Hootie & the Blowfish are ready to return to the road for their Summer Camp with Trucks Tour with special guests Collective Soul and Edwin McCain.

They’ll will visit 43 cities across the U.S. and Canada. This marks the first full tour since 2019 for the band whose chart-topping, GRAMMY-award winning career has featured more than 25 million albums sold, including their 2x Diamond-certified debut album Cracked Rear View – which remains among the top 10 best-selling albums in all of music history – plus 17 Billboard-charting songs to date.

“We decided to go out this year, just ‘cause it’s the 30th anniversary of Cracked Rear View, and that was the subliminal moment of our career, so we just wanted to go out and honor that record by playing some shows this year,” says Darius Rucker.

Darius says the name of the tour actually came from Edwin McCain. “We were on our first headline tour and we took Edwin McCain out opening up and he was talking to a DJ, and the DJ was trying to get him to talk trash about Hootie & The Blowfish, saying it must be tough touring with us and everything. Edwin looked at the guy and said, ‘Man, touring with Hootie & The Blowfish is like summer camp with trucks,’ and that’s where the name came from.”

The trek kicks off on Thursday (May 30th) in Dallas and runs through September 28th in West Palm Beach, visiting arenas, amphitheaters and select stadiums such as Boston’s iconic Fenway Park (with special guests Barenaked Ladies) along the way, including a homecoming to Columbia, S.C.’s Colonial Life Arena for the Gamecock alumni.

Nearly forty years after the band’s formation, Darius Rucker tells his remarkable story through the lens of the songs that shaped him—from Al Green, Stevie Wonder, and KISS to Lou Reed, Billy Joel, Nanci Griffith, and so many more.

Set against the soundtrack of his life, Darius recounts his childhood as the son of a single mother in Charleston, South Carolina. He traces the unlikely ascent of his band and shares wild tales of life on the road—but he also faces his missteps, defeats, and demons. As moving as it is entertaining, Life’s Too Short is a timeless book about a man and his music.

As he prepares to embark on the first tour in five years with his Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates this week, frontman and Country music star in his own right Darius Rucker looks back across his multi-faceted career with raw, heartfelt memoir “Life’s Too Short” available everywhere today, May 28, via Dey Street Books. Order HERE.

Now multiple decades into his illustrious career, the three-time Grammy Award–winning, multi-Diamond-selling artist 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 both 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.

Rucker appeared on NBC’s “TODAY” this morning to discuss the memoir, noting “The Nanci Griffith chapter that I wrote about my mom when she was in a coma and when she died,” when asked which chapter was the most meaningful to write about. “Reading that back brought me to tears. That was very meaningful to me. That was most meaningful of all of them.”

The book has also earned early critical praise, with Entertainment Weekly noting, “Rucker’s memoir reads like he’s telling you his life story over a beer, with voicey asides and wisecracks strewn throughout… But between anecdotes about Woody Harrelson saving his life and dunking on teens at the YMCA while on tour, a pure, unabashed love for music permeates every page.”

The Washington Post adds, “While anecdotes about the band’s penchant for drinking and drug use are a small part of the book, Rucker’s decision to include such details upfront sends a message: There’s a lot more to the Hootie & the Blowfish story than the massive success that made them both Grammy winners and a cultural punchline,” and USA Today explains of the memoir’s musical through line, “Rucker’s memories – the painful and the ecstatic – are recounted in chapters introduced by song titles: Billy Joel’s ‘Honesty’ for his eventual pairing with guitarist Mark Bryan and their discussions about forming a band; ‘Ships’ from Barry Manilow about his passing-in-the-night relationship with his father; ‘So. Central Rain’ from one of Hootie & the Blowfish’s biggest inspirations, R.E.M., in the chapter about Rucker meeting bassist Dean Felber, who became a soulmate as well as a bandmate.”

Following this week’s kickoff of the Hootie & the Blowfish Summer Camp with Trucks Tour (tickets available here), Rucker returns to Nashville for his annual “Darius & Friends” benefit concert in support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital which has raised $3.6 million to date.

For more information on all projects and upcoming events, visit DariusRucker.com and follow on social media @DariusRucker.

