Rucker brings his ‘Southern Style’ to Bemidji

BEMIDJI - Country music singer Darius Rucker will hit the stage Thursday at the Sanford Center in Bemidji. Rucker is on his  “Southern Style Tour” and the opening acts will be David Nail and the band A Thousand Horses.
Rucker is on tour for his fourth country album, “Southern Style,” which was released this year.
Rucker’s other albums are “Learn to Live” in 2008, “Charleston, SC 1966” in 2010 and “True Believers” in 2013. Rucker also put out a “Home for the Holidays” album last year.
Rucker first gained fame as the lead singer/guitarist for the widely successful Hootie & The Blowfish, which to date has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide.
The band burst onto the mainstream rock scene in 1994 with “Cracked Rear View,” which went on to sell 16 million copies and earned numerous awards for songs such as “Hold My Hand,” “Let Her Cry” and “Only Wanna Be With You.”
As a country artist, Rucker also has gained national recognition, with several No. 1 singles. His song “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” from “Learn to Live” in 2008 became the first No. 1 country song from an African-American artist since Charley Pride in 1983.
He won the New Artist award from the Country Music Association that year, as well. He also had two No. 1 singles from the “Charleston, SC 1966” album and other hit singles from the “True Believers” album, according to his website, www.dariusrucker.com .
Another career highlight came in 2012, when Rucker was officially inducted as a member into the Grand Ole Opry, after country star Brad Paisley broke the news to Rucker in the middle of a show. His version of “Wagon Wheel,” the Old Crow Medicine Show song initially based on a sketch by Bob Dylan, with an assist from his tour partners and labelmates Lady Antebellum. The song hit No. 1 on the country charts, and won the Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance.
Tickets are available at the Sanford Center box office, Lueken’s Village Foods, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000.
For more information, see www.livenation.com or www.ticketmaster.com .