Ode to Darius Rucker

Since I first covered the case of younger DJ Daniel when Donald Trump designated him an honourable Secret Service agent in March, he stole our emotions. For those who don’t know the name, he’s the young gentleman with end brain tumor who has defied the odds, living times beyond what doctors predicted. He has become an honorary member of more than 1,300 law enforcement organizations across the nation as well. He is a huge fan of law enforcement. Next month, his dad released the terrible news that he has three new cancers. &nbsp,

Lately, DJ took to social media, asking if anyone knew country music singer Jason Aldean. He claimed that Aldean and his parents need to stage a country music present in Texas to raise cash for other cancer patients. Also, another country music singer, Darius Rucker, just happened to notice DJ’s videos and made the presentations. &nbsp,

Hey DJ, heard u were looking for me… photograph. Twitter.com/WvhJ7bLN— Jason Aldean ( @Jason_Aldean ) June 5, 2025

That will be interesting to see what results, but that’s not what I actually wanted to write about today. In what feels like a world full of chaos since, I just wanted to take a moment and give Mr. Rucker some identification. Truth be told, his song has been a sort of shining light on my existence since, also, when I was in middle class. More on that in a minute. &nbsp,

I’m not really one to place a star whom I’ve never met individually on a podium, and I’m not going to start then — we’re all human — but Rucker has always stood out to me for several reasons. Second, he does a lot of things for the little people in particular. Rucker has supported St. Jude for decades now, and he’s raised millions of dollars for the children’s research hospital with an annual concert, auction, and golf match that he puts on every year called” Darius and Friends” .&nbsp, As a matter of fact, he just hosted the event last week for the sixteenth time. &nbsp,

Back in his hometown of Charleston, S. C., Rucker co-chaired the” the capital campaign that generated$ 150 million to help build the new MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital” — the hospital where his mother worked as a nurse for decades— and has advocated for “over 200 charitable causes supporting public education and junior golf programs in South Carolina through the Hootie &amp, the Blowfish Foundation” .&nbsp,

He doesn’t, however, only make the grand movements that cause the dazzling headlines. If you spend any time in South Carolina ( and even here in Georgia ), you’ve probably heard your unique” Darius Rucker did this great thing” history. In fact, a country music star tipped a Waffle House waitress$ 1, 000 after witnessing her working hard for her customers while serving her young daughter at the same time as there was a title that was popular in 2021. No one was ever able to verify who it was, but decades later, Rucker confirmed that it was, however, him. &nbsp,

Waitress Shirell’ Honey ‘ Sycophant was performing twice duties at the favorite late night spot, caring for her daughter while likewise tending to customers. A country music star and his team arrived and saw the waitress performing double duty, and the team member gave her a tip of$ 50. But that’s not all that went down, the team part went back to the country music star and shared the story of Lackey and her work drive straight before he was set to buy his to-go food.

Lackey wants the country music star to remain anonymous, but he left a$ 1,000 tip. Straight after writing that down, Lackey shared that he gave her some words of encouragement saying,’ I have to honor a mother that would do whatever it takes to help their child in a society where people don’t even want to operate again.’ The country music star also sent her daughter Bella two concert tickets and sent Lackey baby clothes and toys to her home.

He also couldn’t believe that a story about him buying breakfast for everyone at a local South Carolina IHOP once made headlines. There were just a lot of families, a lot of kids, and I was just looking around. I really just thought about the economy and what it is and it’s been a tough year, and I was walking out and saw my friend that I see all the time when I’m in there and I said,’ Hey man, how long will it take you to calculate everybody’s check,'” he said during a radio interview in 2021. &nbsp,

” I did it — I tipped the waitstaff and I left”, he confirmed to the hosts, admitting,” I just didn’t think it was going to be newsworthy”. From what I’ve heard, Rucker does this sort of thing frequently, and more often than not, it doesn’t make the news. I’m sure he wouldn’t want it any other way. &nbsp,

In 2023, when he was honored with the 2023 CMA Foundation Humanitarian Award, he said it was his late mother, Carolyn, who inspired him to give as much as he could and believe in his dreams to reach a position in life where he could do just that. &nbsp,

” When I was a kid, she instilled in us that you help people – not people that are less fortunate, you help people that need help”, he said, adding,” We grew up in a really poor neighborhood with not much and, you know, there was no reason for me to believe that I was gonna be here and make it. However, she consistently taught me that I should believe in myself and that I can do anything I want. ‘” &nbsp,

And that’s another feature of Rucker that I enjoy. He doesn’t forget where he came from. He is not only proud of his humble Southern roots, which are apparent in almost everything he does, but he also gives his all in ad honor to Carolyn, a single mother who raised him and his six siblings alone. He even named his 2023 album” Caroly n’s Boy” in her honor — she died in 1992, just before he made it big — and he uses every opportunity he can to speak at length about how much she meant to him. He even claimed that she was a better singer than he when he told Southern Living in 1920 that she did.” And so, whenever I get a little big-headed, I remind myself,” You don’t sound like your mama, though.” &nbsp, &nbsp,