“Life’s Too Short”
A Memoir
by Darius Rucker
with Alan Eisenstock
Dey Street Books
Hardcover ISBN: 9780063238749 | $29.99
E-book ISBN: 9780063238763 | $14.99

About Darius Rucker
Rucker first achieved multi-Platinum status in the music industry as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the GRAMMY Award-winning band Hootie & the Blowfish, who have sold more than 25 million albums worldwide including their Double Diamond-certified (21x Platinum) debut Cracked Rear View, which remains among the top 10 best-selling studio albums of all time. Since releasing his first Country album in 2008, Rucker has earned a whole new legion of fans with four No. 1 albums on the Billboard Country chart plus 10 No. 1 singles at Country radio and 11 Gold, Platinum or multi-Platinum certified hits. Rucker was inducted as a Grand Ole Opry member in 2012 and in 2014 he won his third career GRAMMY Award for Best Solo Country Performance with his Diamond-certified (11x Platinum) version of “Wagon Wheel,” one of the top five best-selling Country songs of all time. His brand-new album Carolyn’s Boy (featuring current single “Never Been Over”) is available everywhere now and his first book, a memoir titled “Learn to Live” is available now via Dey Street Books.

As a lifelong philanthropist, Rucker co-chaired the capital campaign that generated $150 million to help build the new MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in his hometown of Charleston, S.C. and has raised over $3.6 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through his annual Darius & Friends benefit concert and golf tournament. In addition, Rucker has advocated for over 200 charitable causes supporting public education and junior golf programs in South Carolina through the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation and serves as a National Chair for the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, Tenn. Rucker is also an avid sports fan, with his Darius Rucker Collection by Fanatics line of NFL, MLB and NCAA apparel available at Fanatics.com, and he is part of the Music City Baseball investment group working to bring an MLB team to Tennessee in addition to serving as a partner at the MGC Sports & Entertainment agency.

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

Announced earlier this week, Vincent Mason signed a record deal with Interscope Records/UMG Nashville/Music Soup and releases his debut EP Can’t Just Be Me available everywhere today. The six-song project includes previously released tracks “Hell is a Dance Floor”, “Livin’ Proof”, and “May Be.” Entirely penned and co-produced by Mason, the EP encapsulates his relatable journey to finding love and the fun he’s having along the way. Using emotionally vulnerable lyrics and catchy melodies, the Georgia native “is off to a commanding start to his career” (Country Central) and showcases the past few years of his life and the lessons he has learned thus far.

Listen to Can’t Just Be Me EP HERE.

“This EP is a great representation of everything that’s happened from when I first started writing songs up until now. I’m thankful to have the opportunity to co-produce for the first time alongside Brett Truitt,” Mason explains. “The music sounds exactly how I envisioned and I’m excited to mark this moment in time and have it to look back on one day.”

“I’m so grateful to have Interscope, Universal Nashville, and Music Soup help bring our vision to life and keep building on what we’ve started,” Mason says of his recent signing. “I couldn’t feel better about the team around me and I’m excited to get to work.”

His break-out single “Hell is a Dance Floor,” which has amassed over 17 million combined global streams, introduced his ability to use “soul-stirring lyrics and infectious energy” (All Country News). Mason was one of only 12 unsigned country artists to rack up over 1 million U.S. On-Demand first-week streams on a track since 2021.

Mason toured alongside Ashley Cooke in 2023 and closed out the year with shows opening for Parker McCollum and Niko Moon. As he continues to share his music on stage, he will open for Miranda Lambert in July then Gavin Adcock on his entire fall leg tour. He is also on the bill for festivals this summer including CMA Fest. For full tour dates head to his website.

Can’t Just Be Me Tracklist

1. May Be (Vincent Mason, Jared Scott, and Brett Truitt)

2. Hell is a Dance Floor (Vincent Mason and Chase McDaniel)

3. Livin’ Proof (Vincent Mason, Forrest Finn, Joe Whelan, and Brett Truitt)

4. Take Too Much (Vincent Mason and Bobby Hambrick)

5. Can’t Just Be Me (Vincent Mason)

6. Really Don’t Love Me (Vincent Mason, Forrest Finn, and Jack Hummel)

ABOUT VINCENT MASON:

Growing up right outside of Atlanta in Roswell, Georgia, Vincent Mason was inspired early by movie soundtracks and how each song perfectly fit into the storyline. These core memories of listening to music as a child all led this rising artist to grab a guitar in college and start to realize his true potential.

Fusing his influences like Parker McCollum and John Mayer, his southern country side blends perfectly with the singer-songwriter’s pop sensibilities – creating a fresh new sound that’s becoming incredibly popular in the genre. The 23-year-old taps into his life experiences to curate a narrative true to country storytelling. His latest release,  “Hell is a Dance Floor” has amassed over 17 million streams since its release at the end of February, making this his biggest breakout moment so far. The song has been supported by major editorial playlists including Spotify’s New Boots, Breakout Country, and Next From Nashville as well as Apple Music’s Country Risers and New In Country.

