Short: A Memoir.

Helping Others: Philanthropy and Impact

Darius Rucker cares a lot about helping others, especially sick and underprivileged children. He often holds benefit concerts and volunteers his time. He supports programs like the World Golf Foundation's The First Tee program. His band's foundation, the Hootie & The Blowfish Foundation, has raised nearly $4.5 million to help public schools in South Carolina.

He is also on the board of the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital in Charleston. His mother worked there for over thirty years. Darius has helped raise millions of dollars to build a new hospital there.

After visiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in 2008, Darius promised to support them. Since then, he has organized an annual event that has raised over $1.6 million for St. Jude's.

Darius Rucker's Tours

Headlining Tours

• Southern Style Tour (2015)
• Good for a Good Time (2016)
• Starting Fires Tour (2023)

Co-headlining Tours

• Summer Plays on Tour (2018) with Lady Antebellum

Supporting Tours

• H₂O II: Wetter and Wilder Tour with Brad Paisley (2012)
• Own the Night Tour with Lady Antebellum (2012)

Darius Rucker's Music Albums

• Back to Then (2002)
• Learn to Live (2008)
• Charleston, SC 1966 (2010)
• True Believers (2013)
• Home for the Holidays (2014)
• Southern Style (2015)
• When Was the Last Time (2017)
• Carolyn's Boy (2023)

Darius Rucker in Film and TV

Darius Rucker's Awards and Nominations

In November 2023, it was announced that Darius Rucker will receive a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame.

See also

In Spanish: Darius Rucker para niños