In 1994, Darius Rucker’s band Hootie & The Blowfish achieved mainstream success with “Cracked Rear View.” The album, which included big tunes including “Hold My Hand,” “Time,” “Let Her Cry,” and “I Only Want to Be With You,” sold over 16 million copies and garnered the group two Grammy Awards. Rucker enjoyed a successful solo career as a country music performer.
Early Life
Rucker was born May 13, 1966, in Charleston, South Carolina. Rucker later described his background as a “typical Southern African-American upbringing,” which included long Sunday church hours and varied financial hardships. Throughout his life, he shared a three-bedroom apartment with his mother, two aunts, maternal grandmother, and 14 other children.
Darius grew up in a musical family, often singing along to his mother’s songs by Al Green and Betty Wright. As Rucker grew older, he became increasingly interested in his church and high school choruses. But it wasn’t until he graduated from Middleton High School and enrolled at the University of South Carolina that Rucker began to approach music with a professional mindset.
Rucker began to develop artistic ambitions in 1986, after meeting fellow musicians Mark Bryan, Jim Sonefeld, and Dean Felber. He founded the musical duo Wolf Brothers with friend Brian, and finally persuaded Felber to join them. In 1986, the trio formed the band Hootie & The Blowfish, named after two USC classmates—one with owl-like specs, the other with a rotund face—with Rucker as the frontman. The band spent several years touring colleges before persuading buddy and drummer Sonefeld to join them. His songwriting abilities had a significant impact on the rest of the band members, who began to ramp up their songwriting efforts.
After college, the trio began a full-time touring schedule, frequently performing for free beer or very little money. In 1991, the trio issued their self-financed debut album, Kootchypop, which they started distributing on tour. The EP, which was only available at their gigs, sold over 50,000 copies, making it a huge success for a band that promoted itself. Their accomplishment piqued the notice of an Atlantic Records talent scout, who signed them.
Hootie & The Blowfish
Hootie & The Blowfish’s album Cracked Rear View, released on the Atlantic label in 1994, was their mainstream breakthrough. The record peaked at number one and included big tunes including “Hold My Hand,” “Time,” “Let Her Cry,” and “I Only Want to Be With You.” The group’s bluesy harmonica solos, combined with Rucker’s deep, baritone voice, provided the band a distinct sound that drew attention from listeners. The album sold over 16 million copies. It also wowed musical critics, earning the trio two Grammy Awards.
In 1996, Rucker and the group released Fairweather Johnson, a much anticipated follow-up to their successful album Cracked Rear View. The album did not have the same tremendous sales as their first, but it did well on the charts. Rucker launched his solo career in 1998, following the publication of the band’s record Musical Chairs. Rucker’s mellow R&B album, Back to Then, was released on Hidden Beach Recordings in 2002 after a year-long delay owing to contract disputes with Atlantic.
Solo Success
Rucker toured with Hootie & The Blowfish and released his second solo album, Learn to Live, which is a country record. Rucker became the first African-American musician to top the country charts since Charley Pride in 1988 with the album’s debut song, “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” which peaked at #20 on Billboard in July 2008. Rucker’s newfound country stardom gained him an invitation to the Grand Ole Opry later that year, when he performed to a standing ovation.
Rucker’s single finally reached number one on the country charts, and the album was certified platinum in 2009. The album’s next two songs, “It Won’t Be Like This For Long” and “Alright,” also peaked at number one, making Rucker the first country music singer since Wynona Judd in 1992 to achieve three consecutive number one singles. Rucker’s record also drew attention from reviewers, earning him two Country Music Association award nominations in 2009, including Male Vocalist of the Year.
Rucker’s 2010 album, Charleston, SC 1966, topped the country album chart and included the smash single “This.” His next album, True Believers (2013), earned him another Grammy. In 2013, he won the best country solo performance award for his song “Wagon Wheel”. In 2015, he released the successful album Southern Style, featuring hit songs like the title track and “Homegrown Honey.”
He released his fifth album, When Was the Last Time, in October 2017.
Personal Life
Rucker married his longtime girlfriend, Beth Leonard, in 2000. They have two children together. Rucker and Leonard ended their relationship in July 2020. He also has a child with an ex-girlfriend.