• DARIUS RUCKER ANNOUNCES THE LINEUP OF THE THIRD ANNUAL RIVERFRONT REVIVAL.

    For the third year in a row, Charleston native Darius Rucker has curated an all-star roster of talent for his hometown music festival, Riverfront Revival set to take place on Friday, October 11th, and Saturday, October 12th at scenic Riverfront Park in North Charleston. Fans can now purchase daily tickets in addition to weekend passes and get a first look at the talented lineup, featuring a melody of nineties, Americana, rock and country tunes.

    Riverfront Revival is thrilled to announce its two headlining acts at this year’s festival: multi-Diamond, two-time GRAMMY Award-winning and internationally acclaimed band Hootie & the Blowfish, of which Rucker is a member, and GRAMMY Award-winning Tedeschi Trucks Band. Tedeschi Trucks Band will headline Friday night to kick off the two-day affair, and Hootie & the Blowfish will cap off the festival on Saturday as they officially end their 2024 “Summer Camp with Trucks” tour with Riverfront Revival festival-goers. Guests can expect the last show of Hootie & the Blowfish’s tour, their first since 2019, to culminate in emphatic fashion in their home state of South Carolina along the backdrop of the Cooper River in a can’t-miss performance.

    “I can’t think of a better way to close Riverfront Revival out with a bang than next to my Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates,” shares Darius. “Charleston and the band both mean so much to me and are an integral part of who I am, so I’m thrilled to bring these two parts of my life together for everyone to celebrate and enjoy.”

    The Revivalists, Paul Cauthen, Southall, Grace Bowers & the Hodge Podge and July Moon will also grace the stage on Friday night with can’t-miss performances. On Saturday, guests can expect performances by Jamey Johnson, Collective Soul, Arrested Development, Hailey Whitters, Sister Hazel, Shane Profitt, Gritty Flyright, Brady Smith and Elizabeth Covington.

    Tickets can be purchased at RiverfrontRevival.com. A portion of the proceeds will again be donated to the Arts in Healing program at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and local nonprofit Just Be You.

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Luke Bryan, Reba McEntire, Jon Pardi, Darius Rucker, Toby Keith, Mickey Guyton, Jordan Davis

    Luke Bryan, Reba McEntire, Jon Pardi, Darius Rucker, Toby Keith and many others are featured on Hardy’s latest HIXTAPE: Vol. 3: DIFFTAPE in tribute to the late Joe Diffie. Using Joe’s archived recordings for the album, several country artists joined forces to bring Joe’s recordings back to life.

    Luke is  joined by Randy Houser on “Honky Tonk Attitude,” which Joe originally released in 1993.

    Reba, along with Jake Worthington, recorded “Is It Cold In Here?,” while Jon Pardi and Old Dominion collaborated on “Bigger Than The Beatles.” Darius and Hailey Whitters are featured on the song “Home.”

    For his final recording, Toby, along with Luke Combs, joined forces with Joe on “Ships That Don’t Come In.”

     

    Mickey Guyton received a special delivery from Beyoncé on the day her Cowboy Carter album was released. Mickey posted photos of a huge bouquet of flowers and a card that read, “Thank you for opening doors for me, queen. Love and respect, Beyoncé.”

     

    Jordan Davis has some famous fans, including Peyton Manning, NFL great Jason Kelce and new Philadelphia Eagle Jordan Davis. Another famous fan — actor Kal Penn (Harold & Kumar, Designated Survivor, House) was on the Kelly Clarkson Show recently, and said he was really into Jordan’s music. Take a look at the video clip below.

     

  • EASTER LINERS 2024

    Easter is this Sunday (March 31st), and we’ve got liners from some of your favorite country “peeps.”

    Audio / LINER Anne Wilson (Easter)

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    “Hey, it’s Anne Wilson, wishing you a Happy Easter.”

    Audio / LINER Brad Paisley (Easter)

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    “Hey everybody, it’s Brad Paisley. Happy Easter.”

     

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Easter)

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    “Hey, we’re Brothers Osborne. Happy Easter.”

    Audio / LINER Carrie Underwood (Easter)

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    “Hey everybody, this is Carrie Underwood, wishing you a very Happy Easter.”

    Audio / LINER Catie Offerman (Easter)

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    “Hey y’all, it’s Catie Offerman, wishing you a very Happy Easter.”

    Audio / LINER Caylee Hammack (Easter)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Caylee Hammack, wishing you a very Happy Easter.”

    Audio / LINER Chrissy Metz (Easter)

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    “Hi, it’s Chrissy Metz, and I’m wishing you a very Happy Easter.”

    Audio / LINER Dalton Dover (Easter)

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    “Hey y’all, it’s Dalton Dover. Happy Easter.”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Easter)

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    “Hey y’all, what’s up? This is Darius Rucker. Happy Easter.”

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Easter)

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    “Hey, it’s Dierks Bentley, wishing you a very Happy Easter.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Easter)

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    “Hey everybody, it’s Eric Church, wishing you a very Happy Easter.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Langston (Easter)

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    “Hi, I’m Jon Langston, wishing you a Happy Easter.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Easter)

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    “Hi, it’s Jon Pardi. Happy Easter.”

