Darius Rucker isn't just a country music star. He is someone who truly cares. When he found out that children at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital needed help, he did not wait. In 2008, Rucker visited St. Jude's campus and pledged to help.
"The work they're doing – the research, the breakthroughs – it's incredible. And I'll say this over-and-over; what gets me every time is knowing that families never get a bill. Not for treatment, travel, housing or food. That kind of support changes everything for families going through extraordinary circumstances, and I'm proud that my friends and I can be a small part of that relief," Rucker said.
In 2010, he started a concert called "Darius & Friends" to raise money for kids who needed help. As of November 2025, he has helped raise more than $5.1 million to help families get the medical care they need, according to Rucker.
Rucker was born on May 13, 1966, in Charleston, South Carolina. He’s sold over 25 million albums worldwide as the lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish and as a solo artist, according to the RIAA. Over the years, famous musicians and singers such as Luke Bryan, Jelly Roll, band members of KISS, and Luke Combs have graced the concert stage to raise money for children in need.
Rucker helped support a fundraising campaign that raised $150 million to build MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, where he now serves on the hospital board.
His mother Carolyn G. Rucker worked there as a nurse for more than 30 years, and the hospital later created a nursing scholarship in her honor. In 1992, his mother died of a heart attack. He wanted to honor her memory by helping children live healthy and happy lives.
In 2014, helped write a song called Possibilities for a St. Jude patient named Brennan. The song was created with Turner, the father of Brennan, a young St. Jude patient who fought leukemia and received three bone marrow transplants. Rucker recorded the song because its message of hope meant so much to him. Brennan's journey has been documented by St. Jude for years, and his family says it gave them hope when they needed it most.
"What gets me every time is knowing that families never get a bill. Not for treatment, travel, housing or food," Rucker said. The work St. Jude Children's Research Hospital does for children and families is important. Additional information about the hospital and its mission can be found on its website.