Who is Darius Rucker? 10 Things to Know about Him
Darius Rucker is an American country singer-songwriter. He became a known singer in 1986 when he was part of the Hootie and the Blowfish Band, where they sang rock music.
Darius was the group’s lead vocalist and guitarist. He played alongside Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim Sonefeld. During their day, they had over 6 hits on the Billboard 100, Top 40 charts. They made over 16 million sales as a group and won 2 Grammy Awards.
He went solo years after and released his first album in 2002. In 2008, he signed to Capitol Records where he released other singles and albums and went on to win awards such as the first Black American to win the New Artist Award from the Country Music Association and the second Black person to win any award from the association.
He topped the Billboard charts countlessly in his career and won many revolutionary awards.
Curious to know about Darius Rucker? Here are 10 Things to Know about Him
10 Things to Know about Darius Rucker
Darius is the First Black American to Win the New Artist Award
Country Music has always been a common genre among the whites. However, Darius became the first black man to win the New Artist Award during the Country Music Association Awards. He also went on to win several awards as a country singer.
A single mother raised him
Darius was raised by a single mother of 5. He is said to love his mother, who died in 1992 to this day. He speaks highly of her and all the sacrifices she made, which contributed to who he is today.
He has a full R&B Album
Although Darius Rucker is a country singer, he also tried his talent at R&B. He has a whole album dedicated to R&B music, but this is not very prestigious because this album did not top charts like his country songs.
People Also Read: Who is Darius Rucker Married To?
He dedicated a song to his mother
Before going solo, Darius’ mom’s death was the inspiration behind the two Hootie & the Blowfish band songs, “I’m Goin’ Home” and “Not Even the Trees.” They were sung as a dedication to her.
He is a Philanthropist
Because of Darius’s love for his mother and her dedication and history as a nurse at the Medical University of South Carolina, he donated millions of dollars to the development and reconstruction of the hospital. He speaks about how much the hospital meant to his mom and to him.
He is no longer together with his wife of 20 years
In 2020, Darius divorced his wife of 20 years, who had been a long-time girlfriend of his before they tied the knot in 2000. Darius also sang about his divorce, “Never Been Over,” and in an interview, he spoke about how he and his wife had been through a lot of things and been through many couple feud, but one thing they hadn’t been was over until the divorce year.
His divorce also brought up conversations about his mental health in an interview where he talked about how he felt and how divorce made him feel. He sometimes felt guilty, but he has been working on forgiving himself. He also talked about how important it is to focus more on the children in situations such as divorce, which they are working through.
Tiger Woods is the most well-known person he knows
Darius Rucker said in an interview that he had a lot of celebrity friends; however, none is as close to him as Tiger Woods, the 47-year-old American professional golfer. He said that was one celebrity whose number you will find on his cell.
His favorite movie is Stir Crazy!
Interesting fact about Darius! He loves Stir Crazy, acted by Actors Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. Darius Rucker says he has seen this movie about 100 times.
Darius loves sports and used to be a Quarterback in High School
Apart from music, Darius has another hobby, which is sports. He particularly enjoys sports and has been found playing with Cody Alan on some occasions. Little wonder why he is friends with Tiger Woods.
Another interesting fact is that his love for sports did not start recently. He has always been a sport lover. He was also the Quarterback Player for his High School Football Team.
He came from a humble background
Darius never fails to speak about his humble background and how he grew up in a home filled with his mother, maternal grandmother, aunty, and 14 children. They were poor and lived the typical lifestyle of poor black families in those days.
Conclusion
Darius is a phenomenal singer who rose to fame, singing a genre that was not common to someone of his race at a time like the 2000s. However, his talent made way for him and gave him tremendous success, winning him awards and making him one of the most talked about Black country singer in America. His talent is known across 3 genres: R&B, Country, and Rock. His immense hard work and the passion he puts into his craft do not go unnoticed year after year.
