You may think you already know everything about Darius Rucker, the talented, multiple Grammy-winning singer formerly of Hootie & the Blowfish who's leaving his mark on country music. However, after reading his new memoir, Life's Too Short, you'll probably realize you don't know him nearly as well as you thought.
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Rucker wanted to craft a narrative that was frank, compelling, gritty, and deeply personal.
Meet Darius Rucker's Family
Darius Rucker's Parents And Siblings
One impetus behind writing the book, according to People, was for Rucker, 58, to face his emotionally charged relationships with two deceased family members - his brother, Ricky, and dad, Billy.
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Billy was hardly in Rucker's life for years, according to the dailymail.co.uk, then he resurfaced to ask for $50,000. As for Ricky, he was plagued by drug use, did time in jail, and died after a fall.
The Singer's Mother
There was also his mom, Carolyn, a nurse, who worked hard and kept the family going. Rucker appreciated the way she resolutely stood behind him, no matter what.
"She was always so encouraging," he said, per Forbes. "If I had a mom who told me to 'turn off that white boy music' like my cousins would say, or told me anything negative, I don't think I'd be here. I remember telling her I was dropping out of college to play in a band thinking she was going to kill me, and she just said, 'Okay, if that's what you want to do.' It was awesome to have that kind of support."
She died of a heart attack in 1992, and Rucker still considers her "the greatest woman I've ever known."
Childhood And External Family
Rucker grew up in Charleston, S.C. with five siblings and single mom Carolyn at the helm, per the Washington Post. Recorded songs by famous hit makers like Willie Nelson, Al Green, Kenny Rogers enlivened their hardscrabble-but-loving household.
It was a crowded one, too. "At many points in his life, [Rucker's] mother, two aunts, maternal grandmother and 14 children lived together in a three-bedroom apartment," according to biography.com.
From childhood, Rucker was drawn to singing and performing, eventually leading him to connect with three other students who became his bandmates while he was studying at the University of South Carolina. They formed a singing group in 1986 per dariusrucker.com, and their burgeoning local popularity led to the creation of a blockbuster album in 1994 titled "Cracked Rear View," which went platinum.
Rucker was on the map and on the way to a stellar career. But significant problems were lurking, too.
As Rucker tells it in the book, drugs were an integral part of Hootie & the Blowfish's freewheeling, revved-up lifestyle. According to USA Today, Rucker said, "When do we partake? Day, evening, night, into the next day, always. Nonstop." The substances of choice were usually cocaine, mushrooms, and ecstasy.
Meeting His Ex-Wife
On a more positive note, Rucker met Beth Leonard, the woman who would become his wife and the mother of their two children, Jack and Daniella Rose, in 1998. (Rucker has a daughter, Carolyn, from an earlier relationship with Elizabeth Ann Phillips.) His gut told him right away that Leonard was not just a casual companion, but his future soulmate.
"I don't know what it was about her mean, it was everything about her," Rucker said, according to popculture.com. "I told her I was going to marry her on our first date. Beth's a strong woman. It takes a strong woman to be married to a musician, especially a musician who was drinking and partying as hard as I was...."
Rucker acknowledges that Leonard was instrumental in persuading him to ditch his drug use. Sadly, though, their idyllic married life didn't last. Wed in 2000, the pair announced their split in 2020.
They released a joint statement that said in part, "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. Our priority will always be out beautiful family...."
Meet Darius Rucker's Three Children
Rucker adores being a dad to his three adult children. When he was honored in 2023 with his own star on Hollywood's landmark Walk of Fame, he made sure he mentioned them with immense fatherly affection, according to People: "Cary, Dani and Jack are my heart, they're my soul," Rucker said. "They're everything to me and everything I do is for them."
They have each fared well. They're grounded, industrious, and without pretensions. Carolyn, 29, who bears her paternal grandmother's first name and has a musical bent like her father, graduated from Lynn University in Florida in 2028 and per The List, was fond of informally singing tunes from artists such as Rascal Flatts and Justin Bieber. She had no real aspirations for a career as a vocalist like Dad, though. Rucker said, "My oldest talked about wanting to be a singer but decided that it wasn't for her."
Daniella, 23, whose first name reflects Rucker's admiration for former Miami Dolphins QB Dan Marino, is a New York University alumna as of 2023.
Jack, at 19, is the youngest of the Rucker offspring. Currently a New York University student, he pals around with Reese Witherspoon's son, Deacon Phillippe, and hangs out with Rucker to play golf.
Rucker would go on to more singing triumphs. In 2008, he embarked on a solo, country-inflected recording path. That new direction resulted in Learn to Live, an album that went platinum the following year. He was a trailblazer for other Black musicians and listeners, reported PBS. Rucker said, "All over the country are people coming out of the woodwork, telling me, 'I'm black, but I love country music, and now you make it ok."
