Darius Rucker
Encyclopedia
Darius Rucker is an American
musician. He first gained fame as the lead singer and rhythm guitar
ist of the rock
band Hootie & the Blowfish
, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Carolina
along with Mark Bryan
, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld
and Dean Felber. The band has released five studio albums with him as a member, and charted six top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100
. Rucker co-wrote the majority of the band's songs with the other three members.
He released a solo R&B album, Back to Then
, in 2002 on Hidden Beach Recordings
but did not chart any singles from it. Six years later, Rucker signed to Capitol Records
Nashville as a country music
artist, releasing the album Learn to Live
that year. Its first single, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It
", made him the first African American to chart a number one on the Hot Country Songs
charts since Charley Pride
in 1983. It was followed by two more number-one singles, "It Won't Be Like This for Long
" and "Alright
" and the number three "History in the Making
". In 2009, he became the first African American to win the New Artist Award from the Country Music Association
, and only the second African American to win any award from the association. A second Capitol album, Charleston, SC 1966
, was released on October 12, 2010. The album includes the number-one singles "Come Back Song
" and "This
".
since its formation in 1986. He met fellow band members, Mark Bryan
, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld, and Dean Felber, while attending the University of South Carolina
. Bryan heard Rucker singing in the shower, and the two became a duo, playing R.E.M.
covers at a local venue. They later recruited Felber and finally Sonefeld joined in 1989. As a member of Hootie & the Blowfish, Rucker has recorded five studio albums: Cracked Rear View
, Fairweather Johnson
, Musical Chairs, Hootie & the Blowfish
and Looking for Lucky
, also charting within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100
six times. All six albums feature songs that Rucker, Bryan and Felber wrote. As the frontman, Rucker began to be called simply "Hootie" in the media, though the band title combines the nicknames of his college friends.
Rucker's signature contribution to the band is his baritone voice which Rolling Stone
has called "ingratiating," TIME
has called "low, gruff, [and] charismatic," and Entertainment Weekly
has characterized as a "barrelhouse growl." He has brought additional attention as the sole African-American member of a major rock band with otherwise white members. Rucker said they "flipped" the formula of the all black band with a white frontman, like Frank Sinatra
performing with Count Basie
. Musically, he has sometimes been criticized or spoofed for not being "black enough". Saturday Night Live
ran a sketch of Rucker leading beer-drinking, white fraternity
members in a counter-march to Louis Farrakhan
's Million Man March
. He also received death threats for singing the Hootie song "Drowning," a protest song against the flying of the Confederate flag above the South Carolina statehouse. The other band members were protective of Rucker in regards to the issue, and had a policy of generally ignoring racist comments.
Shortly after gaining a measure of fame, Felber and Rucker (who consider themselves best friends) moved into an apartment in Columbia, South Carolina
. With Rucker's recognition as the frontman of a successful band came increased opportunities. In October 1995, Rucker was asked to sing the national anthem at the World Series
. Frank Sinatra invited Rucker to sing at his 80th birthday party; Rucker sang "The Lady Is a Tramp
." That same week, he made a voice cameo in an episode of the sitcom Friends. He also joined Nanci Griffith
on the song "Gulf Coast Highway" from her 1997 album Blue Roses from the Moons
, and sang backing vocals on Radney Foster
's 1999 album See What You Want to See
. Rucker encouraged Atlantic Records
to agree to a deal with Edwin McCain
, and made a guest appearance on McCain's debut album, Honor Among Thieves
.
, an independent label, acquired the masters from Atlantic and released the album as Back to Then
in July 2002. The album included work from the production team of Jill Scott
and she made an appearance on the track "Hold On."
Rucker appeared on a pop-star edition of the quiz show
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
in July 2001. He also portrayed a singing cowboy
in a television commercial for the fast food chain Burger King
, promoting their TenderCrisp
Bacon Cheddar Ranch sandwich in 2005. In the commercial, he sang a jingle set to the tune of "Big Rock Candy Mountain
."
