ABC/Image Group LA Darius Rucker is riding a career high these days. His latest single, “For the First Time,” just finished a week at #1, following Kane Brown‘s trip to the top with “Heaven.”
Together, Darius and Kane accomplished an unheard-of feat: it’s the first time in the history of the Billboard Country Airplay chart two black artists have had consecutive #1 songs.
“That was cool,” Darius reflects. “Kane texted me a couple weeks before when his song went to #1… and he was like, ‘You know, this might happen.'”
“And I was looking at it and I was like, ‘I don’t know. That Luke Combs record is coming pretty hard. I don’t know if it’s gonna happen.’ And then it happened…” he smiles.
“Like I said when I came here, ‘Anytime somebody says my name with Charley Pride, it’s a great day,'” Darius says, mentioning the Country Music Hall of Famer who paved the way for him.
Monday night, Darius hosted his 9th annual Darius and Friends benefit at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium. This year, Lauren Alaina, Ashley McBryde, Trace Adkins and others joined him for the concert that raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
It’s a cause that’s long been close to Darius’ heart.
“I always have to do something for kids,” he explains. “And when I went to St. Jude and met all the kids and the doctors and everybody, it just seemed to me, when I heard that no one ever gets a bill… that must be so amazingly expensive. So I was like, ‘I want to do something.’ And so we thought about doing this, and nine years later, we’re still doing it.”
The Memphis non-profit started by comedian Danny Thomas works to end childhood cancer, and treats sickle cell disease as well.
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