     

    Audio / LINER Jordan Davis (Easter)

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    “Hey, I’m Jordan Davis. Happy Easter.”

    Audio / JORDAN DAVIS TALKS ABOUT HIS EASTER HOLIDAYS WHEN HE WAS GROWING UP IN LOUISIANA.

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    Jordan Davis (Easter) OC: …that holiday was. :53
    “We would always have the Easter Egg Hunt before church. You know, my mom, she would dress us in these ridiculous, pastel-colored, gosh, good Lord, I’m sorry for saying this, but the worst part about Easter for me is some of the photos I have of what my mom dressed us in. It was hideous! But yeah, that was it growing up. We would have our Easter Egg Hunt, and I think for me early on, and probably like a lot of kids, Easter was another Sunday where it was a very mini, mini Christmas. We’d get some candy, every once in a while, we’d get a present, something that we wanted, we’d go to church, and everybody looked great. It was like the day to wear the new dress or the guys had these crazy ties on or something like that. And it really wasn’t until, I think, I was able to kinda hit my high school years and kind of start to strengthen my faith that I realized how special that holiday was.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Ross (Easter)

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    “Hey! I’m Josh Ross. Happy Easter.”

    Audio / LINER Kylie Morgan (Easter)

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    “Hey y’all, this is Kylie Morgan, wishing you a very Happy Easter.”

     

    Audio / LINER LBT (Easter)

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    “Hey! We’re Little Big Town. Happy Easter.”

     

    Audio / LINER Maddie & Tae (Easter)

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    “Hey, it’s Maddie & Tae, wishing you a very Happy Easter.”

     

    Audio / MADDIE & TAE TALK ABOUT EASTERS WHEN THEY WERE KIDS.

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    Maddie & Tae (Easter) OC: (Maddie) …hope and joy. :51
    TAE: “Easters growing up for the Dye fam, my side, is  when I was younger, we’d go to my grandparents a lot and we’d do the whole Easter egg hunt and we’d go to church. My parents would always dress us up in these really cute springy outfits. But, yeah, Easter with family is always so much fun.” MADDIE: “Our Easter was very similar. My grandma would always get us this white chocolate cross with little flowers on it. It was so delicious. And me and my sister typically had matching dresses, which annoyed me at the time, but looking back it was precious. But Easter for us, Tae and I love us some Jesus! That is our favorite dude ever! (TAE: “That’s what Easter means.”) And so Easter is all about praising Jesus for his sacrifice so that we can know God and Him and just live a life full of purpose and hope and joy.”

    Audio / LINER Parker McCollum (Easter)

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    “Hey, this is Parker McCollum. Happy Easter, everyone.”

     

    Audio / LINER Priscilla Block (Easter)

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    “Hey, it’s Priscilla Block, wishing you a very Happy Easter.”

     

    Audio / LINER Reba McEntire (Easter)

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    “Hey everybody, this is Reba McEntire, wishing you a very Happy Easter.”

     

    Audio / LINER Travis Denning (Easter)

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    “Hey y’all, I’m Travis Denning. Happy Easter.”

  • CMT MUSIC AWARDS 2024:

    The nominations for the 2024 CMT Music Awards have been announced, and Universal Music Group Nashville is represented in nearly every category with nods for Anne Wilson, Brothers Osborne, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, Jordan Davis, Kacey Musgraves, Luke Bryan, Mickey Guyton, Priscilla Block, Reba McEntire and The War And Treaty (check out the complete list of nominees below).

    The fan-voted award show, hosted by Kelsea Ballerini, will air live from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas on Sunday, April 7th at 7pm CT on CBS, and will be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+. Performers, presenters and additional details about the show will be announced soon.

    2024 CMT Music Awards Nominees:

    VIDEO OF THE YEAR
    Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration). Top six nominees from the first round of voting, will be announced on April 1. The final three nominees, from the second round of voting, will be announced on show day (April 7). Final voting will be determined via social media and announced as the final category during the live show.
    Ashley McBryde – “Light On In The Kitchen”
    Brandy Clark feat. Brandi Carlile – “Dear Insecurity”
    Brothers Osborne – “Nobody’s Nobody”
    Cody Johnson – “The Painter”
    Darius Rucker – “Fires Don’t Start Themselves”
    Hardy – “Truck Bed”
    Jason Aldean – “Let Your Boys Be Country”
    Jelly Roll – “Need A Favor”
    Jordan Davis – “Next Thing You Know”
    Kacey Musgraves – “Deeper Well”
    Kelsea Ballerini – “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)”
    Lainey Wilson – “Watermelon Moonshine”
    Mickey Guyton feat. Kane Brown – “Nothing Compares To You”
    Parmalee – “Gonna Love You”
    Tyler Childers – “In Your Love”
    Zach Bryan – “Nine Ball”

    FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
    Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist.
    Ashley McBryde – “Light On In The Kitchen”
    Gabby Barrett – “Glory Days”
    Kacey Musgraves – “Deeper Well”
    Kelsea Ballerini – “Penthouse”
    Lainey Wilson – “Watermelon Moonshine”
    Megan Moroney – “I’m Not Pretty”
    Reba McEntire – “Seven Minutes In Heaven”

    MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
    Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist.
    Bailey Zimmerman – “Religiously”
    Cody Johnson – “The Painter”
    Hardy – “Truck Bed”
    Jelly Roll – “Need A Favor”
    Jordan Davis – “Next Thing You Know”
    Luke Combs – “Fast Car (Official Live Video)”
    Morgan Wallen “Last Night (One Record At A Time Sessions)”

    DUO/GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR
    Best video by a duo or group; awarded to the artists.
    Brothers Osborne – “Nobody’s Nobody”
    Dan + Shay – “Save Me The Trouble”
    Old Dominion – “Memory Lane”
    Parmalee – “Girl In Mine”
    The War And Treaty – “Have You A Heart”
    Tigirlily Gold – “Shoot Tequila”

    COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
    Best video from a collaboration; awarded to the artists.
    Carly Pearce feat. Chris Stapleton – “We Don’t Fight Anymore”
    Ella Langley feat. Koe Wetzel – “That’s Why We Fight”
    Jon Pardi, Luke Bryan – “Cowboys and Plowboys”
    Justin Moore & Priscilla Block – “You, Me, And Whiskey”
    Lukas Nelson + Promise of the Real (POTR) feat. Lainey Wilson – “More Than Friends”
    Mickey Guyton feat. Kane Brown – “Nothing Compares To You”
    Old Dominion & Megan Moroney – “Can’t Break Up Now”

    BREAKTHROUGH FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR, presented by Walt Disney World
    Best video from a female artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist.
    Anne Wilson – “Rain In The Rearview”
    Ashley Cooke – “Your Place”
    Brittney Spencer – “Bigger Than The Song”
    Tigirlily Gold – “Shoot Tequila”

    BREAKTHROUGH MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR, presented by Walt Disney World
    Best video from a male artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist.
    Chayce Beckham – “23”
    Tyler Childers – “In Your Love”
    Warren Zeiders – “Pretty Little Poison”
    Zach Bryan – “Oklahoma Smokeshow”

    CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
    Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo).
    Amber Riley – “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.” (from CMT Smashing Glass)
    Bret Michaels & Chris Janson – “Nothing But A Good Time” (from CMT Crossroads)
    Carrie Underwood – “Hate My Heart” (from 2023 CMT Music Awards)
    Cody Johnson – “Human” (from 2023 CMT Music Awards)
    Dierks Bentley – “Drunk On A Plane” (from CMT Storytellers)
    Dustin Lynch feat. MacKenzie Porter – “Thinking ‘Bout You” (from CMT Campfire Sessions)
    Hozier & Maren Morris – “Take Me To Church” (from CMT Crossroads)
    Jelly Roll – “Need A Favor” (from 2023 CMT Music Awards)
    Kelsea Ballerini – “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” (from 2023 CMT Music Awards)
    The War And Treaty – “On My Own” (from CMT Smashing Glass)

    CMT DIGITAL-FIRST PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
    Musical performance from a production, series or livestream created for CMT digital / social channels; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo).
    Chase Rice – “Goodnight Nancy” (from CMT Studio Sessions)
    Dylan Scott – “Don’t Close Your Eyes (Keith Whitley Cover)” (from “CMT Digital Campfire Sessions”)
    Megan Moroney – “I’m Not Pretty” (from “CMT Digital Campfire Sessions”)
    Nate Smith – “Whiskey On You” (from CMT Studio Sessions)
    Scotty McCreery – “It Matters To Her” (from CMT Stages)
    Stephen Wilson Jr. – “Year to Be Young 1994” (from CMT Studio Sessions)
    The Castellows – “I Know It Will Never End” (from CMT Studio Sessions)

     

     

     

     

     

     

    https://twitter.com/warandtreaty/status/1767920192661701009

     

     

     

    Audio / Darius Rucker talks about the video for "Fires Don't Start Themselves," in which he plays a detective hot on the trail of a young couple whose passionate love is setting their town ablaze, both literally and figuratively.

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    Darius Rucker (Fires Don’t Start Themselves video) OC: …happy about that. :46
    “I love acting. I love… It’s a lot of fun. And the actors you get to act with are so giving and make it so easy for you and fun and everything. But that video, when they told me I wasn’t going to do any performance, I was so happy, because that’s so the cliché (for) the video. You have other people acting and then you do the performance. But when they told me I was going to play a detective, I put on my inner Stabler, because I’m such a Law and Order and CSI fan, so I put on my inner Stabler and went out and did it. And the girl I worked with, she was so fun; she was so funny. And you know that donut scene, when I see it, there’s no words and it still makes me laugh every time I see it. But yeah, that was a lot of fun and I’d love to do a lot more of that, but, you know, we’ll see if it comes. If it comes, I’ll take it. If not, I’ll keep doing this music thing. I’ll be happy about that.”

    Audio / REBA MCENTIRE TALKS ABOUT THE EMOTIONAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR "SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN."