Nashville as the beginning of a career in country music. His first solo single, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" (which he co-wrote with Clay Mills
) debuted at number 51 on the Billboard
Hot Country Songs
charts for the week of May 3, 2008. It is the first single from his second album, Learn to Live
. For this album, Rucker worked with Frank Rogers
, a record producer
who has also produced for Brad Paisley
and Trace Adkins
. Rucker also made his Grand Ole Opry
debut in July 2008. "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" became the first top 20 hit for an African American on the country music charts since Charley Pride
's last Top 20 hit, which came in 1988. The single reached number one in September, making Rucker the first solo, African-American artist to chart a number one country hit since Pride's "Night Games
" in 1983.
Learn to Live was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) on February 6, 2009, and received a platinum certification on August 7, 2009. The album's second single, "It Won't Be Like This for Long
", spent three weeks at the top of the country charts in mid-2009. Its follow-up, "Alright
", became Rucker's third straight number one hit, making him the first country music singer to have his or her first three singles reach number one since Wynonna
achieved that feat in 1992. The album's fourth single, "History in the Making
" was released in September and peaked at number three on the country charts. The singles from the album also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100
, respectively peaking at numbers 35, 36, 30 and 61.
Rucker's entry into the country world was met with some intrigue, largely because of his history as a rock musician and because he is African-American. Billboard
magazine said that "there's a sense of purpose that makes Rucker feel like a member of the country family, rather than calculating interloper." Rucker made visits to various country stations around the US, explaining that he was aware that he was the "new kid on the block." Mike Culotta, the program director of the Tampa, Florida
radio station WQYK-FM
expected that Rucker would be "somebody who would have entitlement," but instead said that "Darius engaged everybody." When Rucker found that "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" went to number one, he cried. On November 11, 2009, Rucker won the Country Music Association
New Artist of the Year award (formerly known as the Horizon Award), making him the first African American to do so since the award was introduced in 1981. Only one other African American has won at the CMAs: Charley Pride, who won entertainer of the year in 1971 and male vocalist in 1971 and 1972.
, on October 12, 2010. The title is inspired by Radney Foster
's solo debut album, Del Rio, TX 1959
. Its first single was "Come Back Song
," which Rucker wrote with Chris Stapleton
and Casey Beathard
. It was his fourth number one on the country charts as well as a number 37 hit on the Hot 100. The album's second single is "This
", which was released to radio in November 2010 and also reached number one in the country charts. Rucker wrote this song with Rogers and Kara DioGuardi
. "I Got Nothin'
" is the album's third single.
fan, and has a tattoo of their logo. He also likes the film Stir Crazy
, which he has seen more than 100 times.
Rucker's mother died in November 1992 of a sudden heart attack. His grief inspired two Hootie & the Blowfish songs: "I'm Goin' Home" and "Not Even the Trees." On April 21, 1995, Rucker became a father to a daughter, Carolyn Pearl Phillips. The girl's mother is Rucker's former girlfriend and the subject of "Let Her Cry", in which he flipped gender roles from those of reality. Daniella Rose—his second daughter and his first with his wife Beth—was born on May 16, 2001, in Charleston, South Carolina. Rucker and his wife Beth have a son, Jack who was born in 2005. The Hootie song "Where Were You" is about Rucker's strained relationship with his father, and was only released in Europe, where Rucker thought that his father would be unlikely to hear it. His country single "Alright" was inspired by his marriage to his wife, Beth.
Rucker is close friends with golfer Tiger Woods
, whom he met in a bar when Woods was 18. Rucker sang at the golfer's wedding with Hootie & the Blowfish, and at his father's
funeral.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician. He first gained fame as the lead singer and rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
ist of the rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Hootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish is an American rock band that enjoyed popularity in the second half of the 1990s. They were originally formed in 1986 at the University of South Carolina by Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, Jim Sonefeld, and Mark Bryan. The band has recorded five studio albums to date, and has...
, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
along with Mark Bryan
Mark Bryan
Mark Bryan is the lead guitarist for the band Hootie & the Blowfish. He also plays the mandolin, among numerous other instruments, and helps with background vocals....
, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld
Jim Sonefeld
Jim "Soni" Sonefeld, full name James Sonefeld , is an American musician and one of the founding members of Hootie & the Blowfish. In September 2008 he went solo with his solo debut album Snowman Melting on Aquarian Nation Records / The Orchard record label...
and Dean Felber. The band has released five studio albums with him as a member, and charted six top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Rucker co-wrote the majority of the band's songs with the other three members.
