Life's Too Short: A Memoir

"Darius has always been one of my favorite people to sing with and to call a friend in this industry and yet even knowing him well for as long as I have, there are so many incredible stories in Life's Too Short that I enjoyed learning for the first time.”―Sheryl Crow

*A NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller*

A raw, heartfelt memoir from Darius Rucker, the Grammy Award–winning country music sensation and multiplatinum-selling lead singer of Hootie & The Blowfish

In 1986 Darius Rucker cofounded Hootie & The Blowfish at the University of South Carolina. What began as a party band playing frat houses and dive bars quickly became a global pop rock phenomenon through their multiplatinum-selling debut album, cracked rear view, which featured era-defining hit songs like "Only Wanna Be with You," "Let Her Cry," and "Hold My Hand." Later, Darius would chart a pioneering path as a solo country music artist, with classic anthems like "Wagon Wheel" and "Alright."

Nearly forty years after the band’s formation, Darius tells his remarkable story in this must-read music biography through the lens of the songs that shaped him―from Al Green, Stevie Wonder, and KISS to Lou Reed, Billy Joel, Nanci Griffith, and so many more.

Set against the soundtrack of his life, Darius recounts his childhood as the son of a single mother in Charleston, South Carolina. He traces the unlikely ascent of his band and shares wild tales of the rock and roll lifestyle and life on the road―but he also faces his missteps, defeats, and demons. As moving as it is entertaining, Life’s Too Short is a timeless book about a man and his music.

This raw and honest memoir covers it all:

• Hootie & The Blowfish: Trace the band’s incredible journey from frat houses and dive bars to a multiplatinum-selling, global pop rock phenomenon.
• Pioneering Country Career: Discover the story behind Darius’s trailblazing solo success in country music, with classic anthems like "Wagon Wheel" and "Alright."
• The Soundtrack of a Life: Explore the music that made the man, from Al Green and Stevie Wonder to KISS and Lou Reed, with each chapter framed by an influential song.
• Life on the Road: Get a backstage pass to the wild tales, missteps, and hard-won lessons from nearly forty years in the music business.

Darius Rucker is a three-time GRAMMY award-winning American singer, guitarist and songwriter. He first achieved multi-platinum status as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of Hootie & the Blowfish, selling more than 25 million albums worldwide, including their Double-Diamond-certified debut cracked rear view, which remains among the top 10 best selling studio albums of all time. Since the release of his first Country album in 2008 via Capitol Records Nashville, Rucker has earned a whole new legion of fans with four No. 1 albums on Billboard’s Country chart plus 10 No. 1 singles at Country radio including Diamond-certified hit “Wagon Wheel,” one of the top 10 Country songs of all time. Annually, Rucker lends his time and voice to St. Jude Children's Hospital, MUSC, the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation and others to raise money for charitable causes close to his heart.