Now growing his team, Vincent has recently inked deals with Interscope Records/UMG Nashville/Music Soup as well as a worldwide publishing deal with Concord Music Publishing/Hang Your Hat Music.

He toured alongside Ashley Cooke in 2023 and closed out the year with shows opening for Parker McCollum, Niko Moon, and Gavin Adcock – with much more to come in the summer months. He’s on the bill at Headwaters Country Jam as well as Redwest Festival.  With more music on the way, this passionate writer and artist sets out to stay true to his influences as well as his story to deliver a powerful message through his music to his growing audience.

*  Priscilla Block and Meghan Patrick as support

^  Priscilla Block (direct) and Larry Fleet (opener) as support

# Larry Fleet (direct) and Priscilla Block (opener) as support

Two of music’s most beloved and acclaimed artists, Chris Stapleton and Dua Lipa, have collaborated to release “Think I’m In Love With You (with Dua Lipa) (Live from the 59th ACM Awards).”

Recorded live at this year’s ACM Awards in Frisco, Texas, the surprise duet features Stapleton and Dua Lipa alongside Stapleton’s band, The Honchos, as well as a 13-piece string section.

Chris says that it was actually Dua’s idea to team up together on the awards show. “She reached out to the ACMs and suggested that we do something, and then we got on the phone with her and she was just a wonderful person to talk to and collaborate with and we knew that was going to work pretty much immediately from one phone call,” says Chris. “It was very exciting and a very fun way to get to collaborate with somebody, and she’s a wonderful collaborator and a wonderful creative spirit and talent and feel very lucky.”

“stunning…That the performance was so damn good only made the subterfuge all the more worth it.” —Rolling Stone

“the best performance of the night”—Vulture

“The sultry performance paired his grizzled vocal with her soaring, polished tones, making for what was surely one of the most talked about performances.”—Billboard

“electric and soulful”—American Songwriter

About Chris Stapleton:

Kentucky-born Chris Stapleton is a 10x Grammy, 16x CMA and 19x ACM Award-winner and one of the country’s most respected and beloved musicians. In the midst of yet another triumphant year, Stapleton recently won four awards at 59th ACM Awards as well as two more trophies at the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

These accomplishments celebrate Stapleton’s new album, Higher, which was released this past fall to overwhelming critical acclaim. Produced by Dave Cobb, Morgane Stapleton and Chris Stapleton and recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A, the record landed on several “Best of” lists including Billboard, Esquire, Los Angeles Times, Vulture and Rolling Stone, who praises, “dazzling…the best evidence yet for the way one man’s voice has become synonymous with the very idea of a musical genre.” Additionally, The New Yorker declares, “Stapleton is the rare country star with both traditional bona fides and broad commercial appeal. He has an outlaw soul and a pop star’s capacity for inescapable hooks,” while GQ proclaims, “In an age rife with division, he’s maybe the only thing Americans all agree on.”

Known for his electric live performances, Stapleton recently returned to NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” as musical guest for the third time and will continue his extensive “All-American Road Show” through this fall. In addition to teaming up with Dua Lipa, Stapleton has new collaborations with Slash (“Oh Well”) and George Strait (“Honky Tonk Hall of Fame”) in addition to recording a version of “I Should Have Known It” for new Tom Petty tribute album.

Stapleton and his wife, Morgane, are founders of the Outlaw State of Kind charitable fund, which supports a variety of causes that are close to their heart. Stapleton also recently unveiled his new Traveller Whiskey, created in partnership with Buffalo Trace Distillery’s Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley.

About Dua Lipa:

3x GRAMMY and 7x BRIT Award-winning global pop powerhouse Dua Lipa continues to be one of pop music’s leading forces with the release of her third album, Radical Optimism. Upon release, the album went straight to No. 1 in 12 countries, including the UK where it became the biggest album debut of 2024 in the UK and garnered the largest UK female No. 1 volume since 2021. In the US, the album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart and No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, marking Dua’s biggest sales week yet. The New York Times named it a Critic’s Pick and hailed it as “an album of nonstop ear candy,” along with Variety, who declared it “a joyous blast of pop savvy,” The New Yorker, who praised, “the instrumentation is a gleaming and impenetrable expanse, and the main attraction is Lipa,” and Vogue, who raved it’s “a summery, self-assured slice of pop brilliance…[and] catchy as hell.”

Dua’s certified platinum sophomore album Future Nostalgia solidified her position as both a critical success and top radio performer. The GRAMMY Award-winning album was the longest running top 10 album by a female artist on the Billboard 200 in 2021 and spawned multiple worldwide hit singles, with “Levitating” earning certified diamond status and the title of Billboard’s No. 1 Hot 100 Song of 2021.

