Darius Rucker teamed up with John Mellencamp for an upcoming episode of CMT Crossroads, trading vocals on each other’s songs, including “Wagon Wheel,” “Alright,” “Cherry Bomb” and “Pink Houses.” The show, filmed at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena last month, is scheduled to air March 24th at 10pm ET on CMT.
Check out the pairing on “Pink Houses” below.
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Little Big Town will perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday (March 1st), followed by The Talk on March 14th.
Luke Bryan will perform on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday (March 2nd).
Eric Church and Sam Hunt, along with Jason Aldean, will headline the 4th Annual Route 91 Harvest Festival September 29th – October 1st at Nevada’s Las Vegas Village. Tickets go on sale Friday (March 3rd).
Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Chris Stapleton and Alan Jackson are scheduled to perform during this year’s Tortuga Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The three-day concert event will take place April 7th – 9th and will also feature such artists as Brett Eldredge, Kenny Chesney, Maren Morris, Dustin Lynch, Brett Young, Chris Lane and many more.
Darius Rucker appears on Friday’s episode of Hawaii Five-O, and he gets to play a bad guy.
“Playing Desmond Abati on Hawaii Five-O was amazing,” says Darius. “It was so much fun to go to Hawaii and play the bad guy. When I was asked what I wanted to do, I said I wanted to play the bad guy, and I definitely played the bad guy.”
“The plot of the episode is I’m a terrorist, a bombmaker, and they’re chasing me in, and I make my way to Hawaii, and they’re trying to find me, and I’m leaving a trail of dead bodies across Hawaii,” he laughs. “It was just fun being the villan, man, you know. I didn’t have to be the nice guy. That was good times.”
Catch Hawaii Five-O on Friday (February 24th) at 9pm ET on CBS.
Darius is making his way up the country charts with his latest single, “If I Told You.”
Darius Rucker (Hawaii Five-O) 1 OC: …a heartbeat. :33
“Playing Desmond Abati on Hawaii Five-O was amazing. It was so much fun to go to Hawaii and play the bad guy. When I was asked what I wanted to do, I said I wanted to play the bad guy, and I definitely played the bad guy. It was fun to shoot that. And the people, the cast, was so, so helpful and so nice to me and so open-arms. Anything I needed, they were there, ready to help me. And the director became a great buddy of mine. We talk all the time now, and he’s such a great dude. Working on Hawaii Five-O was awesome, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
Darius Rucker (Hawaii Five-O) 2 OC: …good times. :32
“The plot of the episode is I’m a terrorist, a bombmaker, and they’re chasing me in, and I make my way to Hawaii, and they’re trying to find me, and I’m leaving a trail of dead bodies across Hawaii. [laughs] But, the set on Hawaii was amazing. We shot on location most of the time. I got to go to really cool places and do some, see some things I wouldn’t have seen otherwise if I hadn’t been shooting Hawaii Five-O. It was just fun being the villan, man, you know. I didn’t have to be the nice guy. That was good times.”
Darius Rucker will appear on NBC’s Today Show to perform “Love Do What It Do” with Robert Randolph on Tuesday (February 21st) in the 10am hour.
Darius Rucker will guest star as “Desmond Abati” on this week’s episode of Hawaii Five-O. Catch the show on Friday (February 24th) at 9pm ET/PT on CBS.
Little Big Town is taking their music to the small screen this week, including performances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (Thursday) and the Today Show on Friday.
Don’t forget to catch Lady Antebellum on CBS This Morning on Thursday (February 15th). They will be announcing the nominees for this year’s ACM Awards during the 8am hour.
Lady A is also scheduled to appear on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert tomorrow night, as well.
Darius Rucker and Chris Stapleton, along with Brett Eldredge, will appear in a new CMT special titled CMT Hometown Heroes. Darius will return to MUSC Children’s Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina, where his mother worked as a nurse, while Chris goes back to his high school in Paintsville, Kentucky. The one-hour special debuts March 31st at 10pm ET.
Darius Rucker went to the top of the Capitol Records Tower to perform his latest single, “If I Told You.”
“Hey! This is Billy Currington. Hope you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey, this is T.J., and I’m John, and we’re Brothers Osborne. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey, what’s up guys? I’m Canaan Smith, wishing you a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey everybody! I’m Charles Kelley from Lady Antebellum. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey! This is Clare Dunn, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“What’s up y’all? This is Darius Rucker, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey, it’s Dierks Bentley, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey! This is Eric Church, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hi! This is Eric Paslay, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey, this is Gary Allan, wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“This is George Strait, wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hi! It’s Jon Pardi, and I hope you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey! This is Josh Turner, and I want to wish you and your sweetheart a Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hi, this is Kacey Musgraves, and I hope you have a Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone. This is Keith Urban. Make the day special for your ‘Once in a Lifetime’ love.”
