Darius Rucker NDZ/Star Max/GC Images
Darius Rucker has a successful music career, but the musician has hit some bumps along the way.
Rucker rose to fame as the lead vocalist of Hootie & the Blowfish, which was formed in 1986, alongside Mark Bryan, Dean Felber and Jim Sonefeld. After the group went on a hiatus in 2008, Rucker kicked off his solo country music career.
“I always say there wasn’t anybody that looked like me on country radio,” Rucker told PBS NewsHour in October 2023. “I was being told that the audience would never accept a country singer that looked like me, so I just wanted to make country records. And my biggest goal with my first record was that they let me make another one.”
Rucker has released a total of six country records as a solo artist. While he’s dabbled in R&B and has even returned to Hootie & the Blowfish, it appears that the country music circuit is where the singer thrives.
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Aside from his musical success, Rucker has made some headlines for his personal life, including a divorce and arrest. Keep scrolling to see Rucker’s ups and downs over the years:
Hootie and the Blowfish Steve Eichner/WireImage
Hootie & the Blowfish
Rucker found success as the lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish from 1986 until their hiatus in 2008. “I don’t think we’ll ever break up totally,” Rucker told CBS News about the group’s future in 2011.
They reunited in 2019 for the Imperfect Circle record, which was released in November of that year, and hit the road on the Group Therapy Tour.
Changing Up the Genres
Amid his Hootie & the Blowfish fame, Rucker had a brief career as an R&B artist. He recorded two records, The Return of Mongo Slade (which was never released) and Back to Then, released in 2002.
Rucker called his R&B stint “just a minute in my life,” during a 2014 interview with a local Arizona outlet. “Country music is my day job now,” he added. “I’ll probably do this till it’s all over, but that album was a lot of fun.”
Finding Success in Country Music
Rucker made his country music debut in 2008 after signing to Capitol Records Nashville. His debut solo single as a country artist was titled “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” and was released that same year. Rucker has since released six country records, Learn to Live (2008), Charleston, SC 1966 (2010), True Believers (2013), Home for the Holidays (2014), Southern Style (2015), When Was the Last Time (2017) and Carolyn’s Boy (2023).
The Success of ‘Wagon Wheel’
The musician covered Bob Dylan and Ketch Secor‘s “Wagon Wheel” for his True Believers album. Rucker’s cover reached No. 1 Country Airplay chart just ahead of the record’s May 2013 release. That same year, Rucker also won the Best Country Solo Performance Grammy Award for “Wagon Wheel.”
In 2020, the song became one of the top five most popular country music singles ever after it went platinum eight times.
Darius Rucker and Beth Leonard attend the 51st annual CMA Awards on November 8, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Divorce
While Rucker was celebrating the high of “Wagon Wheel,” his 20-year marriage came to an end. The singer announced in July 2020 that he and Beth Leonard were getting a divorce. (Rucker and Leonard share daughter Daniella and son Jack.)
“Beth and I would like to share that after much reflection we have made the decision to consciously uncouple. We remain close friends and parenting partners and continue to be each other’s biggest cheerleaders,” the musician announced on Instagram at the time. “Our priority will always be our beautiful family. We have so much love in our hearts for each other and will continue to encourage growth and expansion in one other.”
In October 2023, Rucker revealed that his divorce was still not finalized.
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A Rocky Relationship
After news of his divorce, Rucker moved on with comedian Kate Quigley. They went public in September 2020, and seemingly split sometime in 2021.
After Quigley accidentally overdosed in September 2021 after allegedly doing cocaine that had been laced with fentanyl, Rucker offered a health update on the comedian. She then publicly asked Rucker to “refrain from making public comments” about her, alluding to bad blood between them.
Darius Rucker WCSO/ MEGA
Arrest
Us Weekly confirmed in February 2024 that Rucker was arrested in Tennessee on a minor drug charge. The singer was booked on three separate misdemeanors but was released on bail.
“Darius Rucker is fully cooperating with authorities related to misdemeanor charges,” Rucker’s lawyer, Mark Puryear, told Us in a statement at the time.