Darius Rucker's 'CMT Storytellers' showcases his four-decade hitmaking legacy

A five-plus minute bluegrass-funk anthem was the last thing that anyone at Spring Hill's Worldwide Stages soundstage was expecting to hear during the hour-long taping of Darius Rucker's Aug. 31-premiering edition of CMT Storytellers.

However, spending three decades around "Only Wanna Be With You" — and the Miami Dolphins no longer making Darius Rucker cry — led to a loose, powerful, dance-inducing version of the 27-year-old Billboard No. 1 hit.

"Life changes so much, but as much as I continue to have experiences that deserve to be in songs, I'll write them," says Rucker, describing how he's been able to remain creatively vital for nearly four decades.

"All of the songs I'm singing in this special have had lives from the songwriting room, to radio, to No. 1. I still love playing these songs, too — there's nothing better than watching someone lose their mind to something I loved making," says the hall-of-fame level creator.

He's evolved from writing alone and then bringing tracks to a band as a pop star with Hootie and the Blowfish to being a frequent co-writer — as many country stars are — upon embarking upon the Nashville era of his career.

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Jokingly, Rucker offers that for as many hit singles as he's achieved, there have also been those songs that have, for lack of a better term, "sucked."

"You never want to say it until you're absolutely sure because you believe that every song you make could be great," he says. "It turns out — even in Nashville, actually — that most of the songs you write aren't great. You've gotta write 100 bad songs to have one great one."

He credits two distinct sources as key in his musical evolution: legendary soul man Al Green and Radney Foster. For those unaware of the latter, he's a 90s country star whose 1992 debut, "Del Rio, TX 1959," produced four consecutive Top 40 hits. During the "Storytellers" taping, Rucker highlighted that album as key in his development.

Rucker notes that he's "humbled" whenever a songwriter comes to him with an idea for a song, and his voice comes to mind as the one that could best encapsulate the potential track's lyrical depth and scope.

He recalls writing August 2020's "Beers and Sunshine" — his most recent No. 1 single — alongside Ross Copperman, J.T. Harding, and Josh Osborne as one of those moments.

"Those lyrics about hitting golf balls off the dock, that's all me. The fact that the song speaks to solving issues in the world? That's the collaborative effort," says the 10-time country radio chart-topper.

Live, "Beers and Sunshine" inspired a surprising party vibe. The song's initial release occurred during the first wave of COVID-19, so it felt in many ways aspirational. However, almost two years to the day later, the song's lyrics speaking of desires to "not work today" and "sit around and play" — when buoyed by a one-drop reggae drum and thick bassline — inspired the entire studio audience to rise to their feet and sway with the rhythm.

Digging emotionally deeper into himself may not seem, on the surface, to be a strength of the typically jovial-appearing Rucker. However, three songs — Hootie and the Blowfish's "Let Her Cry" and two of his more beloved singles, 2010's "It Won't Be Like This For Long" and 2011's Chris Stapleton-co-written "Come Back Song" — highlight how writing and performing with heartfelt intention have aided his artistic development.

Rucker offers that "It Won't Be Like This For Long" is best regarded as a series of anecdotes about his children coming of age and giving other parents perspectives on the matter. "Getting deep helps," he says. "People want to feel and learn things from music."

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Insofar as Storytellers show opener "Let Her Cry," its presentation elevates it to being one of the great mournful pop anthems of the past 30 years. It's the first song Rucker ever wrote after a night of barhopping and playing video games soundtracked by The Black Crowes and Bonnie Raitt records.

With his longtime fiddle player Garry Murray taking the lead under a lone spotlight, Rucker's voice begins to rumble to a shout. Then, the drums and the rest of the band instruments kicked in for the second verse, and as the stage lit up in full,  the rhythm change was a stunning and energizing moment.

Similarly emotional was the deference Rucker showed to Chris Stapleton's authoritative position as one of the most definitive voices in modern music.

While recording what would become 2010's "Charleston, SC 1966" — his second country album — his producer Frank Rogers continuously urged him to record a song that Stapleton had cut an incredible demo for: "Come Back Song." Rucker describes constantly putting off recording the track. Finally, Rogers' demands wore him down.

"Chris [Stapleton] sang the hell out of that demo. There's no way I can sing anything better than that," he stated. Upon re-composing the song and changing its vocal key, it was recorded. Four months after its July 2010 release, it was a two-week Billboard radio chart No. 1 hit.

Regarding why someone should watch him lay his process bare for the world to see, he gives a skillful answer that highlights the ever-present joy he has in the art he creates.

"At the end of the day, I'm just a singer. Songwriting and entertainment come next. I'm still just a kid from Charleston, South Carolina who got lucky and am still trying to do my job to the best of my ability every day."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: 'CMT Storytellers': Darius Rucker showcasing his hitmaking legacy