Why SC natives Craig Melvin, Darius Rucker sang a ‘Hootie’ classic on the ‘Today’ show

Imagine if Craig Melvin wasn’t a news anchor but instead the frontman for ... Hootie & the Blowfish?

The Columbia native and anchor for NBC’s “Today” show on Tuesday explored his childhood dream of being a rock star as part of the show’s “When I Grow Up” series, throughout which “Today” personalities get to live out their childhood dreams.

“When I was little, I wanted to be the lead singer in a band,” Melvin said during Tuesday’s episode. “And where I’m from, in Columbia, S.C., there’s no bigger band than Hootie & the Blowfish.”

So, Melvin got the chance to rock out with Darius Rucker, the lead singer for the Columbia-born band.

Rucker, who grew up in Charleston and is currently on tour, explained to Melvin on the show that “Let Her Cry” is one of his favorites.

“’Let Her Cry’ for me will always be that song that God sent me to put me on the right path,” Rucker said. “Because that song changed my life.”

Melvin belted out the song with Rucker’s band on the stage that had been set up for an upcoming show.

“What was impressive was, you came with a collection of tight T-shirts,” “Today” show cohost Al Roker quipped while talking with Melvin after the segment.

“I figured if I couldn’t sing the part, I could try to look the part,” Melvin said, chuckling in response.

This story was originally published November 13, 2018 at 4:31 PM.