He released a solo R&B album, Back to Then
Back to Then
Back to Then is the title of a solo album released by singer/songwriter Darius Rucker, lead singer of Hootie & The Blowfish. The album was a departure for him as this project was a contemporary R&B album, as compared to his group's pop/rock efforts....
, in 2002 on Hidden Beach Recordings
Hidden Beach Recordings
Hidden Beach is an American independent record label specializing in Urban Alternative, R&B, Soul, Inspirational and Contemporary Jazz music genres...
but did not chart any singles from it. Six years later, Rucker signed to Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
Nashville as a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist, releasing the album Learn to Live
Learn to Live
Learn to Live is the second solo studio album by American country artist, Darius Rucker. The album was released September 16, 2008 on Capitol Nashville Records and was produced by Frank Rogers...
that year. Its first single, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It
Don't Think I Don't Think About It
"Don't Think I Don't Think About It" is the title of a song recorded by American singer Darius Rucker. The song, co-written by Rucker and Clay Mills, was released to country radio in mid-2008 as Rucker's first single off his studio album Learn to Live...
", made him the first African American to chart a number one on the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts since Charley Pride
Charley Pride
Charley Frank Pride is an American country music singer. His smooth baritone voice was featured on thirty-nine number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His greatest success came in the early- to mid-1970s, when he became the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis...
in 1983. It was followed by two more number-one singles, "It Won't Be Like This for Long
It Won't Be Like This for Long
"It Won't Be Like This for Long" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American singer Darius Rucker, lead vocalist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. It is the second single released from his first country music album, Learn to Live...
" and "Alright
Alright (Darius Rucker song)
"Alright" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American singer Darius Rucker, lead vocalist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. It was released in April 2009 as the third single from his first country music album, 2008's Learn to Live...
" and the number three "History in the Making
History in the Making
"History in the Making" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Darius Rucker. Written along with Clay Mills and Frank Rogers, it was released in September 2009 as the fourth single from Rucker's 2008 album Learn to Live...
". In 2009, he became the first African American to win the New Artist Award from the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
, and only the second African American to win any award from the association. A second Capitol album, Charleston, SC 1966
Charleston, SC 1966
Upon its release, Charleston, SC 1966 received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 68, based on 9 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable...
, was released on October 12, 2010. The album includes the number-one singles "Come Back Song
Come Back Song
"Come Back Song" is the title of a song recorded by American singer Darius Rucker. The song, co-written by Rucker and Nashville songwriter Chris Stapelton, was released to country radio in early July 2010 as the lead single from Rucker's second album of country music, Charleston, SC...
" and "This
This (Darius Rucker song)
"This" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Darius Rucker. It was released in November 2010 as the second single from his 2010 album Charleston, SC 1966, and the sixth solo single release of his career. It reached number-one on the U.S...
".
Early life
Darius Rucker was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, where his family history goes back generations. His single mother, Carolyn, who was a nurse, raised him with his five siblings: three sisters and two brothers. According to Rucker, his father was "never around," and Rucker only saw him before church on Sundays. His father was in a gospel band called The Rolling Stones. Rucker has said that he had a "typical Southern, African-American upbringing." His family attended church every Sunday and was economically poor, and at one point, his mother, her two sisters, his grandmother and 14 children were all living in a three-bedroom home. Even so, he says that he looks back on his childhood "with very fond memories." His sister, L'Corine, recalled that singing "was always his dream".Hootie & the Blowfish
Rucker has been the lead singer of Hootie & the BlowfishHootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish is an American rock band that enjoyed popularity in the second half of the 1990s. They were originally formed in 1986 at the University of South Carolina by Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, Jim Sonefeld, and Mark Bryan. The band has recorded five studio albums to date, and has...
since its formation in 1986. He met fellow band members, Mark Bryan
Mark Bryan
Mark Bryan is the lead guitarist for the band Hootie & the Blowfish. He also plays the mandolin, among numerous other instruments, and helps with background vocals....
, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld, and Dean Felber, while attending the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
. Bryan heard Rucker singing in the shower, and the two became a duo, playing R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
covers at a local venue. They later recruited Felber and finally Sonefeld joined in 1989. As a member of Hootie & the Blowfish, Rucker has recorded five studio albums: Cracked Rear View
Cracked Rear View
Cracked Rear View is the major-label debut album by Hootie & the Blowfish, released on July 5, 1994 by Atlantic Records. It was the highest-selling album of 1995, with 10.5 million shipments that year alone, eventually shipping 16 million copies to retailers by March 31, 1999...
, Fairweather Johnson
Fairweather Johnson
Fairweather Johnson is the second studio album by the band Hootie & the Blowfish, released on April 23, 1996. Three songs from the album were released as singles: "Old Man & Me", "Tucker's Town", and "Sad Caper"...
, Musical Chairs, Hootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish (album)
Hootie & the Blowfish is the fourth studio album by the band Hootie & the Blowfish, released on March 4, 2003.-Track listing:#"Deeper Side"#"Little Brother"#"Innocence"#"Space"#"I'll Come Runnin'"#"Tears Fall Down"#"The Rain Song"...
and Looking for Lucky
Looking for Lucky
Looking for Lucky is the fifth studio album by Hootie & the Blowfish, released on August 9, 2005. The album sold 128,000 copies in the U.S...
, also charting within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
six times. All six albums feature songs that Rucker, Bryan and Felber wrote. As the frontman, Rucker began to be called simply "Hootie" in the media, though the band title combines the nicknames of his college friends.
Rucker's signature contribution to the band is his baritone voice which Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
has called "ingratiating," TIME
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
has called "low, gruff, [and] charismatic," and Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
has characterized as a "barrelhouse growl." He has brought additional attention as the sole African-American member of a major rock band with otherwise white members. Rucker said they "flipped" the formula of the all black band with a white frontman, like Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
performing with Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
. Musically, he has sometimes been criticized or spoofed for not being "black enough". Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
ran a sketch of Rucker leading beer-drinking, white fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
members in a counter-march to Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
's Million Man March
Million Man March
The Million Man March was a gathering of social activists, en masse, held on and around the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on October 16, 1995...
. He also received death threats for singing the Hootie song "Drowning," a protest song against the flying of the Confederate flag above the South Carolina statehouse. The other band members were protective of Rucker in regards to the issue, and had a policy of generally ignoring racist comments.
Shortly after gaining a measure of fame, Felber and Rucker (who consider themselves best friends) moved into an apartment in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
. With Rucker's recognition as the frontman of a successful band came increased opportunities. In October 1995, Rucker was asked to sing the national anthem at the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
. Frank Sinatra invited Rucker to sing at his 80th birthday party; Rucker sang "The Lady Is a Tramp
The Lady Is a Tramp
"The Lady Is a Tramp" is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical Babes In Arms in which it was introduced by former child star Mitzi Green. This song is a spoof of New York high society and its strict etiquette...
." That same week, he made a voice cameo in an episode of the sitcom Friends. He also joined Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith, is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas.-Biography:...
on the song "Gulf Coast Highway" from her 1997 album Blue Roses from the Moons
Blue Roses from the Moons
Blue Roses from the Moons was Nanci Griffith's studio album, released in March 1997. The album was recorded from live takes in the studio, with her band The Blue Moon Orchestra and Jerry Allison, Sonny Curtis, and Joe B. Mauldin of The Crickets...
, and sang backing vocals on Radney Foster
Radney Foster
Radney Foster is an American Texas Country artist. Initially a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, Foster made his debut in 1986 alongside Bill Lloyd in the duo Foster & Lloyd...
's 1999 album See What You Want to See
See What You Want to See
See What You Want to See is American country music artist Radney Foster's third studio album. It was released in 1999 on Arista Records. The record features a number of notable guests, such as Darius Rucker from Hootie & the Blowfish, as well as Abra Moore and Emmylou Harris...
. Rucker encouraged Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
to agree to a deal with Edwin McCain
Edwin McCain
Edwin McCain is an American singer-songwriter and musician.-Career:While his albums are released under his name, he does have a permanent band, referred to as the Edwin McCain Band...
