First published 2024
Darius Rucker opens his life story through music. The three-time Grammy winner and Diamond-selling artist traces his path from childhood with a single mother in Charleston, South Carolina, to cofounding Hootie & the Blowfish at the University of South Carolina in 1986. What started as a party band playing frat houses transformed into a global phenomenon with their multiplatinum debut "cracked rear view" and hits like "Only Wanna Be with You," "Let Her Cry," and "Hold My Hand." Rucker later carved out a solo country career with songs like "Wagon Wheel" and "Alright." He structures his memoir around the artists who influenced him, from Al Green and Stevie Wonder to KISS, Lou Reed, Billy Joel, and Nanci Griffith. Along with tales from life on the road, Rucker confronts his failures and personal struggles. The book reveals how music became both the soundtrack and the lens through which he understood his remarkable journey.
Genres: african-american, autobiography, non-fiction, biography-memoir, music, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: rags-to-riches, redemption
Setting: Charleston, South Carolina, University of South Carolina
Period: 1986
256 pages · Hardcover · Dey Street Books