Darius Rucker Biography

Fast Facts

• Was one of six children raised by a single mother
• Formed Hootie and the Blowfish in 1986 after his eventual bandmate Mark Bryan heard him singing in the shower
• Collaborated with R&B artist Jill Scott and hip-hop's Snoop Dogg on his first solo album, Back to Then
• Was inspired to play country music after hearing Radney Foster's album Del Rio, Texas, 1959
• In 2010, Rucker released his second album, titled Charleston, SC, 1966
• Was initially dismissed as a gimmick when he began playing country music
• Some country radio stations wouldn't play his songs, so he crossed the Southeast in his car, appearing on dozens of radio shows
• Was only the third black artist (the other two were Ray Charles and Charlie Pride) to hit the top spot on the country-music chart