“Hey! What’s happening, everybody? This is Kip Moore. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hey everybody! We are Lady Antebellum, wishing you a very Happy Valentine’s Day, you love birds.”
“Hey! We’re Little Big Town. Happy Valentine’s Day!”
“Hey y’all, it’s Luke Bryan. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hi! This is Sam Hunt, wishing you a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Hi, this is Shania Twain. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
This Sunday (February 5th), millions of people around the world will be tuning in to Super Bowl 51 (the Big Game), including some of your favorite country artists. Some will be rooting for the Atlanta Falcons, while others will be pulling for the New England Patriots to win the Big Game. Billy Currington, Canaan Smith, Darius Rucker, Lady Antebellum, Easton Corbin, Keith Urban, Lauren Alaina and Little Big Town are definitely fans of football…as is Luke Bryan, who is set to perform the National Anthem at the Big Game at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Sunday (February 5th) at 6:30pm ET on FOX.
Just before the game, Lady A will take part in the official pre-game party at the NRG Center, while Sam Hunt, a former University of Alabama Birmingham quarterback, headlines a rather cool venue – Club Nomadic, a collapsible traveling nightclub – on Thursday (Feb. 2nd).
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.”
Canaan Smith (Super Bowl) OC: …It’s cool. :21
“Super Bowl’s all about pizza and commercials. You gotta sit down, you gotta drink your beer, get a little buzz. It’s pepperoni and banana peppers for me and my family. We sit down, we have a a good time, we have friends over. We have a nice TV, plenty of space. We have a good time. Usually, when it’s all said and done, we have a little dance party afterwards too. It’s cool.”
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.”
Easton Corbin (football) OC: …that’s on. :07
“That’s all that’s on the bus on the weekends. That’s it, and we’ve got three TVs on the bus, so that’s all that’s on.”
Keith (Nicole and football) OC: …new to me. :04
“She’s a big NFL fan, and she sort of turned me on to it.”
Lady A (tailgate food) OC: (Charles) …football watching. :21
HILLARY: “Honestly, chips and salsa, salsa or cheese dip or something. That’s like what I always go for. I could eat that every meal. No joke.” DAVE: “Best tailgate food is a big ole burger soaked in Dale’s sauce. That’s all you need.” HILLARY: “Or bratwurst. I forgot that. Those are good.” CHARLES: “Cold beer! A couple of little finger foods, but without cold beer, it’s not football watching.”
Lauren Alaina (Super Bowl) OC: …I love it. :30
“My dad raised me to love football, so I think it’s like kind of in my blood to be obsessed with it. I feel like the guys are so passionate and they try so hard. Those people love playing that game as much as I love singing. I just love the heart and the drive and the passion behind it. I feel like those boys are playing as hard as they can – in college football and pro football – because it’s what they love to do and it’s their passion, and I just, I don’t know. I love it.”
Lauren Alaina (Super Bowl foods she wishes she could eat) OC: …with cheese? (laughs) :30
“Gosh, let’s see cheese dip. I would really like some cheese dip in my life again. Um, I’m a big fan of wings and hot dogs and pizza and cheesecake and poppers and cheese sticks and cheese, anything that has to do with cheese. Did you realize everything I named besides the wings, which you dip in blue cheese, had to do with cheese?” (laughs)
LBT (Super Bowl 2017) OC: …be great. :27
KAREN: “Dirty Birds.” JIMI: “Dirty Birds.” KAREN: “You’ve got two Georgia girls right here, so we’re going Dirty Birds.” KIMBERLY: “For sure.” PHILLIP: “Well, I don’t really have a dog in the hunt…(KAREN: “Yes, you do!”) …I’m gonna go for my girls and one of Jimi’s favorite players, Julio Jones, a former Alabama Crimson Tide player (JIMI: “Beast!”). He’s gonna be catching the passes and the TDs, baby.” JIMI: “I’m excited, man. They’ve been threatening to be here for the past few years, and they’ve finally made it. It’s gonna be great.”
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.”
LBT (SB foods) OC: (KIMBERLY) …oh good! :10
KIMBERLY: “It’s a chili day.” KAREN: “We need Super Bowl recipes from ‘Oh Gussie!’” PHILLIP: “[My wife] Becky learned to make fried shrimp from Luke Bryan, so I think we’re gonna have some fried shrimps.” KIMBERLY: “Oh good!”
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital honored GRAMMY Award-winning country music artist Darius Rucker at the 28th annual Country Cares for St. Jude Kids® Seminar on Saturday, Jan. 14 at The Peabody Memphis.
