Darius Rucker at Wang Theatre

Frontman of legendary Pop-rock band Hootie and the Blowfish, Darius Rucker, turned into a huge country star when he released his second solo album, but first ever country album, Learn to Live, in 2008. Its first single, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It", made him the first black artist to reach number one on the Hot Country Songs charts since Charley Pride in 1983. It was followed by two more number one singles, "It Won't Be Like This for Long" and "Alright" and the number three hit "History in the Making". Then in 2009, he became 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.

In 2012 Darius Rucker was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. In 2014, Darius won his third career Grammy Award for Best Solo Country Performance with his 8x Platinum version of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel.” His most recent country album, When Was the Last Time, came out in 2017, charting at number 8 on the Billboard 200 and number 2 on the Top Country Albums charts.

Darius first achieved multi-Platinum status in the music industry as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the two-time Grammy Award-winning band Hootie & the Blowfish, who have sold more than 25M albums worldwide, including their Diamond-certified debut Cracked Rear View, which remains among the Top 10 best-selling studio albums of all time.