(EBM) As he prepares to embark on the first tour in five years with his Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates this week, frontman and Country music star in his own right Darius Rucker looks back across his multi-faceted career with raw, heartfelt memoir "Life's Too Short" available everywhere via Dey Street Books.
"If I look back at my life and try to see into my past, everything seems blurry. But then I lean in and start to hear something. Melodies. Chords. Harmonies. Lyrics. This book is the story of my life as told through twenty-three songs that took me away, soaring, starting at ground level, living in a poor but happy home, never wanting for much more, enjoying what I had, even when times got tough, because I had my escape, my refuge, my music." - Darius Rucker
Now multiple decades into his illustrious career, the three-time Grammy Award-winning, multi-Diamond-selling artist tells the story of his life through the lens of the music that made him, including songs by everyone from Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder to R.E.M., KISS, Prince and, of course, his own music both with Hootie and as a solo artist. He recounts the unlikely ascent of his band and wild tales of his road-hardened life-one filled with stumbles, missteps and battles with demons, but ultimately resulting in triumph. Candid, entertaining, and moving, "Life's Too Short" is a classic story of a man and his music.
Rucker appeared on NBC's "TODAY" this morning to discuss the memoir, noting "The Nanci Griffith chapter that I wrote about my mom when she was in a coma and when she died," when asked which chapter was the most meaningful to write about. "Reading that back brought me to tears. That was very meaningful to me. That was most meaningful of all of them."
The book has also earned early critical praise, with Entertainment Weekly noting, "Rucker's memoir reads like he's telling you his life story over a beer, with voicey asides and wisecracks strewn throughout... But between anecdotes about Woody Harrelson saving his life and dunking on teens at the YMCA while on tour, a pure, unabashed love for music permeates every page."
The Washington Post adds, "While anecdotes about the band's penchant for drinking and drug use are a small part of the book, Rucker's decision to include such details upfront sends a message: There's a lot more to the Hootie & the Blowfish story than the massive success that made them both Grammy winners and a cultural punchline," and USA Today explains of the memoir's musical through line, "Rucker's memories - the painful and the ecstatic - are recounted in chapters introduced by song titles: Billy Joel's 'Honesty' for his eventual pairing with guitarist Mark Bryan and their discussions about forming a band; 'Ships' from Barry Manilow about his passing-in-the-night relationship with his father; 'So. Central Rain' from one of Hootie & the Blowfish's biggest inspirations, R.E.M., in the chapter about Rucker meeting bassist Dean Felber, who became a soulmate as well as a bandmate."
Following this week's kickoff of the Hootie & the Blowfish Summer Camp with Trucks Tour (tickets available here), Rucker returns to Nashville for his annual "Darius & Friends" benefit concert in support of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital which has raised $3.6 million to date.
For more information on all projects and upcoming events, visit DariusRucker.com and follow on social media @DariusRucker.
"Life's Too Short"
A Memoir
by Darius Rucker
with Alan Eisenstock
Dey Street Books
Hardcover ISBN: 9780063238749 | $29.99
E-book ISBN: 9780063238763 | $14.99
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