L to R: GRAMMY Award-winning country music artist Randy Owen, President and CEO of ALSAC, Richard Shadyac Jr. and Darius Rucker
Credit: Seth Dixon
Rucker received the prestigious Randy Owen Angels Among Us Award, which recognizes individuals who have made exceptional and lasting contributions to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through their unique commitment and humanitarian spirit. Rucker is a staunch supporter who has championed the lifesaving mission of St. Jude for several years – lending his talented voice and passionate heart to raise funds and awareness for the hospital.
In 2016, Rucker hosted the seventh consecutive, star-studded Darius Rucker and Friends benefit, a sold-out concert that featured performances by Charley Pride, Hunter Hayes, Drake White, Terri Clark, LOCASH and Scotty McCreery. The annual event has raised more than $800,000 for St. Jude, helping to ensure families never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
In 2015, Rucker recorded “Possibilities,” a song inspired by courageous St. Jude patient Brennan. Rucker heard the tune when Brennan presented it to him, and he later recorded it at a session in Memphis with the help of patients at the hospital.
Rucker was surprised during the event with a $50,000 donation to St. Jude, given in his honor from ACM Lifting Lives, in recognition of Rucker’s charitable spirit and work with both St. Jude and the Academy of Country Music’s charitable arm. ACM Lifting Lives works to improve lives through the power of music.
“Darius Rucker’s generosity, passion and humanitarian spirit inspire us all, and we are honored to recognize him with this well-deserved award,” said Richard Shadyac Jr., President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “His numerous contributions and generous donations are a testament to his continued commitment to helping St. Jude save the lives of children suffering from cancer and other life-threatening diseases around the world. We are extremely grateful for the support of Darius and countless other country music artists who lend their hearts, time and talent to help further our mission.”
This award places Rucker among the ranks of only four past recipients, including ALABAMA front man and co-founder of Country Cares for St. Jude Kids, Randy Owen for whom the award is named, country artist John Rich, former ALSAC Chief Operating Officer David McKee (posthumously) and St. Jude Country Cares Advisory Council member, Sharon Eaves (posthumously).
Rucker first gained fame as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the GRAMMY Award-winning American rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. Since then, he has dominated country music charts as a solo artist. Rucker recently signed on as host for the second season of “Reel South,” an anthology series highlighting 12 non-fiction stories from across the country, celebrating America’s rich tradition of southern comfort.
Country Cares for St. Jude Kids is recognized as one of the largest country music industry gatherings in the nation and brings thousands of country music industry leaders together to support the lifesaving work of St. Jude. Since 1989, the program has raised more than $650 million for the kids of St. Jude. Participants in the weekend event include country music artists, record label management, radio station general managers, promotions staff, national sales managers, program directors, and on-air staff who seek inspiration and to gain personal experiences that will help them promote and encourage support for St. Jude.
About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90 percent, and we won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook (facebook.com/stjude) and following us on Twitter (@stjude).
About Darius Rucker
Rucker first attained multi-platinum status in the music industry as former lead singer and rhythm guitarist of GRAMMY award-winning Hootie & the Blowfish. Since re-introducing himself to the world as a country artist, he has released four consecutive albums to top the Billboard Country albums chart and earned a whole new legion of fans. In 2014, Rucker won his third career GRAMMY award for Best Solo Country Performance for his triple platinum selling cover of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel,” off his album, True Believers. Rucker’s first two country albums, Learn To Live and Charleston, SC 1966 produced five No. 1 singles including “Come Back Song,” “This,” “Alright,” “It Won’t Be Like This For Long” and “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It.” Southern Style, his fourth studio country album, features his latest No. 1 single “Homegrown Honey,” co-written by Rucker, label mate Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum and Nathan Chapman. Rucker’s heartfelt new single, “If I Told You” is currently climbing the country charts. For more information and tour dates visit www.dariusrucker.com.
Darius Rucker helped pay tribute to James Taylor at this week’s Kennedy Center Honors by performing a medley of some of the iconic singer-songwriter’s biggest hits, including “Sweet Baby James” and “Carolina in My Mind.” Rounding out the tribute, Darius, along with Garth Brooks and Sheryl Crow, performed ‘How Sweet It Is’ together. See videos of their performances below.
David Nail’s “Good at Tonight” will play throughout the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Eve. Check it out, as well as the matchup between Alabama and Washington at 2p ET on ESPN.
Easton Corbin performed the National Anthem at his alma mater, The University of Florida, before their first basketball game in their brand new arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Check it out in a post by Rare Country here.
Chris Stapleton will be the special guest with Tom Petty at Wrigley Field on June 29th, as well as July 5th and 6th at the 50th Anniversary of Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Luke Bryan took his boys to the WWE Live Holiday Tour when it made its stop at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena this week. He went backstage to meet the legendary wrestler, Jon Cena.
Good dude here. Thanks @JohnCena for being awesome to my boys. pic.twitter.com/lOWxwO2BLL
— Luke Bryan (@LukeBryanOnline) December 29, 2016