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    Reba McEntire (music video for Seven Minutes In Heaven) OC: …it still hurts. 1:08
    “I picked out the lady to play mama, Eleanor. She did a great job. And she was a sweetheart to get to work with. That is exactly what I thought it would look like if I went to heaven and it was, you know, with the smoke coming in and out, made it look really heavenly. And I thought it would be something familiar, something that you’d feel comfortable with. God thinks of everything. And so, to walk up to the booth, and the next time I walk up and mama’s there and I put my arms on her shoulders, Eleanor’s hands were very similar to mama’s when she was young. So that got me to, they kept saying, ‘Okay, let’s do it again. I said, ‘Okay, let’s take a little break here. Get in here to redo my makeup. Because I would, I just bawled. And Eleanor was sitting across from me at the booth, and she’d see me crying. She’d try to reach for a napkin out of the napkin dispenser on the table. And I’d say, ‘Eleanor, that’s okay. It’s part of the video.’ ‘You don’t want to wipe?’ I said, ‘I’m good. I’m good.’ But she was just like a mother, you know, and they’re trying to make sure everything was all right. It was healing. It was healing for me to do that video and kind of like get it out because it still hurts.”

    Audio / JORDAN DAVIS TALKS ABOUT WRITING HIS TWO-WEEK NO. 1 SMASH, "NEXT THING YOU KNOW."

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    Jordan Davis (writing Next Thing You Know) OC: …song is today. :59
    “There’s a saying that says ‘raising kids – the days are long, the years are short,’ and that’s what this song is to me. I kind of came in wanting to write something like that, you know kind of a slow down time song, and Greylan had this idea. The idea initially was about going to a bar or going somewhere and meeting somebody and then just the progression of a relationship. I kind of hijacked the title and said, ‘Hey man. I love that title, but we’re going to write it in the sense of having kids, watching ‘em grow up and hopefully becoming a grandparent, you know? Chase McGill and Josh Osborne both have kiddos, and I think they kind of grabbed on it. Greylan, hats off to him. He’s the single kid of the group, so he was like, ‘Man, I’ll go there. I don’t know how much input I can be able to say in this, but I’ll go there with you.’ I mean, he’s a great writer, and it was fun to kind of see the title that he threw out evolve into what the song is today.”

    Audio / ON THE SET OF THE FILMING OF HER NEW MUSIC VIDEO FOR "RAIN IN THE REARVIEW," ANNE WILSON EXPLAINS THE CONCEPT BEHIND IT.

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    Anne Wilson (BTS RITR video) 2 OC: …in this video. :37
    “So, I love this music video so much. We were working through the idea and concept behind it. It was really about portraying three different versions of myself – the happy version, which is the healed version; the driver, which is kind of plowing through everything and then the one that is sad and kind of looking on the past and reflecting what has come before. And I love the reminder in this music video and getting to work with T.K. McKamy on this treatment of how can we take this song and dive deeper into what it means? And I think in life we all go through different seasons where we’re either fully healed, we’re still looking back and struggling with depression and anxiety from the past or we’re driving in the seat and we’re going ahead for what’s to come. So, I love that we got to portray all three of those in this video.”

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  • NEWS AND NOTES: Kacey Musgraves, Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker, Little Big Town

    Kacey Musgraves just revealed on socials she will be the musical guest on NBC’s Saturday Night Live on March 2nd. Actress Sydney Sweeney (Anyone But You, Euphoria, The White Lotus). This will be Kacey’s third musical performance on the long-running show.

    https://twitter.com/KaceyMusgraves/status/1760048866093588843

     

    Reba McEntire will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 63rd annual Western Heritage Awards at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City on April 13th. Reba’s late father, Pro Rodeo Hall of Famer and three-time world champion steer roper Clark Vincent McEntire, was posthumously inducted by Red Steagall (who discovered Reba singing the National Anthem 50 years ago) into the Hall of Great Westerners in 2019.


    Darius Rucker
    ‘s episode of CMT’s Campfire Sessions will air this Friday (February 23rd) at 10pm ET/9pm CT. He performs several of his hits in stripped-down acoustic versions in front of an actual campfire.

    https://twitter.com/CMT/status/1760063031520698463

    The members of Little Big Town are guest-hosting Apple Music Country’s The Kelleigh Bannen Show this week through Thursday (February 22nd).

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • DARIUS RUCKER SHARES LIFE STORY THROUGH SONG WITH UPCOMING MEMOIR, “LIFE’S TOO SHORT.”

    “If I look back at my life and try to see into my past, everything seems blurry. But then I lean in and start to hear something. Melodies. Chords. Harmonies. Lyrics. This book is the story of my life as told through twenty-three songs that took me away, soaring, starting at ground level, living in a poor but happy home, never wanting for much more, enjoying what I had, even when times got tough, because I had my escape, my refuge, my music.” — Darius Rucker

    LIFE’S TOO SHORT: A Memoir by Darius Rucker, a raw, heartfelt memoir from the three-time Grammy Award–winning, multi-Diamond-selling lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish and country music sensation arrives May 28th via Dey Street Books.

