16TH ANNUAL “DARIUS AND FRIENDS” BENEFIT CONCERT
RETURNS TO NASHVILLE’S RYMAN AUDITORIUM
MONDAY, JUNE 2
Tickets On Sale This Friday, May 2 at 10 a.m. CT via AXS.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Multi-time Diamond-certified superstar Darius Rucker returns to the historic Ryman Auditorium on Monday, June 2 for his 16th annual “Darius and Friends” concert benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. The event, which unofficially kicks off the week of CMA Fest in downtown Nashville and has raised more than $4.3 million to date, will feature a surprise all-star roster of friends as has become tradition at the annual celebration.
“As usual, the evening featured multiple servings of the country music industry’s past, present, and future for an essential cause,” noted the Tennessean in their review of last year’s show. “‘Darius and Friends’ has become a showcase for how much his superstar talents have expanded across genres after four decades of performing. Buying a ticket for the event ensures you’ll hear his country chart-toppers…And yes, there’s assuredly going to be some Hootie & the Blowfish classics…But the real win of the night is when Rucker steps out of his pre-supposed ‘comfort zones’ and as he did on Monday evening, performs songs like Bell Biv DeVoe’s ‘Poison,’ Tim McGraw’s ‘I Like It, I Love It’ and TLC’s ‘Waterfalls.’”
Rucker, who was honored as the 2023 CMA Humanitarian of the Year for always prioritizing philanthropic work throughout his career, made a commitment to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital nearly two decades ago after taking an inspiring tour of the hospital. Through this meaningful experience, Rucker learned how St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
Following that impactful 2008 visit, Rucker’s effort has since become an annual tradition. Friends performing with Rucker in past years have included Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Sheryl Crow, Dan + Shay, Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson, Jelly Roll, Charles Kelley of Lady A, Ashley McBryde, A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys, Megan Moroney, Brad Paisley, Kenny Rogers and Tommy Thayer of KISS, among many others.
Tickets to the 16th annual “Darius and Friends” benefit concert are available via AXS.com. Pre-sale access begins tomorrow, May 1 at 10 a.m. CT, with tickets on sale to the general public this Friday, May 2 at 10 a.m. CT. The event is made possible with support from generous sponsors AMD and The Law Office of Jennifer McCoy.
For more information, visit DariusRucker.com and follow on social media @DariusRucker.
About Darius Rucker
Rucker first achieved multi-Platinum status in the music industry as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the GRAMMY Award-winning band Hootie & the Blowfish, who have sold more than 25 million albums worldwide including their Double Diamond-certified (22x Platinum) debut Cracked Rear View, which remains among the top 10 best-selling studio albums of all time. Since releasing his first Country album in 2008, Rucker has earned a whole new legion of fans with four No. 1 albums on the Billboard Country chart plus 10 No. 1 singles at Country radio and 11 Gold, Platinum or multi-Platinum certified hits. Rucker was inducted as a Grand Ole Opry member in 2012 and he won his third career GRAMMY Award in 2014 for Best Solo Country Performance with his Diamond-certified (11x Platinum) version of “Wagon Wheel,” one of the top five best-selling Country songs of all time. His latest album Carolyn’s Boy (featuring recent single “Never Been Over” with Jennifer Nettles) is available everywhere now as is his New York Times bestselling memoir “Life’s Too Short,” released via Dey Street in 2024.
As a lifelong philanthropist, Rucker co-chaired the capital campaign that generated $150 million to help build the new MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in his hometown of Charleston, S.C. and has raised over $4.3 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through his annual Darius & Friends benefit concert and golf tournament. In addition, Rucker has advocated for over 200 charitable causes supporting public education and junior golf programs in South Carolina through the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation and serves as a National Chair for the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, Tenn. Rucker is also an avid sports fan, with his Darius Rucker Collection by Fanatics line of NFL, MLB, NHL and NCAA apparel available via Fanatics.com, and he is part of the Music City Baseball investment group working to bring an MLB team to Tennessee in addition to serving as a partner at the MGC Sports & Entertainment agency.
