• DARIUS RUCKER GETS EMOTIONAL WHEN HIS SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS MAKE THE FINAL FOUR FOR THE FIRST TIME.

    Darius Rucker is a huge sports fan, but his love for the South Carolina Gamecocks runs deep. He went to college at the University of South Carolina, as well as formed his hugely successful band, Hootie & the Blowfish, while at school. A few years ago, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in music.

    So, when the Gamecocks beat the Florida Gators 77 – 70 during Sunday’s March Madness matchup, it marked their first-ever trip to the Final Four. Darius, along with his son Jack and fellow Hootie bandmate Mark Bryan, got really emotional after the win.

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    Darius is currently making his way up the country charts with his latest single, “If I Told You.”

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Luke, Dierks, LBT, Kip

    Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley will appear on CBS This Morning, and they’ll perform on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Wednesday (March 29th). The pair will talk about hosting this year’s ACM Awards. The 52nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be broadcast live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas April 2nd at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS.

    Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild is featured on Racked.com, talking about her clothing line, her love of fringe and her favorite flea market finds. “I like to call myself a “professional shopper” — it’s kind of my vice. Because the band travels so much, I get to visit all these cool boutiques and check out the local shopping scenes in different cities,” says Karen. “Really, my favorite thing to do on the road is go to flea markets and antique stores; my bandmate Kimberly [Schlapman] and I always go antiquing together. I’ll wind up finding these amazing pieces that have real stories behind them.”

    Darius Rucker is the latest country star to get immortalized in wax for the new Madame Tussaud’s Nashville, which is set to open April 14th. “Having my own figure and going through the whole process on this Madame Tussauds journey makes me feel as if I’ve truly made it to the next level as an artist,” said Darius. “I’m super excited for the fans to come and check this out.”

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    Luke Bryan and Little Big Town, as well as Jason Aldean, will headline the 2017 Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam. The three-day concert event will take place September 1st through September 3rd in Panama City Beach, Florida.

    Kip Moore has been announced as one of the performers on the main stage at this year’s iHeart Country Festival in Austin, Texas on May 6th.

  • DARIUS RUCKER AND JOHN MELLENCAMP MEET AT THE CROSSROADS.

    Darius Rucker teams up with John Mellencamp for CMT Crossroads on Friday (March 24th). Taped in front of a live audience at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on February 24th, the two trade vocals on several of their big hits, including “Wagon Wheel,” “Alright” and Darius’ latest single “If I Told You,” as well as Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses” and “Cherry Bomb.”

    It was pretty difficult for Darius not to be just a fan when he was onstage with the legendary performer. “That’s the hard thing for me is to not be out there fanboying the whole time and freaking out that I’m actually on stage with someone like John,” he says. “We were in rehearsals and he’s singing those songs, and I mean, I keep forgetting that I was supposed to sing too, because I just wanted to sit back and listen.”

    The new episode airs Friday at 10pm ET on CMT.

    Audio / Darius Rucker talks about being a fan while filming the latest installment of CMT Crossroads.

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    Darius Rucker (CMT Crossroads) OC: …and listen. :17
    “Oh, that’s the hard thing for me is to not be out there fanboying the whole time and freaking out that I’m actually on stage with someone like John. We were in rehearsals and he’s singing those songs, and I mean, I keep forgetting that I was supposed to sing too, because I just wanted to sit back and listen.”

    Video / Sneak peek of CMT Crossroads

    Video / Darius Rucker talking about being on stage with John Mellencamp for CMT Crossroads.

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Keith, Jon, Darius, Toby, The Band Perry, Sam

    Keith Urban will appear on the talk show Harry on Wednesday (March 22nd), reuniting with his friend and fellow American Idol judge. [Check local listings]

    Jon Pardi will perform his No. 1 hit, “Dirt on My Boots,” on ABC’s Good Morning America on Thursday (March 23rd). The ACM New Male Artist of the Year has dates in Tallahassee, Fort Myers and Las Vegas, before stepping on the stage of this year’s ACM Awards next week to perform and accept his award.

    Darius Rucker will appear in Thursday night’s (March 23rd) episode of CMT’s Sun Records, playing singer Johnny Bragg, the leader of the doo-wop group, The Prisonaires, from behind bars at the Tennessee State Prison. Check out the clip of Sun Records below and watch the show Thursday at 10pm ET on CMT.

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    Darius Rucker teams up with John Mellencamp for CMT Crossroads premiering Friday (March 24th) at 10pm ET on CMT.

    The Academy of Country Music® will host the ACM Party for a Cause: Songwriter Showcase on Friday, March 31st at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort. Hosted by Storme Warren, the evening will celebrate country music’s most distinguished songwriters, and feature performances by Ross Copperman, Luke Dick, Ashley Gorley, Matthew Jenkins, Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsey, Shane McAnally, Lori McKenna, Josh Osborne with Matthew Ramsey and Trevor Rosen of Old Dominion as well as special appearances by Dierks Bentley, Cam, Brandy Clark, Dean Dillon, and more.

    Toby KeithAlabama and ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons have been added to Sing Me Back Home: The Music of Merle Haggard. The all-star concert celebration takes place April 6th at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

    The Band Perry will perform at the annual St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & 1 /2 Marathon Saturday, April 29th. They’ll play Music City’s Ascend amphitheater exclusively for runners and their families and friends.

    Sam Hunt will perform as part of the PGA Tour’s annual Military Appreciation Day ceremony on May 9th. Sam will perform on the 17th hole at the Stadium Court at TPC Sawgrass in Ponete Vedra Beach, Florida on the kickoff day of the Players Championship. “I’m extremely excited to perform for our troops on the famed 17th hole during the Players Championship,” said Sam. “This tournament does so much to support the men and women serving our country. I am grateful to be a part of the festivities and am looking forward to putting on a great show.”

    Video / Darius Rucker on Sun Records

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    Video / Keith Urban & Harry Connick, Jr.

  • KEITH, DARIUS, BROTHERS O, CLARE PAY TRIBUTE TO THE LATE CHUCK BERRY.

    Several members of the country music community are mourning the loss of Rock’n Roll pioneer Chuck Berry over the weekend. According to the New York Times, Berry, who died at his home in Wentzville, Missouri on Saturday at the age of 90, “did as much as anyone to define rock ’n’ roll’s potential and attitude in its early years.”

    Keith Urban was eloquent in his remembrance of Chuck Berry, citing one of his biggest hits, “RIP Chuck Berry !!!! Thank you for the poetry, the passion and the potency! GO JOHNNY GO. – KU”, while Darius Rucker said, “Legend isn’t a big enough word for you sir!!”

    Brothers Osborne paid tribute to his guitar playing skills, saying “This man invented rock guitar as we know it. Thanks for everything, Chuck.” Guitar slinger Clare Dunn said, “Pioneer, game changer: those words barely start to describe . We miss you and the world will never be the same.”

     

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  • DARIUS RUCKER AND JOHN MELLENCAMP GO ‘PINK’ FOR CMT CROSSROADS.

    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.

    Video / Darius Rucker and John Mellencamp CMT Crossroads

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  • NEWS & NOTES: LBT, Luke, Eric, Sam, Darius, Chris, Alan

    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 PLAYS A BAD GUY ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF ‘HAWAII FIVE-O.’

    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.”

    Audio / Darius Rucker talks about working on Friday’s episode of Hawaii Five-O.

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    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.”

     

    Audio / Darius Rucker describes the plot of Friday’s episode of Hawaii Five-O.

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    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.”

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Darius Rucker and Little Big Town

    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.

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  • NEWS AND NOTES: Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker, Chris Stapleton

    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.