, and made a guest appearance on McCain's debut album, Honor Among Thieves
Honor Among Thieves (album)
Honor Among Thieves is Edwin McCain's first major-label album, released on CD and cassette tape on August 15, 1995 by Lava Records.Songs from Thieves also appear on McCain's live concert DVD, Tinsel & Tap Shoes.-Track listing:...
.
Solo career
In 2001, he made his solo R&B debut album, The Return of Mongo Slade, for Atlantic Records. Because of contractual changes, it was never released by the label. Hidden Beach RecordingsHidden Beach Recordings
Hidden Beach is an American independent record label specializing in Urban Alternative, R&B, Soul, Inspirational and Contemporary Jazz music genres...
, an independent label, acquired the masters from Atlantic and released the album as Back to Then
Back to Then
Back to Then is the title of a solo album released by singer/songwriter Darius Rucker, lead singer of Hootie & The Blowfish. The album was a departure for him as this project was a contemporary R&B album, as compared to his group's pop/rock efforts....
in July 2002. The album included work from the production team of Jill Scott
Jill Scott
Jill Scott is an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter, poet, and actress. In 2007, Scott made her cinematic debut in the films Hounddog and in Tyler Perry's feature film, Why Did I Get Married? That year, her third studio album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3, was released on...
and she made an appearance on the track "Hold On."
Rucker appeared on a pop-star edition of the quiz show
Quiz Show
Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television game show which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television International. The maximum cash prize is one million pounds...
in July 2001. He also portrayed a singing cowboy
Singing cowboy
A singing cowboy was a subtype of the archetypal cowboy hero of early Western films, popularized by many of the B-movies of the 1930s and 1940s...
in a television commercial for the fast food chain Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
, promoting their TenderCrisp
Tendercrisp
The TenderCrisp is a chicken sandwich sold by Burger King, an international fast-food restaurant chain. It is one of their "indulgent" products....
Bacon Cheddar Ranch sandwich in 2005. In the commercial, he sang a jingle set to the tune of "Big Rock Candy Mountain
Big Rock Candy Mountain
Big Rock Candy Mountain, first recorded by Harry McClintock in 1928, is a song about a hobo's idea of paradise, a modern version of the medieval concept of Cockaigne...
."
Debut album (2008-2009)
In early 2008, Rucker signed to Capitol RecordsCapitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
Nashville as the beginning of a career in country music. His first solo single, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" (which he co-wrote with Clay Mills
Clay Mills
Clayton Bernard "Clay" Mills is an American songwriter. His credits include the #1 hits "Beautiful Mess" by Diamond Rio and "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" by Darius Rucker, which won Mills an award from ASCAP. Other country music artists who have charted with his singles include Andy Griggs...
) debuted at number 51 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts for the week of May 3, 2008. It is the first single from his second album, Learn to Live
Learn to Live
Learn to Live is the second solo studio album by American country artist, Darius Rucker. The album was released September 16, 2008 on Capitol Nashville Records and was produced by Frank Rogers...
. For this album, Rucker worked with Frank Rogers
Frank Rogers (record producer)
Frank Mandeville Rogers V is an American record producer, songwriter and session musician. In 1990, Rogers made the trek to Nashville, attending Belmont University and graduating with a Music Business degree. While at Belmont, he met friend and future collaborator Brad Paisley...
, a record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
who has also produced for Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
and Trace Adkins
Trace Adkins
Tracy Darrell "Trace" Adkins is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1996 with the album Dreamin' Out Loud, released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since then, Adkins has released seven more studio albums and two Greatest Hits compilations...
. Rucker also made his Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
debut in July 2008. "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" became the first top 20 hit for an African American on the country music charts since Charley Pride
Charley Pride
Charley Frank Pride is an American country music singer. His smooth baritone voice was featured on thirty-nine number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His greatest success came in the early- to mid-1970s, when he became the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis...
's last Top 20 hit, which came in 1988. The single reached number one in September, making Rucker the first solo, African-American artist to chart a number one country hit since Pride's "Night Games
Night Games
"Night Games is a 1983 single written by Blake Mevis and Norro Wilson and recorded by Charley Pride. Originally recorded by Ray Stevens in 1981, "Night Games" was Charley Pride's twenty-ninth and final number one country hit...
