Darius Rucker is poised to hit the top of the country charts with his latest single, “Beers and Sunshine,” and he seems to be a connoisseur of both — beers AND sunshine.  The South Carolina native makes a list of some beer brands he enjoys.

“I like any kind of beer. I like a good lager, you know, a good Heinekin or a Stella or a Peroni or something like that,” says Darius, adding he’s ready for the sun to come out of hibernation. “I haven’t had a lot of sunshine. I’ve been down to Charleston a little bit, but 61 is not really sunshine. (laughs)  I want it to be 80. I hope (Punxsutawney) Phil’s wrong, ‘cause I’m ready for the winter to go away.”

Darius co-wrote the song with producer Ross Copperman, J.T. Harding and Josh Osborne.

The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum announced the premiere of the video special “American Currents: Celebrating the State of the Music” at 7pm CT, Friday, March 19th, 2021, on the museum’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. “American Currents: Celebrating the State of the Music” takes music fans inside the museum’s upcoming exhibition “American Currents: State of the Music,” which not only recognizes artists’ industry accomplishments, but also delves into the extraordinary events that shaped country music amid a global health crisis and a renewed push for social justice.

Country Music Hall of Fame Member and Museum Board President Vince Gill will introduce the exhibition and the program. Additionally, CEO Kyle Young will share remarks highlighting the artists, musicians, songwriters and stories featured in the most recent installment of the American Currents: State of the Music exhibition, which is located in the museum’s ACM Gallery.
The video special “American Currents: Celebrating the State of the Music,” underwritten in part by City National Bank, kicks off a year-long series of programming and online content in support of “American Currents: State of the Music.” The video will remain available to view on the museum’s YouTube channel after the premiere.

During the video program, Luke Combs and Rissi Palmer will discuss the past year – how it changed their perspectives and how they managed to stay creative and positive during troubling times. Combs, Palmer and Billy Strings, who are each featured in this year’s exhibition, will also perform.

Presented annually, “American Currents: State of the Music” is based upon the ongoing research and analysis of curators and museum staff to document and interpret significant developments in country music over the previous year. Those recognized in this year’s exhibition, in addition to Combs, Palmer and Strings, are: Gabby Barrett, Casey Beathard, The Chicks, Eric Church, Dan + Shay, Mickey Guyton, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Maren Morris, Country Music Hall of Fame member Dolly Parton, John Prine, Sister Sadie and Eddie Stubbs.

The exhibition’s Unbroken Circle section illustrates the connection between country music’s past and present by pairing artists with those who have influenced them or share musical perspectives. Those included are Jimmie Allen and Darius Rucker; Ingrid Andress and Faith Hill; Charley Crockett and Freddy Fender; and Dierks Bentley’s Hot Country Knights and the Statler Brothers’ Lester “Roadhog” Moran & the Cadillac Cowboys.

For more information about American Currents: State of the Music, visit www.CountryMusicHallofFame.org.

Reba McEntire returns to reprise her role as “June” on the television show, Young Sheldon on Thursday (February 25^th). Catch her in action beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT on CBS.

https://twitter.com/YoungSheldon/status/1364331280771538946

Darius Rucker will perform his No. 1 hit, “Beers and Sunshine” on NBC’s “TODAY” Show on Friday (February 26th).

Speaking of Darius Rucker and his Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates, Post Malone has released a cover of their 1995 hit song “Only Wanna Be With You” ahead of his performance at the Pokémon Day 25th-anniversary virtual concert on Saturday (February 27th).

Little Big Town‘s Kimberly Schlapman appears on The Doctors on Thursday (February 25th). She will talk about the ACM Awards and their initiative ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund and the support it offers for those in the Country Music community financially impacted by the pandemic.  

I’ll be on @TheDoctors today to talk about @ACMawards #ACMLiftingLives COVID-19 Response Fund and the support it offers for those in the Country Music community financially impacted by the pandemic. THIS CAUSE IS SO CLOSE TO MY HEART!! pic.twitter.com/JNFcEBR5Qz

— Kimberly Schlapman (@ohgussie) February 25, 2021

Vince Gill reunites with his longtime friend Lyle Lovett on Friday (February 26th) to share music, memories and more beginning at 9pm ET/8pm CT. Get your tickets here.

