Darius Rucker sings part-time with Hootie and the Blowfish, despite the fact that he still runs a solo career.

Rucker former and led the band since 1986 and the band never split.

Why did Darius Rucker leave Hootie and the Blowfish?

Rucker left the band to take on a solo career in country music.

Who Is Darius Rucker?

Darius Rucker is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, famous for leading the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, since 1986.

Born on May 13, 1966, in South Carolina, Rucker set up Hootie & the Blowfish while at the University of South Carolina together with his friends, Mark Bryan, Jim “Soni” Sonefeld, and Dean Felber.

The group released six albums which ranked amongst the top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.

Rucker went solo in 2001, and launched his solo R&B album, Back to Then.

He later switched to Country music and got signed under the label Capitol Nashville.

Rucker then released the album Learn to Live with the hit single “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It”, which went on to rank number one on the Hot Country Songs charts. He became the first Black artist to do so since 1983.

Rucker later dished out three more hit singles, “It Won’t Be Like This for Long” and “Alright” and “History in the Making”.

Other solo albums he released include Charleston, SC 1966, True Believers, Home for the Holidays, Southern Style, and When Was the Last Time.

Rucker has won several awards including the New Artist Award from the Country Music Association.

He is “the first black American to win it and the second to win any award from the association.”