Darius Rucker’s Annual Concert Raises More Than $500,000 For St. Jude Children’s Hospital

His “Darius and Friends” concert has become an annual tradition. Now in its 14^th year, it’s the unofficial kick-off to the CMA Fest, which draws hundreds of thousands of fans to Nashville to see country music’s biggest stars hold meet-and-greets and perform on a variety of stages downtown.

And some of those big stars show up earlier in the week to join Darius Rucker on stage at the Ryman.

Every year, he invites some of his famous friends to join him the Monday before CMA Fest, to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. In previous years, he’s released the guest lineup ahead of time, but not anymore. Now, those who buy tickets do it without knowing who’ll perform until the night of the show. A grateful Rucker said, “We don’t even announce who’s on anymore and it still sells out.”

His fans know he’ll deliver. The packed house went wild with the announcement of this year’s performers: Vince Gill, Jake Owen, Megan Moroney, Jelly Roll, and HARDY.

For nearly three hours, in the cozy, intimate setting of the historic Ryman Auditorium, Rucker hosted a dynamic night of music.

For his first set, he sang “Alright, “Radio,” and “Southern State of Mind,” then brought out his first guest.

He introduced Jake Owen as “a great guy, great golfer, and I love being around him.” Then, he jokingly added, “And he’s so damn pretty!”

Owen, who sang “Down to the Honkytonk,” “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” and a cover of Hank Williams Jr’s “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound,” noted that since Rucker said some nice things about him, he’d do the same.

“I’m really grateful for my friend Darius. He’s a great dude and what he’s done for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a big, big thing. It’s ingrained in artists like myself throughout the years to use our platforms, and Darius has done an incredible job.”

In between the different guest artists, Rucker would come out and perform his own country hits or Hootie & the Blowfish classics. Throughout the night he sang, “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About it,” “Only Wanna Be With You,” “Comeback Song,” and many others.

He welcomed rising artist Megan Moroney by saying, “When I heard her sing, it just blew my mind.” Moroney performed three songs, including her hit “Tennessee Orange.”

The song, which talks about a Georgia girl falling in love with a boy from Tennessee and ends up wearing “Tennessee Orange,” includes the line “In Georgia, they call it a sin.”

Rucker, an avid Gamecock fan, later posted on social media “It’s a sin in South Carolina, too!”

Country legend Vince Gill performed “Whenever You Come Around,” “When I Call Your Name,” and “Go Rest High on That Mountain.”

Gill said he and Rucker first met during Rucker’s Hootie & the Blowfish days.

“Over 30 years ago, we played a golf tournament together called “Fairway to Heaven,” Gill explained. “We left there and we’ve been great friends ever since.”

He said Rucker later asked him to sing on his first country album.

“I’m glad Darius wanted to be a country artist. We’re so grateful to have him in our family.”

Jelly Roll arrived wearing his sports jersey from the Folds of Honor celebrity softball tournament earlier in the evening. Regarding “Darius and Friends” he said, “This is a great cause, and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

He sang “Son of a Sinner,” and “Need a Favor.”

As Jelly Roll left the stage, Rucker, came back singing from one of his songs, “I only talk to God when I need a favor,” saying, “What a great line!”

As he welcomed HARDY, Rucker called him “a star” and said, “The way he sees the world is beautiful and he writes amazing songs.”

HARDY, who released his new album in late January performed, “A Rock,” and “Unapologetically Country as Hell.”

Rucker rounded out the night with covers of Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie,” Garth Brooks “Friends in Low Places,” Blackstreet’s “No Diggety” and Prince’s “Purple Rain.” And of course, a rousing rendition of “Wagon Wheel,” that had everyone in the house singing along.

Rucker also holds a golf tournament with the proceeds going to St. Jude. Those who couldn’t attend the show, but would like to donate in honor of “Darius and Friends” can do so HERE.

Rucker kicked off the fundraising concert after visiting St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis 15 years ago. In the years since, his performing “friends” have included Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Sheryl Crow, Brad Paisley, and many others.

Rucker’s dedication to “giving back” began decades ago, during the Hootie & the Blowfish days. To date, he’s dedicated time, money, or both, to more than 200 different charities.