" in 1983.
Learn to Live was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) on February 6, 2009, and received a platinum certification on August 7, 2009. The album's second single, "It Won't Be Like This for Long
It Won't Be Like This for Long
"It Won't Be Like This for Long" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American singer Darius Rucker, lead vocalist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. It is the second single released from his first country music album, Learn to Live...
", spent three weeks at the top of the country charts in mid-2009. Its follow-up, "Alright
Alright (Darius Rucker song)
"Alright" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American singer Darius Rucker, lead vocalist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. It was released in April 2009 as the third single from his first country music album, 2008's Learn to Live...
", became Rucker's third straight number one hit, making him the first country music singer to have his or her first three singles reach number one since Wynonna
Wynonna Judd
Wynonna Ellen Judd is an American country music singer. Her solo albums and singles are all credited to the singular name Wynonna. Wynonna first rose to fame in the 1980s alongside her mother, Naomi, in the country music duo The Judds...
achieved that feat in 1992. The album's fourth single, "History in the Making
History in the Making
"History in the Making" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Darius Rucker. Written along with Clay Mills and Frank Rogers, it was released in September 2009 as the fourth single from Rucker's 2008 album Learn to Live...
" was released in September and peaked at number three on the country charts. The singles from the album also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, respectively peaking at numbers 35, 36, 30 and 61.
Rucker's entry into the country world was met with some intrigue, largely because of his history as a rock musician and because he is African-American. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine said that "there's a sense of purpose that makes Rucker feel like a member of the country family, rather than calculating interloper." Rucker made visits to various country stations around the US, explaining that he was aware that he was the "new kid on the block." Mike Culotta, the program director of the Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
radio station WQYK-FM
WQYK-FM
WQYK-FM is a commercial country music radio station in Tampa, Florida. It is currently under ownership of CBS Radio.-External links:*...
expected that Rucker would be "somebody who would have entitlement," but instead said that "Darius engaged everybody." When Rucker found that "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" went to number one, he cried. On November 11, 2009, Rucker won the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
New Artist of the Year award (formerly known as the Horizon Award), making him the first African American to do so since the award was introduced in 1981. Only one other African American has won at the CMAs: Charley Pride, who won entertainer of the year in 1971 and male vocalist in 1971 and 1972.
Second album (2010-present)
Rucker released his second country album, titled Charleston, SC 1966Charleston, SC 1966
Upon its release, Charleston, SC 1966 received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 68, based on 9 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable...
, on October 12, 2010. The title is inspired by Radney Foster
Radney Foster
Radney Foster is an American Texas Country artist. Initially a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, Foster made his debut in 1986 alongside Bill Lloyd in the duo Foster & Lloyd...
's solo debut album, Del Rio, TX 1959
Del Rio, TX 1959
Del Rio, TX 1959 is the debut album of American country music artist Radney Foster. It was released in 1992 on the Arista Nashville label, and it produced five singles for Foster on the Billboard country charts: "Just Call Me Lonesome", "Nobody Wins", "Easier Said Than Done", "Hammer and Nails",...
. Its first single was "Come Back Song
Come Back Song
"Come Back Song" is the title of a song recorded by American singer Darius Rucker. The song, co-written by Rucker and Nashville songwriter Chris Stapelton, was released to country radio in early July 2010 as the lead single from Rucker's second album of country music, Charleston, SC...
," which Rucker wrote with Chris Stapleton
Chris Stapleton
Chris Stapleton is an American country, bluegrass, and rock musician. He co-wrote the singles "Never Wanted Nothing More" for Kenny Chesney, "Swing" for Trace Adkins, "Your Man" for Josh Turner, "Keep On Lovin' You" for Steel Magnolia and "Come Back Song" for Darius Rucker.Between 2008 and 2010,...
and Casey Beathard
Casey Beathard
Casey Beathard is an American country music songwriter. The son of former NFL general manager Bobby Beathard, he has co-written singles for several country music recording artists, including Top Ten singles for Gary Allan, Billy Ray Cyrus, Trace Adkins, and Kenny Chesney...
