Southern Living magazine has named Darius Rucker their 2021 “Southerner of the Year.” The title of “Southerner of the Year” is awarded to the individual who goes above and beyond to give back and changes lives in extraordinary ways. 

Rucker, a Charleston native, first earned his fame as a member of the renowned band Hootie & the Blowfish. Rucker then went on to start a successful solo music career.

However, some of his proudest achievements center around his charity work, which he credits his mom, a former nurse at the Medical University of South Carolina who has since passed, for instilling in him. Rucker said his mom “came home, and no matter how tired she was, if you wanted some time or attention, she was always there to give it to you. Compassion is something she really instilled in us—and empathy for other folks.”

Rucker has been involved in a variety of influential charity work as an ambassador for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, through his work with his own Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation and as a national chair for the National Museum of African American Music. He’s also hosted numerous charity concerts to benefit organizations across the country. 

While benefit concerts may not be able to take place at the moment, Rucker still plans to continue to give to those who need it most, as he upholds the title of “Southerner of the Year.”