Darius Carlos Rucker is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter who was born on May 13, 1966. He created the rock group Hootie & the Blowfish in 1986 at the University of South Carolina with Mark Bryan, Jim “Soni” Sonefeld, and Dean Felber. He initially rose to recognition as the band’s lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. With Rucker in the group, the group put out five studio albums and scored six top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. The majority of the tracks were co-written by Rucker and the other band members.
Back to Then, a solo R&B album he put out in 2002 on Hidden Beach Recordings, failed to produce any hit songs. Six years later, Rucker became a country music performer and signed with Capitol Nashville. That same year, he released the album Learn to Live. Using its lead single, “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” he became the first Black artist to top the Hot Country Songs charts since Charley Pride in 1983.
With the singles “True Believers” (#24), “Wagon Wheel” (#1), and “Radio” (#14) all peaking on the Billboard U.S. Country charts, his third country album True Believers (2013) peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the US Top Country Albums Billboard chart. Home for the Holidays, his debut country Christmas album, peaked at No. 7 on the US Country Chart and No. 31 on the US Billboard 200 chart in 2014. With the singles “Homegrown Honey” (#6) and “Southern Style” (#8) both peaking on the U.S. Billboard 200, his fourth country album, Southern Style (2014), peaked at Nos. 2014 and 2015 national music charts.