Friday! Catch up with Vince as he shares stories and sings some songs with @LyleLovett. Don’t miss out, get your tickets here: https://t.co/zivM5zLYrC pic.twitter.com/MVzFwKXdGQ

— Vince Gill (@VGcom) February 25, 2021

Luke Bryan takes fans behind-the-scenes of the making of his video for “Down to One.” Check it out below.

Darius Rucker hit No. 1 country single this week with “Beers and Sunshine.” The tune, which he co-wrote with producer Ross Copperman, J.T. Harding and Josh Osborne, tops both the Country Aircheck/Mediabase and Billboard country charts.

With his first solo single at Country radio since packing arenas during 2019’s Hootie & the Blowfish blockbuster world tour, the South Carolina nativehas earned his 10th career No. 1 with “Beers And Sunshine.”

Written via a Zoom session with producer Ross Copperman and fellow songwriters Josh Osborne and TJ Harding at the onset of the global pandemic that changed the way music is made, the anthem celebrated by ABC News Radio as “a ray of sunshine for fans during what’s been a tumultuous year” calls for slowing down to recognize the important things in life when the world feels out of control.

With the lighthearted melody recorded virtually from his home, Rucker sings not of divisive headlines or topics meant to pull us apart, instead offering a reprieve for 2:58 via his preferred forms of “B.S.” – “beers and sunshine / bonfires and summertime / back porch nights in South Carolina.” 

“It’s certainly been a challenging year. Like a lot of people, when I got home from being on the road last March and we parked the tour bus for the foreseeable future, we had no idea what our future would actually look like,” Rucker reflects. “I don’t have the answers for how we fix the complex issues that we’re facing in our country or in Country music, however while we work through this time I think it’s important that we balance the heaviness by finding the silver lining, where we can really enjoy the simple joys this song talks about like time spent together with friends and family.”

Rucker, who is currently at work on a forthcoming studio album, performed the song live on the CMA Awards which he co-hosted with Reba McEntire in November. Fans can once again catch a glimpse of what Billboard praises as a “smile-inducing performance” when Rucker appears live on NBC News’ “TODAY” this Friday, February 26th.

For more information, visit www.DariusRucker.com and follow on social media @DariusRucker.

As everyone knows, Darius Rucker is a huge football fan. He has said in the past, “For me, there’s two times a year, man — football season and waiting for football season.” While his beloved Miami Dolphins with a 10-6 record didn’t make it to this year’s Super Bowl, he will be watching Sunday’s (February 7th) game, which he says is going to be really interesting.

“Not only do we have Mahomes is the best new quarterback and Tom Brady who I have to finally admit is the goat, even though Dan Marino is 1A, but I’m not going to go into that (laughs). But with those two teams going at each other, and not just them, but to have two of the greatest offensive minds ever with Andy Reid and Bruce Arians on the sidelines and then you’ve got (Eric) Bieniemy on the sidelines, another great offensive mind, it’s going to be hard for these defensives to slow these teams down, because you’ve got two weeks to prepare, and everything that the defensives are looking at on film right now, everything they see they’re not going to see on Sunday,” says Darius. “It’s going to be all new, and it’s going to be all different formations and different formations and different that and different routes out of different formations that they’ve never done before and it’s gonna be tough. I’m looking for a great game. You know, there’s that’s part of me that wants to go Kansas City is going to win, ‘cause when you look at it that’s how the football mind, how I see it, but I made a vow after the last two weekends of the playoffs that I’m never gonna bet against Tom Brady again. (laughs) So, I don’t know who’s going to win, (laughs) but I think it’s gonna be a great game.”

Darius is also commissioner in six different fantasy football leagues. This year he didn’t fare as well as he has in years past. “Yes, I did my fantasy football leagues this year, and I made the playoffs in one (laughs) and lost in the first round.” (laughs)

The South Carolina native is poised to top the country charts very soon with his latest single, “Beers and Sunshine.”

Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley and Little Big Town will appear during the NBC TV special, Grand Ole Opry: 95 Years of Country Music. The two-hour anniversary special, which also features special performances by Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Trisha Yearwood, Marty Stuart, Kelsea Ballerini, Lady A, Old Crow Medicine Show and hosts Blake Shelton and Brad Paisley.

In addition to original songs, the special features one-of-a-kind Opry member collaborations and incredible covers including Kelsea Ballerini singing “When You Say Nothing At All” and  Dierks Bentley and Marty Stuart’s duet of “Pancho & Lefty,” as well as special moments such as when Darius Rucker recently invited Lady A to become Opry members. All performances were recorded at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.