Dua has found superstar status on stage and off, thanks to her many passions outside of music. 2022 saw Dua launch Service95, a global style, culture and society editorial platform that now comprises a weekly newsletter, the Service95 book club and the Dua Lipa: At Your Service podcast, which has been lauded by The Sunday Times and The Guardian, and was named one of the Best Podcasts of 2022 by Spotify. Having graced every major fashion magazine worldwide from Vogue and Elle to W and Dazed, Dua added “designer” to her resume in 2023 when she co-designed Versace’s “La Vacanza” collection alongside Donatella Versace herself, which Vogue deemed “the hottest collaboration of the summer.”

Dua’s eponymous 2017 debut album is certified platinum, spawned six platinum tracks, and made her the first female artist in BRIT Awards history to pick up five nominations in a single year. Dua has a total of 10 GRAMMY nominations, with three wins for Best Pop Vocal Album, Best New Artist and Best Dance Recording. Additionally, she earned nominations at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards for her hit song “Dance The Night” from the box office sensation Barbie. Across platforms globally, she has amassed over 42 billion streams and holds the record for being the first female artist to have two albums with over 10 billion streams each on Spotify.

Carrie Underwood returned to the stage for another sold-out run for the first night of the May run of her ongoing REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency at Resorts World Theatre on May 22nd.

Photo Credit:  Jeff Johnson
Guitarist: Ed Eason

The global superstar has a few days off before returning to her Reflection show on Wednesday (May 29th).

She says the show is designed “to reflect upon all the things that we’ve been so blessed to be able to have accomplished over the past few years and that I’ve been lucky enough to do this, and then obviously when you think about a staging standpoint, Reflection is, you can do a lot with that visually. So, it just seemed like a great concept as far as what we could do with it on stage and also having that kind of personal reflection being able to look back on all of the things that we’ve been able to do. We’re just looking forward to playing, getting to be there. We’re looking forward to the crowds. We love to be on stage, so I think that’s what we always look forward to most whenever we are ever getting to play. It’s gonna be super fun.”

Generation-defining pop-rock band Hootie & the Blowfish sets the stage for a return to the road this summer with this newly-released rendition of “For What It’s Worth,” the timeless anthem originally penned by Stephen Stills in 1966. The band’s version of this iconic song, recorded in 2017 during their studio sessions for Imperfect Circle, is finally emerging from the vault in conjunction with the kickoff of their Summer Camp With Trucks Tour, their first in five years. Pre-save HERE.

During that first return to the studio in nearly 15 years, longtime producer Don Gehman encouraged the band – which has long prioritized songs that make a statement, including “Drowning” and even “Hold My Hand” as far back as their 1994 Cracked Rear View debut – to pay homage to one of the most influential protest songs of all time.

“For us, adding our voice to ‘For What It’s Worth’ is about more than just a great song,” front man Darius Rucker reflects. “It’s about standing up for what you believe in, speaking out against injustice and trying to find a sense of unity. In today’s world, where there is so much division, this song carries a message that is as relevant as ever.”

The release of “For What It’s Worth” comes as Hootie & the Blowfish gears up for their Summer Camp with Trucks Tour with special guests Collective Soul and Edwin McCain. This marks the first full tour since 2019 for the band whose chart-topping, GRAMMY-award winning career has featured more than 25 million albums sold, including their 2x Diamond-certified debut album Cracked Rear View – which remains among the top 10 best-selling albums in all of music history – plus 17 Billboard-charting songs to date.

The tour kicks off May 30th in Dallas and runs through the fall, visiting arenas, amphitheaters and select stadiums such as Boston’s iconic Fenway Park (with special guests Barenaked Ladies) along the way, including a homecoming to Columbia, S.C.’s Colonial Life Arena for the Gamecock alumni. The band will also headline Rucker’s own Riverfront Revival Music Festival in their home state in October. Tickets to all shows are on sale now via Hootie.com.

For more information, visit www.Hootie.com and follow on Facebook @hootieandtheblowfish, Instagram @hootieoffcial and Twitter/X @hootietweets.

