Darius Rucker is an American musician who has gained prominence in both Country Music and rock-pop. He first found success as the lead singer of the band Hootie & the Blowfish. After the band took a break 1998, Rucker began a solo career. He has completed two solo albums, Back to Then in July 2002 and Learn to Live in mid-2008. The song "Don't Think I Don't Think About It," earned Rucker the distinction of being the first number one country hit by a solo African-American artist.http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/rucker_darius/bio.jhtml

On November 11, 2009, Rucker won the Country Music Award for Best New Artist. He is the first African-American to win the award and only the second African American to win a major individual award at the CMAs, after Charlie Pride.http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=us%2F0_0_s_7_0_t&usg=AFQjCNF0boGUMJOysAXztm8q8i9t7kweMQ&sig2=x8NYREkt9k7IQm8l4N9JHg&cid=1466471474&ei=KAH8SuuzG5vNlQeY4aCuAg&rt=SEARCH&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bostonherald.com%2Fentertainment%2Fmusic%2Fgeneral%2Fview%2F20091112cma_darling_taylor_swift-ly_puts_kanye_west_in_the_past%2Fsrvc%3Dhome%26position%3D7 Rucker is nominated for a 2010 Academy of Country Music Award as Top Male Vocalist of the Year.http://www.acmcountry.com/awards/nominees.php

As the lead singer for Hootie & the Blowfish, Rucker became known for singing songs such as "Hold My Hand" and "Only Wanna Be with You" both of which came from the band's 1994 debut album Cracked Rear View which sold over 16 million copies, becoming one of the most successful albums of all time. The band recorded a total of five studio albums, the others being Fairweather Johnson, Musical Chairs, Hootie & the Blowfish and Looking for Lucky.http://www.hootie.com/

Rucker was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina and grew up listening to influences such as Al Green and Betty Wright. He helped form Hootie & the Blowfish while attending the University of South Carolina in 1986 along with Mark Bryan, Jim Sonefeld and Dean Felber. He released his first solo album in 2002, collaborating with artists such as Jill Scott and Snoop Dogg. He returned to work with his old band during the 2000s before re-launching his solo career as a country music artist with both critical and popular success.http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/rucker_darius/bio.jhtml

• 2002: Back to Then
• 2008: Learn to Live