Don’t miss Darius Rucker live in concert Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at Trask Coliseum; 8 PM right here in Wilmington, NC!
Darius Rucker has a voice that requires no introduction! His rich, soulful baritone resonates instantly as a familiar, comforting companion in this journey we call life.
On his first CD for Capitol Records Nashville, “LEARN TO LIVE”, Rucker has created a work steeped in the country traditions with meaningful lyrics and resonant melodies, while sounding completely modern.
As with the best country albums, LEARN TO LIVE takes the listener on a trip. The album includes such major life themes as falling in love, birth and death. Rucker says the CD is a journey: “I realized I’m 42. I’m not going to write many songs about drinking, chasing girls and booty calls. I was going to write songs about having kids and stuff – songs about life.”
Guests on the album include Brad Paisley on the humorous “All I Want” and Vince Gill and Alison Krauss on the inspirational “If I Had Wings.”
Rucker has always had a close kinship to country music and country artists. “Growing up in South Carolina, it was always around, always on the radio,” he says.
Rucker’s career path veered first into pop as the lead singer/co-writer for the wildly successful Hootie & the Blowfish. The Grammy–winning group’s 1994 debut, CRACKED REAR VIEW, is one of the best-selling albums in history, surpassing the 16 million album mark. Fans of the band, many of whom have made the natural migration from pop to country radio, realize that Hootie & the Blowfish’s catchy songs were rooted in the same elements that make great country music. Therefore, making his first country CD was not so much a big leap for Rucker as simply a slight shift in Rucker’s musical evolution. As Billboard magazine noted, “There’s a sense of purpose that makes Rucker feel like a member of the country family rather than in interloper…sounds like country may have a shining new star.”
The success of first single “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” shows that Rucker had country fans at hello. The single soared into the top 15 at radio even more quickly than anticipated. “It just breaks your heart,” says Rucker of the song. “And it was country enough that it wouldn’t be perceived as me being pop and just putting a fiddle on a song.”
While Hootie & the Blowfish are an ongoing project, Rucker’s solo career is taking center stage for the foreseeable future. He is devoted to promoting LEARN TO LIVE. “We’re taking a long time off,” he says. “It’s not, ‘make one record and go back to Hootie,'” Rucker says. “I’m making country music.”
***Tickets On Sale Saturday, February 12th at 10:00 AM ONLINE through the Festival Website. Tickets will be available through the Festival Office starting Monday, February 14th at 10:00 AM.
Darius Rucker
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Trask Coliseum; 8 PM
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