Darius Rucker sings about South Carolina nights on new single ‘Beers and Sunshine’
Darius Rucker has a new single where he tries to capture the essence of the summer in South Carolina.
“Beers and Sunshine” was released Thursday to be played on radio waves and streaming music services.
It’s a song the Charleston native said he co-wrote during the coronavirus pandemic, which hit shortly after Rucker and his Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates completed a reunion tour.
The new solo tune could be popular with the Hootie faithful, as well as the legion of Rucker’s country music fans.
In the song, Rucker rhapsodizes about “Back porch nights in South Carolina.” While its themes might focus on enjoying the simple things, Rucker said the song was composed during a time that’s anything but lighthearted.
Rucker virtually got together with Ross Copperman, Josh Osborne and J.T. Harding to bring “Beers and Sunshine” to life during quarantine, as the confirmed cases of COVID-19 have spiked.
“It’s certainly been a hard year so far with a lot of heaviness around us constantly,” Rucker said during an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show. “Like it says in the song, I don’t know how we fix any of these big, real issues that we’re facing, but while we work through this time I think it’s important that we find the silver lining where we can really enjoy the little moments and the simple joys of time spent together with friends and family.”
The lyrics make that clear, as Rucker sings “Turn on the good times, turn off the TV. Yeah, the only BS I need is beers and sunshine.”
Last November, Rucker released a new album with Hootie & the Blowfish, titled “Imperfect Circle.” It followed the Group Therapy Tour, which concluded it’s U.S. leg in September with three nights of shows at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.
The group was formed while the members were students at the University of South Carolina. When they were getting started, the band played gigs at frat houses and were staples in Five Points bars and restaurants in Columbia.
Hootie & the Blowfish hit it big when the 1994 album “Cracked Rear View” went platinum 16 times. It remains one of the best-selling albums of all time and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1995.
In the early 2000s, the group went on hiatus, and Rucker became an award-winning country music star, and a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
