Darius Rucker will bring an all-star lineup to Ryman Auditorium on Monday night as he continues his decade-long effort to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, which is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
The fan-favorite “Darius & Friends” event has raised nearly $2 million to date and looks to add to that number this year with the support of Jimmie Allen, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Sheryl Crow, Travis Denning, Jillian Jacqueline and Brett Young.
“I was blown away by the positive impact St. Jude has on patients and their families when I first visited more than a decade ago,” reflects Rucker. “To see how this event has grown and how many of my friends have gotten involved to support their mission is one of my proudest moments every year.”
Friends performing with Rucker in past years have included Lauren Alaina, Brooks & Dunn, Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum, Ashley McBryde, A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys, Brad Paisley, Kenny Rogers and Paul Stanley of KISS, among others.
The event is made possible with support from generous sponsors PGA Tour, CDW, Intel, Arrow Electronics, AMD, A.O. Smith, Hendrix Enterprises, Shepherd Family Auto Group, Universal Music Group, Creative Artists Agency and Hutton Hotel.
Rucker, who has always prioritized philanthropic work, was honored with the ACM Gary Haber Lifting Lives Award last year for his efforts as well as the Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award at the recent 2019 Music Biz Awards. He continues this tradition of giving in the midst of the now underway Hootie & the Blowfish Group Therapy Tour, the band’s first full outing in over a decade that comes with news of a forthcoming album with new label home UMG Nashville.
For more information, visit www.dariusrucker.com or follow on social media @DariusRucker.
About Darius Rucker
Rucker first attained multi-Platinum status in the music industry as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of GRAMMY award-winning Hootie & the Blowfish. Since releasing his first country album in 2008, he has celebrated four No. 1 albums on the Billboard Country chart and nine No. 1 singles at Country radio, earning a whole new legion of fans. In 2014, Rucker won his third career GRAMMY award for Best Solo Country Performance with his 4x Platinum-selling cover of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel.” As a lifelong philanthropist, Rucker is a continuous supporter of the MUSC Children's Hospital in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, and has raised millions of dollars for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital through his annual Darius & Friends benefit concert and golf tournament, as well as for more than 200 charitable causes supporting public education and junior golf programs in South Carolina through the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation. Currently, Rucker is on the road with his Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates for the Group Therapy Tour as they celebrate the 25th Anniversary of mega-hit Cracked Rear View as well as a forthcoming album with new label home Universal Music Group Nashville.
About Jimmie Allen
The epitome of the phrase “persistence pays off,” Jimmie Allen laid it all on the line to make his dreams a reality. Now signed to BBR Music Group’s Stoney Creek Records, Allen’s debut single “Best Shot” is a certified hit, claiming the top spot as the No. 1 Most Shazamed song in the format for eight consecutive weeks, and the No. 1 spot on Country radio for three weeks, marking the first time a black artist has launched a career with a No. 1 hit with their debut single on country radio. On the heels of that historic success, Allen is back with his latest single, “Make Me Want To” which was most added at country radio in its first week with 61 stations.
“Make Me Want To” is the second single off his Stoney Creek Records / BBR Music Group debut album Mercury Lane released Oct. 12, 2018. Named in tribute to the street he grew up on and the origin of his incredible journey, Mercury Lane was produced by Ash Bowers and Eric Torres and features a cutting-edge mix of country, rock, R&B and pop that draws upon the influence of his family and small-town upbringing of the critically-acclaimed rising star. Rolling Stone raved Allen’s debut “challenges the narrowly defined model of what constitutes a next big thing in country music in 2018” and The New York Times dubbed it one of 2018’s strongest, calling it “a conventional country album, filled with songs about the small details.”
The Southern Delaware native’s talent for songwriting is undeniable, having written a song that was featured in a Super Bowl commercial and appearing in a Diet Coke ad with megastar Taylor Swift. “Blue Jean Baby,” off his debut self-titled EP, immediately caught the attention of country music fans and critics alike with its soulful groove— rocketing it to the top of digital playlists, across all genres. Allen recently wrapped his run on Scotty McCreery’s Seasons Change Tour as well as Kane Brown's Live Forever Tour. He will also be hitting the road this summer as support on Chris Young’s Raised on Country Tour and Rascal Flatts’ Summer Playlist Tour. The hot newcomer was heralded as one of the top “artists to watch in 2018” by Rolling Stone, Billboard, Pandora, Sounds Like Nashville, NY Country Swag, Country Music Rocks and New England Country Music and has earned spots in CMT’s “18 for 2018” Listen Up program and Bobby Bones’ Class of 2018. For more information, visit jimmieallenmusic.com.
About Kane Brown
With his sophomore chart-topping album Experiment, Kane Brown debuted No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums chart, becoming the only male country artist in more than 24 years to debut at the top of the Billboard 200, and only one of three country artists to top the Billboard 200 chart in all of 2018. Ranked by The New York Times as one of the Top 10 Best Albums of the Year, Experiment is available to stream and download HERE.
2X CMT Music Awards nominee Kane Brown just scored his fourth No. 1 airplay single with his co-penned, fan-favorite track, “Good As You.” Written by Brown, Brock Berryhill, Shy Carter, Taylor Phillips and Will Weatherly, “Good As You” is the follow-up single to the singer/songwriter’s Platinum-certified #1 airplay and streaming hit, “Lose It,” which was preceded by Brown’s multi-week chart-topping hits “Heaven” and “What Ifs” off his record-breaking debut album.
