\n Darius Rucker.<\/span> Matt Baron\/BEI\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Darius Rucker<\/strong><\/a> has won a Grammy and scored 10 No. 1 hits since going solo \u2014 but not before he was repeatedly told he\u2019d be unable to overcome racism in country music.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest with you, I didn\u2019t think I would have much success. And when I started doing the radio stations and stuff, I had people say to me, to my face, \u2018My audience would never accept a Black country singer,\u2019\u201d he told ET Canada<\/a> i<\/em>n an interview published on Thursday, August 10. \u201cThat\u2019s something that I was like, \u2018Okay, just play the record, let\u2019s see?\u2019 And then they did.\u201d<\/p>\n Rucker, who was frontman of the band Hootie and the Blowfish until his departure in 2008, quickly proved his naysayers wrong. His first single, \u201cDon\u2019t Think I Don\u2019t Think About It,\u201d debuted at No. 1 later that year, making him the first Black artist to reach number one on the Hot Country Songs charts since the legendary Charley Pride did so in 1983.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t worried about it \u2019cause I just want to make records, you know?\u201d he said. \u201cI mean, I wasn\u2019t sitting around going, \u2018Oh my God, you know, I\u2019m going to be the Black guy in country.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n While there was \u201cnobody that looked like\u201d Rucker in country music at the time, the singer confessed he \u201cdidn\u2019t expect to be the one to break down the wall\u201d \u2014 but he\u2019s happy to have inspired change.<\/p>\n \u201cHere we are. And I love seeing Kane [Brown]<\/strong> <\/a>and all those guys over there [who are having] all this great success,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s great to see and I\u2019m proud that I was part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Other songs\u00a0 among Rucker\u2019s No. 1 hits include \u201cIt Won\u2019t Be Like This for Long,\u201d\u00a0 \u201cAlright,\u201d \u201cCome Back Song,\u201d\u00a0 \u201cThis,\u201d\u00a0 \u201cIf I Told You,\u201d and \u201cFor the First Time\u201d and he has won a Grammy, an ACM and a CMA<\/a> award for his solo music. (Rucker also won two Grammys in 1996 with Hootie and the Blowfish.)<\/p>\n Rucker told ET<\/em> on Thursday that young artists should take solace in knowing that the perspective of record labels has changed. \u201cYou see all the labels now actively searching for African-American artists or Hispanic artists, artists of color,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n Despite the progress made within the music industry, Rucker has still continued to face racism throughout his career. After he covered Bob Dylan\u2019s<\/strong> <\/a>\u201cWagon Wheel\u201d at the Grand Ole Opry in May 2013, he responded to a tweet that told him to \u201cLeave country to the white folk.\u201d<\/p>\n Rucker, for his part, responded<\/a>: \u201cWOW. Is this 2013 or 1913? I\u2019ll take my grand ole Opry membership and leave your racism. Wow.\u201d<\/p>\n Fans quickly tweeted in support of Rucker, who then assured made it clear that racism wouldn\u2019t prevent him from continuing to put out records.<\/p>\n \u201cGotta go to bed this has been hilarious tonight,\u201d he wrote. \u201cIf any hater thinks I care what u think. I don\u2019t make music for u. So don\u2019t listen.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2020, Rucker was outspoken about his support of the Black Lives Matter movement<\/a> \u2014 \u201cRacism is not a born thing; it is a taught thing,\u201d he wrote via Instagram<\/a> at the time. When discussing the topic during an appearance on the Today<\/em><\/a> show later that month, the musician explained that there is a risk involved with being candid about sensitive issues in country music.<\/p>\n \u201cProven. Look at the Dixie Chicks, the biggest thing in the business, they say one sentence, every station stops playing their music. That\u2019s the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. You know, it wasn\u2019t about their politics, it was about their music,\u201d he said. \u201cYou become a rich Black man and you think racism goes away. It doesn\u2019t. There\u2019s people that hate you more because you\u2019re rich.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Darius](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Darius-Rucker-Was-Told-Radio-Audiences-Would-Never-Accept-a-Black-Country-Singer-inline.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Darius Rucker.<\/span> Stephen Lovekin\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n