     

    Raised by a single mother in Charleston, South Carolina, Rucker co-founded Hootie & the Blowfish with three classmates at the University of South Carolina in 1986. What began as a party band playing frat houses and dive bars quickly became a global rock pop phenomenon through their Double Diamond-certified debut album Cracked Rear View, featuring the era-defining hit songs “Only Wanna Be With You,” “Let Her Cry” and “Hold My Hand.” Rucker has since also charted a pioneering path as a solo Country music artist, with Diamond-certified hit “Wagon Wheel” plus timeless anthems such as “Alright” and “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” while sharing the stage and a mic with the likes of David Crosby, Al Green, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Adele, Taylor Swift, and more.

    Now multiple decades into his illustrious career, Rucker tells the story of his life through the lens of the music that made him, including songs by everyone from Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder to R.E.M., KISS, Prince and, of course, his own music with Hootie and as a solo artist. He recounts the unlikely ascent of his band and wild tales of his road-hardened life—one filled with stumbles, missteps and battles with demons, but ultimately resulting in triumph. Candid, entertaining, and moving, LIFE’S TOO SHORT is a classic story of a man and his music.

    MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Darius Rucker is a three-time GRAMMY award-winning American singer, guitarist and songwriter. He first achieved multi-Platinum status as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of Hootie & the Blowfish, selling more than 25 million albums worldwide, including their Double-Diamond-certified debut Cracked Rear View, which remains among the top 10 bestselling studio albums of all time. Since the release of his first Country album in 2008 via Capitol Records Nashville, Rucker has earned a whole new legion of fans with four No. 1 albums on Billboard’s Country chart plus 10 No. 1 singles at Country radio including Diamond-certified hit “Wagon Wheel,” one of the top 10 Country songs of all time. Annually, Rucker lends his time and voice to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, MUSC, the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation and others to raise money for charitable causes close to his heart.

     

    Audio / Darius Rucker talks about releasing his memoir.

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    Darius Rucker (book) OC: …from it. :18
    “I was pretty honest in this book, maybe a little too honest, so…You know what? It was time. Somebody asked me if I wanted to write a book and my kids are all adults now, and it just seems like it was a good time to write a book, and I hope people enjoy it. I hope people learn a little bit about me from it.”

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Darius Rucker, Keith Urban, Mickey Guyton, Chris Stapleton, The War And Treaty

    Darius Rucker was performing in Las Vegas after the Madden Bowl — and prior to the Super Bowl — for several NFL executives and members when Miami Dolphins’ Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa jumped on stage with guitar on hand to perform the multi-platinum “Wagon Wheel.”

     

    Keith Urban will perform during this summer’s NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend, taking place July 6th-7th. The Black Keys and The Chainsmokers will also perform.

     

    Mickey Guyton performed at the Super Bowl Soulful Celebration on Saturday night (February 10th). The concert special, which aired on CBS and Paramount+, brought together musical artists and NFL players to celebrate the Big Game. Robin Thicke, Kirk Franklin, Earth, Wind & Fire, T-Pain and many others also performed.

    Chris Stapleton and The War And Treaty join an all-star lineup for a special concert event honoring the iconic Mavis Staples. Mavis Staples 85th: All-Star Birthday Concert, which takes place April 18th at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, will also feature performances by Black Pumas, Grace Potter, Hozier, Jackson Browne, Jeff Tweedy, Keb’ Mo’, Michael McDonald, Nathaniel Rateliff, Norah Jones, Robert Randolph, Taj Mahal, plus many more to be announced. Tickets for the general public go on sale Friday (February 16th) at 10am PT at http://ticketmaster.com.

     

     

     

  • DARIUS RUCKER PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE LATE TOBY KEITH.

    Darius Rucker paid tribute to Toby Keith on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry on Tuesday night (Feburary 6th) by performing one of his favorite Toby songs, “God Love Her.”

    He tells us that one of Toby’s gifts he left behind was great songs.

    “Toby’s a legend, you know, songwriting and just everything he did, he’s a legend. I think he left behind great songs. That’s what you want to do when you do what we do, you want to leave behind great songs and Toby definitely did that.”

    Toby Keith passed away on Monday (February 5th) after battling stomach cancer since 2021.

    Audio / Darius Rucker talks about what he feels Toby Keith left behind -- great songs.

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    Darius Rucker (Toby Keith) OC: …did that. :14
    “Toby’s a legend, you know, songwriting and just everything he did, he’s a legend. I think he left behind great songs. That’s what you want to do when you do what we do, you want to leave behind great songs and Toby definitely did that.”

  • DARIUS RUCKER HOPES FOR A GREAT GAME FOR THE SUPER BOWL; HE’S GOING TO PLAY IN A BOWL OF HIS OWN–THE MADDEN BOWL.

    As we all know, Darius Rucker is a HUGE football fan. His favorite team, the Miami Dolphins did a great job this year, but they weren’t able to make it to the Big Game this year (maybe next year). He says he’s not sure who’s going to take home a Super Bowl ring, but he hopes for a great game.

