Darius Rucker’s evolution from frontman of beloved ’90s rock band Hootie & The Blowfish to modern country star was completely seamless. In fact, there is a straight line between many of the group’s songs—including the easygoing folk-rocker “Only Wanna Be With You” and the rustic ballad “Let Her Cry”—to Rucker’s solo hits, especially his fiddle- and pedal-steel-heavy 2013 cover of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel”. Unsurprisingly, the Charleston, South Carolina’s native’s formative musical tastes also crossed genres: born in 1966, he grew up listening to Buck Owens, Charley Pride and Dolly Parton on the Grand Ole Opry’s radio show but also loved gospel great Al Green and rockers R.E.M. Rucker deftly weaves all of these influences into his country work, in the form of funky blues vibes (“Radio”), soulful vocal touches (the banjo-heavy “Homegrown Honey”) and intimate lyrics about small-town living (the smouldering, harmony-driven “Southern Style”). But even as Hootie & The Blowfish toured and released a new album in late 2019, Imperfect Circle, Rucker maintained his country career. In 2020, he collaborated with two other Black country stars, Pride and newcomer Jimmie Allen, on the powerful political statement “Why Things Happen”.