Summer Camp with Trucks Tour
May 30   |   Dallas, Texas   |   Dos Equis Pavilion
May 31   |   Rogers, Ark.   |   Walmart AMP
June 1   |   St. Louis, Mo.   |   Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
June 6   |   Detroit, Mich.   |   Pine Knob Music Theatre
June 7   |   Cincinnati, Ohio   |   Riverbend Music Center
June 8   |   Indianapolis, Ind.   |   Ruoff Music Center
June 13   |   Gilford, N.H.   |   BankNH Pavilion
June 14   |   Bangor, Maine   |   Maine Savings Amphitheatre
June 15   |   Saratoga Springs, N.Y.   |   Broadview Stage at SPAC
June 21   |   Boston, Mass.   |   Fenway Park
June 27   |   Bethel, N.Y.   |   Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
June 28   |   Hershey, Pa.   |   Hersheypark Stadium
June 29   |   Burgettstown, Pa.   |   The Pavilion at Star Lake
July 10   |   Denver, Colo.   |   Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
July 11   |   Salt Lake City, Utah   |   USANA Amphitheatre
July 13   |   Phoenix, Ariz.   |   Footprint Center
July 16   |   Anaheim, Calif.   |   Honda Center
July 17   |   Mountain View, Calif.   |   Shoreline Amphitheatre
July 19   |   Portland, Ore.   |   RV Inn Styles Amphitheater
July 20   |   Seattle, Wash.   |   White River Amphitheatre
July 26   |   Birmingham, Ala.   |   Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
July 27   |   Nashville, Tenn.   |   Bridgestone Arena
Aug. 1   |   Hartford, Conn.   |   The XFINITY Theatre
Aug. 2   |   Holmdel, N.J.   |   PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug. 3   |   Columbia, Md.   |   Merriweather Post Pavilion
Aug. 8   |   Somerset, Wisc.   |   Somerset Amphitheater
Aug. 9   |   Chicago, Ill.   |   Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Aug. 10   |   East Troy, Wisc.   |   Alpine Valley Music Theatre
Aug. 15   |   Cleveland, Ohio   |   Blossom Music Center
Aug. 16   |   Philadelphia, Pa.   |   Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Aug. 17   |   Bristow, Va.   |   Jiffy Lube Live
Aug. 23   |   Las Vegas, Nev.   |   Fountainebleau Las Vegas
Aug. 29   |   Columbia, S.C.   |   Colonial Life Arena
Aug. 30   |   Columbia, S.C.   |   Colonial Life Arena
Sept. 5   |   Wantagh, N.Y.   |   Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Sept. 6   |   Syracuse, N.Y.   |   Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview
Sept. 7   |   Toronto, Ontario   |   Budweiser Stage
Sept. 12   |   Knoxville, Tenn.   |   Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center
Sept. 13   |   Raleigh, N.C.   |   Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Sept. 14   |   Virginia Beach, Va.   |   Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
Sept. 19   |   Charlotte, N.C.   |   PNC Music Pavilion
Sept. 20   |   Alpharetta, Ga.   |   Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Sept. 21   |   Greenville, S.C.   |   Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Sept. 26   |   Tampa, Fla.   |   MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sept. 27   |   Jacksonville, Fla.   |   VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
Sept. 28   |   West Palm Beach, Fla.   |   iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
Oct. 12   |   North Charleston, S.C.   |   Riverfront Revival Music Festival

Multi-Platinum hitmaker Billy Currington took the stage in Music City on May 18th for a sold-out show at Ascend Amphitheater. Sparking a crowd-wide singalong for the entirety of the hit-filled set, Currington treated fans to chart-toppers including “Pretty Good at Drinkin’ Beer,” “Let Me Down Easy,” “It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To,” “People Are Crazy,” “We Are Tonight,” and more than a dozen others.

Moments before the show, Currington was surprised by his UMG Nashville/Mercury Nashville and Dennis Entertainment teams with a plaque to commemorate his Doin’ Somethin’ Right album achieving 2X Platinum certification, plus “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right” and “Good Directions” achieving 4X Platinum status.

Currington will release a career-spanning compilation of his top-charting singles with #1’s Vol. 1, out July 5 and available for pre-order now. The album includes 11 tracks and will be released on both CD and vinyl.

#1’s Vol. 1 Track Listing:

Side A

1. Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right
2. Good Directions
3. People Are Crazy
4. That’s How Country Boys Roll
5. Pretty Good at Drinkin’ Beer
6. Let Me Down Easy

Side B

7. Hey Girl
8. We Are Tonight
9. Don’t It
10.  It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To
11. Do I Make You Wanna

Currington continues his headlining tour through September, performing across the country in major markets including New York and Las Vegas, plus festival appearances at Gulf Coast Jam, Country Stampede and Windy City Smokeout. For tickets and a full list of tour dates, visit billycurrington.com.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May.

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. However, by the turn of the 20th century, Memorial Day honored Americans who have sacrificed their lives in all wars.