Darius Rucker Teases ‘Fun’ Elvis Tribute Special Appearance

Darius Rucker teased his part of the Elvis All-Star Tribute Special on Instagram Thursday, ahead of its debut on NBC Sunday night.

“This was so fun, y’all! Watch @Elvis’ “If I Can Dream” on Apple Music now — and get ready for the #ElvisAllStarTribute this Sunday on NBC,” the “If I Told You” singer wrote in the caption.

Rucker performed “One Night” during the show. Elvis Presley originally recorded the song in 1959, then later performed it during the ’68 Comeback Special.

The Hootie and the Blowfish frontman also appears on “If I Can Dream” with Carrie Underwood, Shawn Mendes, Post Malone and Blake Shelton. Their new version includes vocals from Presley’s recording.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Rucker opened up about his love of Presley’s music.

“Well, I was a really young kid, I went through my mom’s albums one night, just listened to stuff, I found this Elvis album, Elvis 45 and it was just… I got it, I got it instantly,” he said. “I have always been an Elvis fan. Like, I don’t remember not being an Elvis fan.”

Rucker, 52, said he was too young to remember watching the ’68 Comeback Special when it first aired. After all, he was only 2 years old at the time. However, he saw it when it aired again and it had an instant impact on him.

“When I was like 6 or 7, maybe more 5 or 6, they played it again on TV, and it was like a big thing, everybody in the neighborhood was watching it,” Rucker said. “It was great, I remember thinking, ‘That’s great’ … Elvis was one of the reasons that I play music because I thought he was awesome. I mean, every time I saw him play, I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do for a living.’”

The Elvis All-Star Tribute was filmed over two nights in Los Angeles in October to mark the 50th anniversary of the ’68 Comeback Special. The other performers include Post Malone, Keith Urban, John Fogerty, Kelsea Ballerini, Jennifer Lopez, Alessia Cara, Mac Davis, John Legend, Little Big Town, Adam Lambert, Pistol Annies, Dierks Bentley and Josh Groban.

Aside from Rucker’s appearance on Sunday’s special, his fans have another reason to be excited. In December, he announced a Hootie and the Blowfish reunion tour, coming 13 years after their last album. The new tour kicks off on May 30 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

During the group’s long sabbatical, Rucker switched music genres, making inroads in the country music world. In a recent interview with PopCulture.com, Rucker said he was unsure of how it would pan out.

“At that point in life and career, I had young kids,” Rucker said of his genre switch. “I think my daughter was 7 and my son was 3, and my oldest daughter was 13. And now they’re all a lot older, 10 years older. And really, the whole thing has changed. It’s amazing to me, 25 years after I started, I’m still here, and I think we had another No. 1 song. And it’s amazing to me that this is still happening, and it’s still fun.”

Elvis All-Star Tribute starts at 9 p.m. ET on NBC Sunday night.

Photo credit: NBC