“Grand Ole Opry: 95 Years of Country Music” will also feature archival footage including interviews, performances, and appearances by many more of today’s Opry members and legendary artists.

“This special is going to capture so much of what makes the Opry a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience,” said Dan Rogers, Opry Vice President and Executive Producer. “10-year Opry member Blake and 20-year member Brad guide us through a powerful Opry debut, an Opry membership invitation given to one of country’s most awarded vocal groups, performances of some of today’s chart-topping hits and timeless songs that have rung out from the Opry stage for decades, and a look back at cherished members of the Opry family and musical moments that have come to define the Opry we know today.”

Grand Ole Opry: 95 Years of Country Music will air Sunday, February 14th at 9pm ET/PT on NBC.

Darius Rucker’s latest single, “Beers and Sunshine” is currently sitting at Top 5 on the country charts. The South Carolina native co-wrote the feel-good tune with J.T. Harding, Josh Osborne and Ross Copperman over a Zoom call during the early months of the global shut-down due to the pandemic.

Darius offers up a few fun facts about the song, including that “Beers and Sunshine” is the first song he’s ever totally done virtually. “My producer made a demo thing, then we kind of sung on it and then I put a demo on it, and then he basically zoomed with the drummer and then zoomed with the bass player and then zoomed with the guitar player and that’s how we did the whole record, so that was pretty cool.”

The second fun fact is that he almost didn’t keep “beers” in favor of another libation. “Fact No. 2 about ‘Beers and Sunshine’ is after I wrote it I had a moment of thinking of changing it to ‘Tequila and Sunshine,’ because a buddy of mine thought it was a much better idea and he still says it all of the time. But the more I thought about it, I thought ‘Beers and Sunshine’ was the way to go.”

The third fact about the song is that “‘Beers and Sunshine’ is the first time I’ve written a song and send it out to them and they said, ‘Can we get that cut right now?’ (laughs) That was a pretty good feeling. (laughs) That was a pretty good feeling.”

Darius was just included in a feature about the new National Museum of African American Museum in Nashville on CBS Sunday Morning this past weekend. Cameras from the show went along with him on his first tour of the museum, of which he is a National Chair.

Here are some holiday liners from UMG Nashville artists, including Adam Hambrick, Alan Jackson, Billy Currington, Brandon Lay, Brothers Osborne, Carrie Underwood, Caylee Hammack, Chrissy Metz, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Gary Allan, George Strait, Jon Langston, Jon Pardi, Jordan Davis, Josh Turner, Kacey Musgraves, Kassi Ashton, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Kylie Morgan, Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Maddie & Tae, Mickey Guyton, Parker McCollum, Priscilla Block, Sam Hunt, Shania Twain, Travis Denning and more!

Three-time GRAMMY winner and recent CMA Awards host Darius Rucker has teamed up with Platinum-selling electronic artist and violinist Lindsey Stirling for a special performance of the classic Christmas carol “What Child Is This” for this year’s “CMA Country Christmas” television special, airing Monday (November 30t) at 9p ET/8p CT on ABC. The two superstars have also released the duet as a digital-only single; listen HERE.

“I was so honored when the CMA asked me to perform ‘What Child Is This’ and to be getting to do it with an amazing musician like Lindsey is just awesome,” notes Rucker, who also recently co-hosted the 54th annual CMA Awards and performed alongside Katy Perry on this past weekend’s American Music Awards.

“I was so excited to be a part of ‘CMA Country Christmas’ again this year,” adds Stirling. “Every year, they give me an amazing chance to sparkle in their spectacular show. This year was extra special since I got to collaborate with the amazing Darius Rucker. Hope everyone loves it as much as we do!”

Rucker also recently released an original holiday song with his Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates and talented young songstress Abigail Hodges, with heartfelt track “Won’t Be Home For Christmas” honoring the sacrifice of military members and their families, and his 2014 album Home For The Holidays remains in heavy rotation by fans and radio alike every holiday season. Meanwhile, his current feel-good single “Beers And Sunshine” is Top 15 and climbing at Country radio.

Darius is also poised to enter the Top 10 on the country charts with his latest smash, “Beers and Sunshine.”

For more information, visit www.DariusRucker.com and follow on social media @DariusRucker.