Darius Rucker’s tour leaves devoted fans cheering

By Arbogast, Brandon, September 7, 2016

By Edward Lennon// Staff Writer

Music has always been a defining factor in Darius Rucker’s life. However, the hope of winning Grammy awards was not what first ignited his passion.

Growing up in Charleston, South Carolina, Rucker and his family kept the spirits of their crowded household of one dozen members high by incorporating music into their daily lives. They struggled financially; his father was rarely in the picture. Rucker coped with the hardship through music. Rucker was very involved in his church’s music groups and with the help of music, he was able to remember his difficult childhood as a happy and positive one. At a young age, he realized how much of an impact music had on him and he wanted to pursue a career in the field that changed his life.

As Rucker grew older, his passion for music continued and his ambitions strengthened. As a freshman at the University of South Carolina, Rucker befriended fellow musicians Mark Bryan, Dean Felber and Jim Sonefeld. The four formed a musical group called Hootie & the Blowfish. The band name was inspired by two of their classmates at USC who resembled an owl and a fish. Rucker was the lead singer and the face of the group. Originally, the group struggled and was only able to play gigs on the college circuit, making very little money. Since they were not very well known, the band was paid very little or given free beer to perform. Their debut album, “Kootchypop,” turned out to be a success and helped get the band signed by Atlantic Records.

In 1994, Hootie & the Blowfish released their first album with Atlantic Records, “Cracked Rear View.” After millions of this album sold, Hootie and the Blowfish went on to win two Grammy Awards for this album (Best New Artist and Best Pop Performance).

As the band released more albums, their success continued, but perhaps never returned to its first album peak. In the early 2000’s, Rucker decided that he wanted a change of pace and began to pursue a solo career, but continued as the band’s key member. In 2002, he released his R&B album, “Back to Then,” beginning his fame as a solo artist. His unique voice made him a fan-favorite, as well as an icon for aspiring artists. As he transitioned his sound to country, he became a very influential individual in this musical community. As the pace of his solo career quickly picked up, Hootie & the Blowfish began a hiatus in 2008. Rucker won the 2009 Country Music Association award for best new artist. In 2013, he won his first Grammy in the country category for best solo country performance of his rendition of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel.” Even though Bob Dylan originally wrote the song, Rucker made this song his own by adding personal touches to it. This is the song that fans associate with Rucker’s career the most, even today.

On July 24, I had the pleasure of seeing Rucker live at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre in New York. Opening for Rucker were country duo Dan + Shay and rising country star Michael Ray. Rucker took stage to an already hyped up and excited crowd. The crowd was mixed of all different types of fan, diversified by age, gender and race. In my head, I felt bad for Rucker, thinking that there was not a chance in the world that he could keep the vibe of the theatre so high and positive.

Rucker easily proved me wrong. Exploding onto the stage with energy and confidence, he opened with his own song, “Lighter Up,” which immediately got the crowd involved- dancing, singing, cheering and putting their lighters in the sky.

After his ninth song, Rucker stopped the music and began talking to crowd. He told us how much this next song meant to him and how he would be nowhere without it and the people that he made it with; he sang Hootie & the Blowfish’s most famous song, “Let Her Cry.” With this, the whole theatre did not just get to experience a great performance of a song, but we all learned that our beginnings are what make the present possible. Rucker played a lot of his own songs, but he did treat the crowd to covers of songs by Tim McGraw, Blacksteet, Jerry Reed and Prince. There was not a better way to end the fantastic concert than the way Rucker did- having the whole theatre sing “Wagon Wheel” with him.

Rucker sings for the right reasons, not the money or the accolades. Ever since he was a young child, he sang to make himself and all of those around him happy. He sang to improve the lives of the people he loved; however, he did more than that. He was able to expand his influence to millions of people around the world.