    “The Dolphins had a great year,” says Darius. “There was a minute that I thought we were going to the Super Bowl and it was very disappointing when we didn’t make it, but it’s gonna be another great year. The Chiefs and the 49ers are gonna be a great game. The funny thing is I don’t know who I think is going to win right now. The Chiefs have so much experience and have been there four out of the last six years and have done great things, but the 9ers are playing such great football also, so I don’t know who’s gonna win, but I hope for a great game.”

    Darius is also in Las Vegas to play in the Madden NFL Bowl on Friday (February 9th) along with Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. He’ll also perform a late night set for NFL executives and participants, along with Green Day, Big Boi, BRELAND and Killer Mike.

    He says his strategy “is to play man-to-man defense and try to run the ball a little to try to slow the game down. You know, a lot of guys come on and just throw it around and that’s a great way to play, but I like to run it a little bit, see what happens and then maybe you can break something big. But I love Madden. It’s one of my favorite things. I’ve been playing since Madden 1, so it’s great to be playing the Madden Bowl again.”

    Darius is set to return to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry on March 12th before he heads overseas for his European tour, which kicks off April 19th in Germany, followed by dates in Switzerland, Amsterdamn (Netherlands), the U.K. and Ireland.

    Audio / Darius Rucker isn't sure who is going to win the Super Bowl on Sunday, but he hopes for a great game between the Chiefs and the 49ers.

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    Darius Rucker (Super Bowl 2024) OC: …a great game. :24
    “Yeah, the Dolphins had a great year. There was a minute that I thought we were going to the Super Bowl and it was very disappointing when we didn’t make it, but it’s gonna be another great year. The Chiefs and the 49ers are gonna be a great game. The funny thing is I don’t know who I think is going to win right now. The Chiefs have so much experience and have been there four out of the last six years and have done great things, but the 9ers are playing such great football also, so I don’t know who’s gonna win, but I hope for a great game.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker reveals his strategy going into Friday night's (February 9th) Madden Bowl.

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    Darius Rucker (Madden Bowl 2024) OC: …Madden Bowl again. :22
    “My strategy is to play man-to-man defense and try to run the ball a little to try to slow the game down. You know, a lot of guys come on and just throw it around and that’s a great way to play, but I like to run it a little bit, see what happens and then maybe you can break something big. But I love Madden. It’s one of my favorite things. I’ve been playing since Madden 1, so it’s great to be playing the Madden Bowl again.”

  • SUPER BOWL 2024

    This Sunday (February 11th), millions of people around the world, including some of your favorite country stars, will be tuning in to the Super Bowl (the Big Game) as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers.

    Check out all the action from the Big Game from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on CBS with the kickoff scheduled at 6:30pm ET/5:30pm CT. Make sure to tune in early to catch Reba McEntire performing the National Anthem, as well as Post Malone performing “America the Beautiful” and Andra Day singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

    Chris Stapleton performed a critically-acclaimed version of the National Anthem at last year’s Super Bowl. He posted an encouraging note to those involved in Sunday’s (February 11th) Big Game. He wrote, “Singing the National Anthem at last year’s Super Bowl was a career highlight. Best of luck to all the players, staff, coaches & performers taking the field this weekend.” He tagged Reba, Post Malone and Andra Day.

    https://twitter.com/ChrisStapleton/status/1755576707568812401

     

     

    Audio / BILLY CURRINGTON SAYS HE LOVES WATCHING FOOTBALL.

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    Billy Currington (football fan) OC: …love football. :36
    “I’m a big football fan. I mean, when I was growing up, if you asked me who my favorite team is now, I couldn’t tell you. But when I was a kid, it was the Dallas Cowboys. And I don’t know if it was because my mom bought my brother a Pittsburgh Steelers pennant, for some reason, and bought me a Dallas Cowboys pennant, and of course over the year I fell in love with the Cowboys, and then I wanted a jersey the next Christmas, and then the next one, I wanted [more Cowboys stuff]. So, I became a long-term fan with those guys. But I like it all now that I’m older. I’ll watch any game; it doesn’t matter who’s playing. But [I] love football.”

    Audio / Carrie Underwood loves football and loves being a part of Sunday Night Football.

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    Carrie Underwood (loves being a part of SNF) OC: …my whole life. :54
    “I love being the voice of Sunday Night Football because I grew up watching football…from birth. I’m from Oklahoma – we’re a football state. It’s just a part of the country that everybody has their teams and there’s such an energy about it. We would drive down to Dallas and watch the Cowboys play whenever we could. There’s just something about being at a live sporting event or watching it on TV. You have your favorites. They have their rivals. There’s an excitement to it that really, it’s unlike anything else, so being a small part of that is absolutely amazing. It’s been so wonderful working with everybody at SNF, and I count myself very lucky and very blessed that I get to be a small part of something that I’ve loved my whole life.”

    Audio / IS A HUGE FOOTBALL FAN, AS EVERYONE PROBABLY KNOWS BY NOW, AND HE EXPLAINS WHY HE LOVES FOOTBALL SO MUCH. SIDENOTE: HE’S A HUGE MIAMI DOLPHINS FAN, AND WORD HAS IT, JUST TO BE ABLE TO MEET THEN DOLPHINS QUARTERBACK, DAN MARINO, HE ASKED HIM TO BE IN A HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH VIDEO FOR “ONLY WANNA BE WITH YOU.”

