On the Cover – Darius Rucker

August/September 2008 – August/September 2008—Artist Roster

Label: Capitol Records Nashville
Booking: William Morris Agency
Management: McGhee Entertainment
Producers: Frank Rogers
Current Single: “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It”
Current Album: Learn To Live
Current Video: “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It”

Interests: One of his biggest influences is Hee Haw. He says, “It might sound funny now, but Hee Haw was a religion for me. Every country artist that existed was on Hee Haw, and I saw ‘em all.”
Hits: “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It”
Musical Influences: Radney Foster, Nanci Griffith, Patsy Cline, New Grass Revival, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, David Allen Coe, Hank Williams, Hank Williams Jr.

Darius Rucker’s name is synonymous with one of top-selling bands of all time, Hootie & The Blowfish; the group's landmark Cracked Rear View has sold over 25 million copies world wide, and remains one of the top selling albums of all time. With a range that rivals top vocalists across all genres, it is no surprise that the frontman for that Grammy award-winning pop group is setting out to change the face of music once again with a debut country solo album on Capitol Records Nashville.

With co-writes from country industry leaders such as Rivers Rutherford, Frank Rogers, Dave Berg, Chris DuBois, and Clay Mills, Rucker showcases his rich storytelling capabilities while maintaining a familiarity fans are sure to recognize.

“I don’t think [me making a country album] should surprise anyone,” Rucker says. “I love music and for years I’ve listened to country artists. I mean, I grew up in South Carolina in the ’70s, you know. Some of my favorite memories of being a kid is sitting in front of an AM radio and flipping through stations. You would hear a Stevie Wonder song or something, then hear a commercial so you’d turn the dial...hear a Kiss song, hit another commercial so you’d turn the dial again...and then Buck Owens jumps out at you. His guitar has no bass and the high notes are higher than anything you think you have ever heard. I didn’t know who it was, but I listened to the DJ to find out. I just had to know. I grew up with a mom that let me listen to whatever I wanted to, and a grandmother that loved country music, so it’s just naturally part of my background.”

Rucker says “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” was an obvious choice for his first single. He recalls, “I really would have been happy with pretty much any of the songs being the first single, but I told Frank Rogers after we finished this song in the studio that this was going to be it...I think the feel, the tempo and the sentiment all had something to do with the decision—and, everybody wants to think that there is someone out there thinking about them, don’t they? I wrote ‘Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It’ with Clay Mills, who was one of the great guys I got to write with on this project; in fact, a few of the songs we wrote together made the record.”

Rucker is thrilled about reaching out to the country audience, a career move he says won’t be short lived. “You know, I’ve been in that little twangy rock cocoon for a while...But now I get to come out and sing these songs. I plan to be doing this for a long time. This isn’t a one album deal—it’s a career thing. Actually, I would like to have fun with this record and then get right back in the studio and start the next! I love working in Nashville.”