I have seen Hootie & the Blowfish just once in person, in concert. It was a big event, though. It was Farm Aid 1998, held in Tinley Park, Illinois. I remember that the group did an unexpected cover of Led Zeppelin's "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" that blew me away. I also remember that this was the most "aromatic" concert I have ever attended. The waves hit you as soon as you got out of the car, before the musicians had even left their buses. And it didn't let up for the whole day. Maybe Willie Nelson had the smoke piped in. By the time the finale with Phish arrived, I had to leave. It was just too much. The experience itself was great, though, and I'm glad I had the chance to witness it. I could also tell myself that spending the whole day there meant that I was supporting a good cause.

Anyway, over the years, I've heard SOME of Hootie's music and SOME of Darius Rucker's solo work. The man has a powerful and distinctive voice, for sure. So, how did his musical career come about? What was he thinking and feeling, along the way? Who are the cool celebrities he has met? If our paths happened to intersect with his, will he have found these times memorable enough to mention? These are the insights we want and expect from a pop star's memoir. And this is why I decided to pick up this book.

Rucker has always been impacted by music, even from an early age. Specific songs can haunt him for long and intense periods of time. For this reason, he and his collaborator decided to arrange and title each chapter by the song that was prominent in Rucker's mind at the time. Some of the choices may be surprising. KISS? Billy Joel? Barry Manilow? Frank Sinatra? Rucker looks more like someone who would have been raised on large doses of gospel music, blues and jazz. Yet he's been open to the musicality and the impact of all sorts of songs, forever. Already we're learning more about this man.

His first-person narrative is grounded in South Carolina. Rucker was born in Charleston. He attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Here he meets the guys who will eventually perform with him as Hootie & the Blowfish: guitar player Mark Ryan, bass player Dean Felber and drummer Brantley Smith. For the longest time, theirs was a bar band that played only in nearby or regional venues. One day, amazingly enough, their first album was promoted on nationwide television by David Letterman. The world shifted and time sped up. We follow the band through its rise and retreat. We follow Rucker as he moves into the country music scene as a solo act, when, in 2008, he becomes "the first solo Black artist to have a number one country music record since Charley Pride sang 'Night Games' in 1983." (p. 222) Wow! And his music career continues to this day, with and without the Blowfish.

No, Rucker doesn't mention Farm Aid 1998 here. He DOES talk about Farm Aid 1995, and what it was like to be on the stage with other celebrities in Louisville, Kentucky. This is enough for me.

Both Hootie and Darius Rucker fans should find some good stories and explanations here. He seems to be honest and forthcoming. He doesn't shy away from the ever-presence of drugs and alcohol in his days. He doesn't ignore problems in relationships. Above all, he certainly is a music man: someone who cannot live without music in his life. He listens to it, analyzes it, writes it, refines it, all the time. He is one of those individuals who has found his inspiration and his true talent in life. And he shares it with a willing audience.