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    Darius Rucker (football) OC: …football season. :20
    “Ever since I was five years old, I’ve loved football, and I love how physical it is. I love the chess match of the game. I love the speed of the game. I love college football, but for me watching pro football is better because the speed is so much more. For me, there’s two times a year, man — football season and waiting for football season.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley says having two daughters who are big Taylor Swift fans has allowed him to stay in the house to watch all of the football games he wants.

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    Dierks Bentley (Super Bowl 2024) OC: …Santa Tracker. :50
    “I have been watching every single playoff game. It’s the great thing. In my house is the Kansas City Chiefs because my daughters love Taylor (Swift). Any dad out there that has daughters knows what I’m talking about. She has made football much easier to watch at my house. Everybody’s down with it now, so I’ve been able to watch a lot of playoff games with my family, which is amazing. I’m not out there in the garage. I’m allowed to be in the main part of the house watching football, and it’s so fun. As far as the Super Bowl goes, I have no idea who’s going to win, but I’m there for the whole thing. I’m there for the pre-show concerts, the introductions, our National Anthem, the half-time show and of course, the game. It’s going to be awesome. I have no idea who’s going to win, but I just hope Taylor Swift makes her flight from Japan back to the game, because that’s what we all want to see. That’s going to be the most followed flight. It’ll be followed more than the Santa Tracker.”

    Audio / Jon Langston says his favorite team in the NFL is the Atlanta Falcons.

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    Jon Langston (Atlanta Falcons) OC: …cool place too. :17
    “Favorite team in the NFL is the Falcons. You know, growing up an hour from Atlanta, I just loved the Falcons, I guess, and going to the games and stuff. Going to the Georgia Dome was a pretty big deal, and we got to play there in high school and stuff, and it’s sad to see that it’s gone, but Mercedes Benz is a pretty cool place too.”

    Audio / Jon Pardi has been a fan of the San Francisco 49ers since he was a little boy.

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    Jon Pardi (football) OC: …two great teams. :12
    “I grew up playing football and it was always the 9ers, you know? Like we looked up to those guys. I looked up to the 49ers. It was like our local team, and I guess I just never lost that spark from when they went to the Super Bowl.”

    Audio / KEITH URBAN SAYS HIS WIFE, NICOLE KIDMAN, GOT HIM INTERESTED IN FOOTBALL.

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    Keith (Nicole and football) OC: …new to me. :04

    “She’s a big NFL fan, and she sort of turned me on to it.”

    Audio / From the last time the Kansas City Chiefs squared off against the San Francisco 49ers, Little Big Town's Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet gave their thoughts.

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    LBT (Super Bowl 2020) OC: (Phillip) …win this game. :29
    JIMI: “This game is gonna be fun. Of course, my team is the Tennessee Titans, so I don’t have quite the heart connection that I do with these two teams. (Phillip: “I like Mahomes though.”) But I’m excited because I think it’s gonna be a great game. They match up very interestingly, and I think it’s gonna be fun to watch. I don’t think anybody’s gonna stop Mahomes, though. Shew. The 49er defense, they are for real.” PHILLIP: “If you can pick apart the 49er defense, you can win this game.”

    Audio / LITTLE BIG TOWN’S BEAUTIFUL AND TALENTED KAREN FAIRCHILD WAS A BADASS GROWING UP WHEN SHE WAS PLAYING QUARTERBACK FOR HER POWDER PUFF FOOTBALL TEAM.

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    LBT (football story) OC: …my lip. :40
    “I was the quarterback to my powder puff team. I was running the ball and I came around the corner – this was in high school – and a foreign exchange student, I think her name was Inga (KIMBERLY: “Inga.”), and I didn’t want to fumble ‘cause my brother and my dad were there, and I come from this very athletic family, so I held onto the ball. I knew I was going to go down, so I let my head hit first and I bit all the way through, but I didn’t fumble and I had a hole in my face, though. The sad thing is that it was just flag football, but I left my flags on and cleats and everything, ‘cause it looked cool, and I had blood running all down my jersey. I went to the emergency room like that, and they sewed up my lip.”

    Audio / LUKE BRYAN TALKS ABOUT SOME OF THE FOOD HE LIKES TO HAVE WHILE WATCHING THE SUPER BOWL.

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    Luke Bryan (Super Bowl food) OC: …over again. :22
    “Definitely Super Bowl is like the queso, the Frito Lay scoops with the Ro-tel situation. I guess it’s like, what’s the black-eyed pea stuff too? All of that, just stuff that you can sit there and have lots of sodium, and then just, it’s like Thanksgiving all over again.”

    Audio / PRISCILLA BLOCK SAYS SUPER BOWL SUNDAY IS SO MUCH FUN.

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    Priscilla Block (Football/Super Bowl food) OC: …what happens. :23
    “I mean, I feel like the Super Bowl is like just such a fun day. I’m really excited for the half-time show. I feel like that’s usually why I’m there, is to watch the anthem and the half-time show, but yes, excited to eat all the bad things. And I’m honestly, I don’t feel pulled any way this year. I wish the (Tennessee) Titans were in it, but we’ll see what happens.”

