Concert in your area for Country, Pop, Folk & Blues, Indie & Alt, and Rock.
Rucker founded Hootie & The Blowfish in 1986 with bandmates Mark Bryan, Jim “Soni” Sonefeld and Dean Felber. The outfit apparently came about when Bryan heard Rucker singing in the shower of the college dorms and was awestruck by his vocal prowess.
Ruckers mainstream success with Hootie & The Blowfish was the 1994 release “Cracked Rear View”, which was a staggering success. It was the best selling album of 1995 and went platinum 16 times over in the United States. The album contained the outfit’s best known tune “Only Wanna Be with You”, which peaked at Number 6 and the other hits “Hold My Hand”, “Let Her Cry” and “Time”.
After a small hiatus and an R’n’B styled debut solo album, “Back to Then” (2002), which amounted to modest success, Rucker’s solo career kicked off properly with his country release “Learn to Live” in 2008. The album achieved gold status with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and later received a platinum certification in 2009. The album’s single “History in the Making” peaked at Number 3 on the Billboard Country Chart. Three singles topped it at Number 1: "Don't Think I Don't Think About It", "It Won't Be Like This for Long" and "Alright", making Ruckers the first black man to chart a number one on the Hot Country Songs charts since 1983. He was also first black man to win the Country Music Association’s New Artist Award.
The album was released on Capitol Records, which would become Rucker’s rock in his solo career, going on to record “Charleston, SC 1966” in 2010, which included the Number 1 singles “Come Back Song” and “This”, and 2012’s “True Believers”, which got him yet another Number 1 with his cover of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel” featuring vocals from Lady Antebellum.
Ruckers announced a Christmas album in 2014 that would feature a collaboration with Sheryl Cole on the track “Baby It’s Cold Outside”.
They eventually found themselves in Boone, North Carolina where they caught the attention of folk icon Doc Watson while playing in front of a pharmacy. He invited the band to play at his festival, MerleFest, helping to launch their career. Shortly thereafter the band was hired to entertain crowds between shows at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN.
It's been over twenty years since these humble beginnings. The band has gone on to receive the honor of being inducted as members of the Grand Ole Opry, and have won two Grammy Awards: "Best Folk Album" for Remedy (2014) and "Best Long Form Music Video" for Big Easy Express (2013). Additionally, their classic single, "Wagon Wheel", received the RIAA's Double-Platinum certification in 2019 for selling over 2,000,000 copies while the band’s debut album O.C.M.S. has been certified Gold (500,000 copies).
Old Crow Medicine Show has toured the world playing renowned festivals and venues such as: Bonnaroo, Farm Aid, Red Rocks Amphitheater, Cambridge Folk Festival, Coachella, London's Roundhouse, The Ryman Auditorium, The Barclays Center, New Orleans Jazz Fest, The Fox Theater Atlanta, The Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Summerstage in Central Park NYC, Forecastle, the Newport Folk Festival, and several appearances on A Prairie Home Companion. They've toured with artists such as Willie Nelson & Family, Brandi Carlile, Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, John Prine, The Avett Brothers and others. The band also took part in the historic Railroad Revival Tour, traveling from California to New Orleans on a vintage train, which was captured in the Emmet Malloy directed Grammy award-winning documentary, Big Easy Express.
Old Crow Medicine Show now has six studio albums to their name, three of which were released by Nettwerk Records - O.C.M.S. (2004) and Big Iron World (2006) produced by David Rawlings, and Tennessee Pusher (2008) produced by Don Was. Following that, ATO Records released the Ted Hutt produced, Carry Me Back (2012), on which the band continued to craft classic American roots music and Remedy (2014), also produced by Ted Hutt.
Old Crow Medicine Show was signed to Columbia in 2017 and immediately delivered a full-length tribute to Boy Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, entitled 50 Years Of Blonde On Blonde (2017). During the same year, Nettwerk also released a Best Of Old Crow Medicine Show compilation. A year later, the band released the Dave Cobb produced Volunteer (2018) via Columbia. The band’s latest release Live At The Ryman (2019) was released on October 4th on Columbia Records via The Orchard.
Darius Rucker was a hard ticket to get. His show was in a smaller place in my town and luckily I had a friend that was able to get an extra ticket.
The place only holds about 2500 people and Darius is very popular these days so I was really lucky to get it. The crowd was a mix between pop music people and country music fans. There were some people with cowboy hats but it was mostly 35 and up professional people who grew up listening to his music. The show itself was great. It was high energy from start to finish.
His bandmates were top notch and Darius sounded great. He did some of his Hootie songs but mostly he did his country songs. The great thing about the show was that he interacted so great with the audience. You really felt like you knew him and could sit and have a beer with him after the show. He also smiled a lot and you can tell her really enjoyed doing this and performing.
He closed with his cover hit song of “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Show. The crowd was great and the music was awesome, really great night.
Old Crow Medicine Show is always a great time. They always play at great venues and put on a brilliant show that never disappoints. I have seen them as a headliner and as part of a set in a music festival. They have a great following of fans and the show is always tons of fun. They make great music, all the artists are talented and play all types of music with great original songs and classic covers like "Wagon Wheel." If you're looking to have a great time and dance to great uplifting music this is your show. They have been perfecting their stage show for years and are masters and a staple in the bluegrass rockabilly scene. They play a beautiful blend of different music styles and the show is complete experience from the lot to the crown and the stage. It is a fantastic experience and a band I would see at every oppertunity. Look for them in a line up at a music festival and I guarantee it will be a great weekend. Dress light and wear your dancing shoes, get down and have fun. It is impossible to leave an Old Crow Medicine Show in a bad mood, they will lift you up and the beautiful energy of the music and the fans will keep you flying through your week.