Rucker is largely known as a country music star these days, but if you’re like me and are passionate about all things 90s music, you’ll soon learn that he actually started out as the lead singer for the band Hootie &amp, the Blowfish. Born as a college band out of the University of South Carolina, Hootie became super famous when they released their debut mainstream album” Cracked Rear View”. The rest is history, as they say ( but I won’t go into detail here because I still have a lot to say and don’t want to turn this into a novella ). &nbsp,

Before that, the band established a name by playing shows all over the Southeast. One of my favorite stories from those days takes place in my beloved former college town of Athens, Ga. Rucker and the band played their hit song” Let Her Cry” for the first time at the Georgia Theatre, but it didn’t yet have a title. He claims a frat boy approached him and said,” You know how I feel about it.” If she’s going to cry, f*** her, let her cry”. The guys then and there made the song’s name. Here’s the full story from Rucker himself: It’s pretty funny. &nbsp,

But that’s the thing. Rucker still comes across as the kind of guy you only want to hang out with at a bar, the neighborhood Waffle House, or a college football or basketball game despite his incredible fame and success. ( Unfortunately, he’s a big South Carolina Gamecocks fan, but I only hold that against him when his team plays my Georgia Bulldogs. ) He is also proud of his Southernity, and he doesn’t try to lose it like so many people do when they become famous. It’s evident in everything he does, even right now as he’s spending some time living and working in the United Kingdom. In a number of interviews and appearances, it’s still present in the accent, manners, and love of Southern food. &nbsp, &nbsp,

What is recommended for VIPs: Taking a Road Trip This Summer? Bring Tom Petty Along.

Now comes the self-indulgent portion. Anyway, as I said, my own appreciation for Darius Rucker started when I was in middle school or around that time. One day, my parents went shopping and brought the CD home for my birthday after hearing a few songs from” Cracked Rear View” on the radio or MTV. That was all it took. I also fell in love with Darius Rucker’s voice that day, along with Hootie and the Blowfish. Everything about that album spoke to me. And Rucker did it in every way. I’ve been a huge fan ever since. He simply appeared to be who I am. &nbsp,

Maybe it was the Southernness I mentioned, or maybe it was how passionately he talked about one of his favorite bands, which also happened to be one of mine: R. E. M. Or, more likely, it’s just the fact that the man has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard. Whatever it was, I’ve been all in from that day way back in the mid-1990s when my mom handed me that album. &nbsp,

Unfortunately, I’ve never seen Rucker or Hootie &amp, the Blowfish live, but it’s not for lack of trying. Some of my friends actually find this to be a bit of a joke. Every single time I’ve managed to get my hands on tickets, something happens in my life that prevents me from going. My mom was in the hospital at the time, so I even purchased tickets for a virtual event. She called me about 20 minutes into it, and I missed most of the show. &nbsp,

However, I did get Rucker to serenade me once. Okay, it was on X and was written in written form, but it was still a little cool. &nbsp,

Rucker is a big R. E. M. fan, as I already mentioned. I am, too. I don’t believe you could have lived in Athens without not being, and my father practically plays it every day. Hootie &amp, the Blowfish’s cover of” Driver 8″ is one of my favorite songs ever. However,” You Are the Everything” is my current favorite R. E. M. song, and I’ve always thought that Rucker would do the same with” Driver 8″ to cover it in the same way.

A few years ago, not long after my own mother died, I guess I was feeling bold, so I told my dad and my friend and colleague here, Chris Queen, that I was going to find a way to get Rucker to sing” You Are the Everything”. I tweeted or posted on X as we used to do in the past, and I was quite shocked and honored when he responded with some of the lyrics. I’ve had some of the most powerful men in the world slide into my DMs over the years or repost things I wrote, but this response from Darius Rucker is my favorite thing that’s ever happened to me on that social media platform. &nbsp,

Sometimes I feel like I can’t even sing. I’m very afraid for this world. Very scared for me. https ://t.co/rBeBgQ81TT— Darius Rucker ( @dariusrucker ) November 21, 2021

Funny is that many of his supporters assumed he was experiencing some sort of internal crisis before realizing those were just song lyrics. &nbsp, &nbsp,

I still want to hear him perform a live performance of it, and I still have hope that he will do so one day. He has since covered other R. E. M. songs, so it’s possible. If you’re out there, hey Darius, &nbsp, &nbsp,

Anyway, I’ll stop my gushing and fangirling there, but I’ll leave you with a little music. This rendition of” Let Her Cry” is one of my favorites, despite there being no bad versions. I will always prefer his live versions of songs to the studio ones anyway. Perfection. ( And we actually had an X exchange about this song last year, too. On X, I may or may not occasionally harass the poor man. &nbsp,

Never!!! I love singing that song. https ://t.co/L2Pvsn9PyL— Darius Rucker ( @dariusrucker ) February 23, 2024

And here is Hootie &amp, the Blowfish performing” Driver 8″ by R. E. M. I listen to this song nearly every day. His voice literally transforms my mood right away. &nbsp, &nbsp,

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