    Audio / REBA MCENTIRE TALKS ABOUT SINGING NATIONAL ANTHEM A FULL CIRCLE MOMENT.

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    Reba McEntire (full circle moment National Anthem) OC: …they asked me. :35
    “It’s absolutely amazing coming full circle, 50 years after being discovered by Red Steagall me singing the National Anthem at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. That was in 1974. Little did I know, I had no idea 50 years I’d be singing (laughs) the National Anthem at this year’s Super Bowl. Omigosh. I don’t even have the imagination to say that I would be doing something like this. I’m absolutely thrilled to pieces that they asked me.”

    Audio / REBA MCENTIRE TALKS ABOUT HER EARLY RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOTBALL.

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    Reba McEntire (football fan) OC: …at the Super Bowl. :42
    “I’ve always liked football, even in high school. As the Singing McEntires and being a part of the Kiowa High School Cowboy Band in Kiowa, Oklahoma where I went to school for 12 years, we were part of the half-time entertainment there at the school. We’d pull the trailer out and we’d play at half-time for our football games, and then my boyfriend, Rex Linn, absolutely loves college football. I really get into that, and I cheer for the Longhorns in Austin, Texas. And now getting to sing at the Super Bowl, I think Rex was more excited than I was, if that’s at all possible. I’m a huge, a huge fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, so I will be cheering them on at the Super Bowl.”

    Audio / Since she's performing at this year's Super Bowl, Reba McEntire gives her suggestions for some snacks you can make for your own Big Game celebration.

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    Reba McEntire (Super Bowl snacks) OC: …gonna be great. :30
    “Omigosh, wouldn’t it be neat if we could cook up some recipes out of my Not That Fancy book and you know, like the ranch dressing from Reba’s Place, that’s my restaurant in Atoka, Oklahoma, with chicken tenders and the beer cheese dip? Okay, if y’all don’t know what I’m talking about, get online and get the Not That Fancy book. It’s pretty cool, lots of pictures and what it’s supposed to look like when you get through making it. That’s gonna be great.”

    Audio / SAM HUNT LOVES THAT THE SUPER BOWL MIXES HIS TWO LOVES – MUSIC AND FOOTBALL.

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    Sam Hunt (Super Bowl & music) OC: …combined there. :24
    “It’s become such a massive pop culture event, and I love that they’ve incorporated music and entertainment with the sport itself and the entertainment value that comes from that. It encompasses just a strong representation of American culture, and I’m a huge music fan, obviously, and I’m a huge sports fan, so those are two of my favorite worlds combined there.”

    Audio / SAM HUNT, A FORMER UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM QUARTERBACK, WAS INSPIRED BY RETIRED INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AND DENVER BRONCOS QUARTERBACK AND NFL HALL OF FAMER PEYTON MANNING WHEN HE WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL.

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    Sam Hunt (Peyton Manning) OC: …with music. :39
    “When I was in high school, I went to a camp called the Manning Academy, and it’s a quarterback camp down in Louisiana. And I got to spend some time with Peyton and Eli, and they have another brother [Cooper]. I’ve followed [Peyton’s] career for a long time,” he says. “Actually, a couple of years ago, I was at a concert of Kenny Chesney’s in Denver, and I was standing there side stage and Jake Owen was there. He had opened up for [Kenny], and I’ve been a friend of his for a little while, and he turned and introduced me to the guy behind us, who I wasn’t aware of at the time, but it turned out to be Peyton Manning. He was just a really nice guy, and it was just pretty cool to be on the stage with two people who inspired me in two different arenas, with Peyton with football and Kenny with music.”

    Audio / Travis Denning predicts the Kansas City Chiefs will win the Super Bowl.

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    Travis Denning (Super Bowl 2024) 1 OC: …very clutch. :13
    “I believe the Kansas City Chiefs are gonna win the Super Bowl. I just think Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the post season are just built different. They’ve been there before. They’re just used to it. I think they’re very clutch.”

    Audio / Travis Denning says he's looking forward to seeing Taylor Swift at this year's Super Bowl.

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    Travis Denning (Super Bowl 2024) 2 OC: …love story. :09
    “Honestly, I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing Taylor Swift in the crowd. I think it’s been awesome this year to see her. Her and Travis Kelce’s just got an All-American love story.”

    Audio / Travis Denning reveals his go-to Super Bowl snack.

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    Travis Denning (go-to Super Bowl snack) OC: …other pick. :05
    “My go-to Super Bowl snack is buffalo chicken dip, obviously. There’s no other pick.”

    Audio / Travis Denning gives his thoughts on singing the National Anthem.

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    Travis Denning (National Anthem) OC: …your life. :27
    “The National Anthem, I think, is one of the hardest songs to sing that we sing regularly in this country. It’s essentially two very full octave ranges and every note matters. It has to be powerful. It takes an amazing singer to sing it. And the other thing that’s hard about is if you sing it great, everybody goes ‘that was cool,’ and then they forget about it two minutes later, and if you mess it up, they remember it for the rest of your life.”