As a solo artist and as a member of a band, Darius Rucker has had a very successful career. He has been nominated for more than ten awards and has won more than five of these nominations – including double Grammy awards in 1995 for Best New Artist and Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group and also Best Country Solo Performances from the Grammy Awards in 2013. All of the work Darius Rucker has done has given him a net worth of $14 million.
He is also known to be a philanthropist who gives back to his community. Darius Rucker is a member of the MUSC Children’s Hospital Board, the hospital his mother used to work at. As a member of this board, he has helped with the fundraising of millions of dollars. He works with charities for children and does a number of benefit tours.
The Early Days of His Career and formation of Hootie & the Blowfish
The hallmark of Darius Rucker’s career as a musician straddles the work he has done as a solo artist and with Hootie & the Blowfish. The band was created in 1986 when Rucker met Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim Sonefeld when he was a student at the University of South Carolina. Before the band came to have four members it was just Bryan and Rucker.
The former heard the latter singing in the shower and decided that they should start making music together. They initially started by making covers of R.E.M songs. Three years later in 1989, Felber and Sonefeld were employed. The group has created 6 albums all of which were critical successes. Rucker is the frontman of the band, the tone of his voice, which has been described as being ingratiating, helped in giving the band visibility.
As a group, they have sung the national anthem at the World Series and performed at Frank Sinatra’s birthday party. In 2001, he decided to branch out on his own and start his own career as a solo act. He has created 7 studio albums, 24 music videos, and 17 singles.