Kane Brown continues to shatter records. Not only did he become the first artist in Billboard history to top all 5 Billboard Country charts, but in March, he broke the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo record for the biggest country artist debut in Rodeo Houston history with 75,126 fans in attendance. At this concert, Brown was surprised with a plaque commemorating the 4X Platinum certification of “Heaven;” he is now one of only five country acts with multiple 4X Platinum hits (joining Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Sam Hunt and Taylor Swift). “What Ifs” featuring Lauren Alaina was his first 4X Platinum single.
For more information, visit kanebrownmusic.com.
About Luke Bryan
Luke is a two-time Academy of Country Music and a two-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year, a five-time host of the ACM Awards, a NSAI Artist/Songwriter of the Year, was named a CMT Artist of the Year six consecutive years and was a judge on ABC’s “American Idol” in the last two years. Luke has more certified digital singles than any other country artist with 46 million tracks and 12 million albums with four billion music streams. Luke has placed 22 singles at No. 1, 12 of which he co-wrote. Over the last few years, Luke’s headline tours have performed for 1.5 million fans or more and in 2018 he performed more stadium dates in one calendar year than ever with a career total of 34. Last year, Luke opened Nashville’s only six-floor entertainment facility in the heart of Music City, LUKE’S 32 BRIDGE FOOD + DRINK. The name was inspired by Luke’s childhood home near Route 32 Bridge in Lee County, Georgia. Visit www.LukeBryan.com or follow Luke on Twitter @LukeBryanOnline, Instagram and Facebook.
About Travis Denning
A native of Warner Robins, Georgia, Travis Denning vividly remembers the moment he realized he wanted to pursue music for a living. He was seven years old sitting in his Dad’s truck and heard AC/DC for the first time. From then on, he was hooked and devoured all types of music from country, pop, rock and heavy metal. Denning started playing local bars at the age of 16 and built a solid following from his distinctive songs and raucous guitar licks. He moved to Nashville in 2014 and within a year signed a publishing deal with Jeremy Stover’s RED Creative Group. After securing outside cuts by Jason Aldean, Justin Moore, Michael Ray and Chase Rice he caught the attention of Universal Music Group where he eventually signed a record deal in 2017. Denning just released his new single “After A Few” which he co-wrote with Kelly Archer and Justin Weaver and is currently climbing country radio charts, following his Top 40 debut single “David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs.” Denning was recently selected as an Opry NextStage recipient and will receive unique opportunities to participate in events as well as connect with industry professionals. The singer/songwriter has previously opened shows for Cole Swindell, Alan Jackson, Chase Rice, LANCO as well as Justin Moore and his first headlining Heartbeat Of A Small Town Tour. When Denning is not touring, he is in the studio working on his debut album.
About Jillian Jacqueline
“Part of the next generation of country music stars” (Refinery29) Jillian Jacqueline is taking the music scene by storm with her effortlessly raw vocals and new-school, no-holds-barred storytelling. The bold up-and-comer’s six-song EP, SIDE B, features buzzed-about tracks “If I Were You” (feat. Keith Urban), “Sad Girls,” and “Tragic.” Since intriguing Country fans and media alike with her breakout EP SIDE A, she has gathered 80 million plus total streams. Recognized by NPR as "a spare, unvarnished communicator and a singer whose moodiness can be accentuated with gently embellished, beat-driven production,” she was named one of Rolling Stone’s “10 New Country Artists You Need To Know” and praised by American Songwriter as “catchy and radio-ready as hell,“ Jacqueline is the first Country artist to make Vevo’s elite dscvr Artists To Watch list, while also earning spots on Pandora’s Country Artists To Watch 2018 and CMT’s coveted Next Women of Country list as well as the network's tastemaking “18 for 2018” rundown of emerging artists. After making her late night television debut on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, she was spotlighted as Billboard’s “Chartbreaker,” a monthly franchise highlighting rising artists climbing the charts. Jacqueline has landed coveted opening slots with Thomas Rhett, Brett Eldredge, Dwight Yoakam, Billy Currington, Jordan Davis and Devin Dawson. After recently wrapping her first-ever run of headline dates and returning to the U.K. for a string of sold-out shows with Kip Moore, this summer she will share the bill with Little Big Town on select dates and perform at high-profile festivals. A native of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, she was road-mentored by Country icon Kenny Rogers and has written and recorded alongside legends like Vince Gill and Richard Marx.
About Brett Young
Brett Young’s sophomore release, Ticket to L.A. (BMLG Records), debuted atop the Billboard Country Albums chart and follows his Platinum self-titled debut, which dominated the Top 20 on the Country Albums chart for 37 weeks. Delivering five consecutive No. 1 hits with “In Case You Didn’t Know” (4x Platinum), “Mercy” (2x Platinum), “Sleep Without You” (Platinum), “Like I Loved You” (Platinum) and “Here Tonight” (Gold), Young was named ASCAP’s 2018 Country Songwriter-Artist of the Year for his “melodic craftsmanship” (Billboard). He has also garnered nominations from ACM, Billboard, Teen Choice, CMT and CMA Awards as he continues to rack up nonstop hits as “one of country’s most consistent radio stars” (Rolling Stone). Young has amassed more than 1.7 billion streams of his catalog globally. He continues to bring his “big stage presence” (OC Register) and “engaging and vocally strong” (Providence Journal) live show coast-to-coast at multiple festivals throughout summer including Nissan Stadium at CMA Music Fest in Nashville on June 8, Country LakeShake in Chicago, IL on June 22 and Faster Horses in Brooklyn, MI on July 19. He will also open for Luke Bryan at Gillette Stadium on June 21. For additional information, visit BrettYoungMusic.com.
About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter and Instagram and subscribing to its YouTube channel.