Darius Rucker

"I expect to make a career out of country music."

• Born May 13, 1966, in Charleston, South Carolina

• With his band, Hootie & the Blowfish, Rucker achieved mainstream success in 1994 with the album Cracked Rear View. The multiplatinum LP spawned numerous charting singles such as "Hold My Hand," "Only Wanna Be With You" and the GRAMMY-winning "Let Her Cry."

• Hootie & the Blowfish took home two GRAMMY Awards for 1995 for Best New Artist and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Rucker won his first solo GRAMMY for 2013 for Best Country Solo Performance for his cover of Old Crow Medicine Show's "Wagon Wheel."

• Did you know? On the golf course, Rucker's six handicap tied him for 15th place with Justin Timberlake and Chicago bassist Jason Scheff in Golf Digest's top golf player in music list.

• In 2010, Rucker headlined a concert in Nashville’s Owen Bradley Park to help raise funds and awareness for MusiCares Nashville Flood Relief. 

• Since 2000, Rucker has supported charities in his native South Carolina through the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation. The organization gives to school music and arts programs and provides grants for professional training and development.