Darius Rucker Official Site: dariusrucker Darius Rucker is an American musician. He first gained fame as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Carolina ... Born: May 13, 1966 (age 47), Charleston, South Carolina, United States Spouse: Beth Leonard (m. 2000) Music group: Hootie & the Blowfish (Since 1986) Children: Daniella Rose Rucker, Caroline Rucker, Jack.. As the frontman of Hootie & the Blowfish, Darius Rucker was one of the most popular frontmen in mainstream pop/rock during the mid-90s. The bands debut album, Cracked Rear View, was virtually inescapable in 1995, eventually selling more than 16 million copies and becoming one of the most successful albums of all time. Hootie & the Blowfish couldnt re-create that magic on future albums, though, and the band took a break from the studio after releasing 1998s Musical Chairs. Rucker used his free time to launch a solo career, which allowed the singer to explore his R&B and country influences. Growing up in Charleston, South Carolina, Rucker was exposed to the sounds of Otis Redding, Al Green, and Gladys Knight at an early age. Those R&B icons helped influence Hootie & the Blowfishs recordings, all of which featured Ruckers soulful baritone at the forefront, but it wasnt until his solo career that Rucker truly paid homage to the sounds of his youth. He initially planned to launch his solo career with The Return of Mongo Slade, which was scheduled for a summer 2001 release by Atlantic Records, but contractual changes prevented the albums release. A few months later, Rucker jumped ship for Hidden Beach Recordings, which then acquired the master recordings of his debut from Atlantic. After making a cameo in the Farrelly brothers film Shallow Hal, Rucker introduced his mellow, R&B-influenced music with 2002s Back to Then (essentially The Return of Mongo Slade with a different title), which featured collaborations with Jill Scott and Snoop Dogg. Rucker then returned his focus to Hootie & the Blowfish, releasing two albums with the group during the early 2000s before revisiting his solo career. This time, he opted for a country approach, and the twangy Learn to Live found an appropriate home among country music fans, who sent both the album and its flagship single, Dont Think I Dont Think About It, to the top of the Billboard country charts. Two more singles also peaked at number one, pushing the album to platinum status within a year of its release. Rucker smartly stayed in the country mold for his follow-up album, Charleston, SC 1966, which appeared in fall 2010. His third solo album in a country vein, True Believers, followed in early 2013. ~ Andrew Leahey & MacKenzie Wilson, Rovi
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 21:43:52 +0000
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