Just days before Darius Rucker released his new album, Carolyn’s Boy, he received a major honor that left him feeling “shocked.” Rucker became the 104th person to be given a star on the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. The Walk of Fame is a landmark dedicated to those who’ve had a significant impact on the music industry and have ties to Nashville. Rucker was among four legends who were inducted on Wednesday morning in a public ceremony, joining “American Pie” singer Don McLean, guitar legend Duane Eddy and music executive Joe Galante.
Rucker, who fronts Hootie & the Blowfish in addition to his solo career, was emotional during the big moment, which saw his family and friends (including wrestling icon Ric Flair, who gave the induction speech) in attendance. As he teared up, he reflected on his upbringing, crediting his late mother, Carolyn, for supporting his love of music in his formative years.
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“When I was a kid, music wasn’t rock and roll or R&B or country. Music was music,” Rucker said. “It was all coming out of that big hi-fi we had, and I just listened to whatever I wanted to. I wouldn’t be standing here in front of you guys if my mom didn’t let me be me. My mom would fight with my brother, she would fight with my cousins. She would fight with anybody who told me to ‘take that white boy music off’ and tell them, ‘Let him listen to whatever he wanted to listen to.’”
The “Wagon Wheel” singer said he was “shocked” to be receiving such an honor, one that has previously gone to icons like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Little Richard, Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline. He further thanked his family, including his estranged wife Beth Leonard and their daughter Dani, for the sacrifices they made so he could achieve stardom in both the rock and country genres.
“I guess it’s just the way we were raised and I feel humble. I’m shocked that I’m here,” Rucker said. “I’m shocked that I’m getting this. I still feel there’s so much I need to do and want to do in music, and I just want to say to my family, thank y’all so much for putting up with me.”
He added, “Beth and Dani are here, and they sacrificed so much for me to be gone all the time, playing Hootie shows and then I came to Nashville. My first year in Nashville, I played 220 shows, and we were out on the road constantly, and my family sacrificed, and we’re all here.”
The “Beers and Sunshine” didn’t leave out the fans, though. Many of Rucker’s devoted followers stood out in the sun to watch Rucker receive his star on the Walk of Fame, and he made sure to give them their due.
“I just want to say to all the fans out here and the people who listen to music and care about music, I can’t thank y’all enough,” Rucker said. “You guys have given me such an amazing life that I love so much. And everything I do, I do for the people that want to hear me play music. And I just want to say thank you very much.”
Elsewhere in his speech, he summed up how grateful he is to be successful by saying, “I’m just a kid from South Carolina who believed in himself. And I got lucky twice.”