. It was his fourth number one on the country charts as well as a number 37 hit on the Hot 100. The album's second single is "This
This (Darius Rucker song)
"This" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Darius Rucker. It was released in November 2010 as the second single from his 2010 album Charleston, SC 1966, and the sixth solo single release of his career. It reached number-one on the U.S...
", which was released to radio in November 2010 and also reached number one in the country charts. Rucker wrote this song with Rogers and Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159...
. "I Got Nothin'
I Got Nothin'
"I Got Nothin'" is the title of a song recorded by American country music singer Darius Rucker and co-written by Rucker with Clay Mills. It is the seventh solo release of Rucker's career, and the third single from his 2010 album Charleston, SC 1966....
" is the album's third single.
Personal life
Rucker is a Miami DolphinsMiami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
fan, and has a tattoo of their logo. He also likes the film Stir Crazy
Stir Crazy (film)
Stir Crazy is a 1980 American comedy film starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor as down-on-their-luck friends who are given 125-year prison sentences after being framed for a bank robbery; while in prison they befriend other inmates and ultimately escape. In 2000, Total Film magazine voted it the...
, which he has seen more than 100 times.
Rucker's mother died in November 1992 of a sudden heart attack. His grief inspired two Hootie & the Blowfish songs: "I'm Goin' Home" and "Not Even the Trees." On April 21, 1995, Rucker became a father to a daughter, Carolyn Pearl Phillips. The girl's mother is Rucker's former girlfriend and the subject of "Let Her Cry", in which he flipped gender roles from those of reality. Daniella Rose—his second daughter and his first with his wife Beth—was born on May 16, 2001, in Charleston, South Carolina. Rucker and his wife Beth have a son, Jack who was born in 2005. The Hootie song "Where Were You" is about Rucker's strained relationship with his father, and was only released in Europe, where Rucker thought that his father would be unlikely to hear it. His country single "Alright" was inspired by his marriage to his wife, Beth.
Rucker is close friends with golfer Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
, whom he met in a bar when Woods was 18. Rucker sang at the golfer's wedding with Hootie & the Blowfish, and at his father's
Earl Woods
Earl Dennison Woods was a US Army infantry officer who served two tours of duty in Vietnam, and retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was a college-level baseball player and writer, but is best remembered as the father of professional golfer Tiger Woods...
funeral.
Albums
- Back to ThenBack to ThenBack to Then is the title of a solo album released by singer/songwriter Darius Rucker, lead singer of Hootie & The Blowfish. The album was a departure for him as this project was a contemporary R&B album, as compared to his group's pop/rock efforts....
(2002) - Learn to LiveLearn to LiveLearn to Live is the second solo studio album by American country artist, Darius Rucker. The album was released September 16, 2008 on Capitol Nashville Records and was produced by Frank Rogers...
(2008) - Charleston, SC 1966Charleston, SC 1966Upon its release, Charleston, SC 1966 received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 68, based on 9 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable...
(2010)
Billboard number-one singles
- "Don't Think I Don't Think About ItDon't Think I Don't Think About It"Don't Think I Don't Think About It" is the title of a song recorded by American singer Darius Rucker. The song, co-written by Rucker and Clay Mills, was released to country radio in mid-2008 as Rucker's first single off his studio album Learn to Live...
" (2008) - "It Won't Be Like This for LongIt Won't Be Like This for Long"It Won't Be Like This for Long" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American singer Darius Rucker, lead vocalist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. It is the second single released from his first country music album, Learn to Live...
" (2009) - "AlrightAlright (Darius Rucker song)"Alright" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American singer Darius Rucker, lead vocalist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. It was released in April 2009 as the third single from his first country music album, 2008's Learn to Live...
" (2009) - "Come Back SongCome Back Song"Come Back Song" is the title of a song recorded by American singer Darius Rucker. The song, co-written by Rucker and Nashville songwriter Chris Stapelton, was released to country radio in early July 2010 as the lead single from Rucker's second album of country music, Charleston, SC...
" (2010) - "ThisThis (Darius Rucker song)"This" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Darius Rucker. It was released in November 2010 as the second single from his 2010 album Charleston, SC 1966, and the sixth solo single release of his career. It reached number-one on the U.S...
" (2011)