Farther down the page, for some reason, Lionel Richie and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson pop up a few times. And after a couple of swipes of the finger, the page is taken up by white country artists. Of course, this is hardly an accurate measurement of the diversity — or lack thereof — in popular country music. But in 2014, none of the nominees for the Country Music Association Awards were black. And in the 48-year history of the CMAs, Rucker and Pride are the only two black artists to ever win an award. And that, well, that says something.
But all this doesn’t mean you should be mad at Blake Shelton or Luke Bryan. No, if anything, what you should feel is an immense sense of respect and admiration for Darius Rucker. Because, as an artist who has been steadily climbing his way to the top of country music — a land that has not always been the kindest or most comfortable for minorities — with a humble and resolute determination, he deserves it. And he doesn’t always get it.
Like when he was criticized on Twitter for singing “White Christmas” at the Rockefeller Center Christmas-tree-lighting ceremony while Eric Garner protesters marched a few blocks away. How quickly we forget, or don’t seem to care, that while with Hootie and the Blowfish, Rucker sang about the absurdity of the Confederate flag flying above the South Carolina statehouse on the song “Drowning.”
Or how about when he released a hit cover of the song “Wagon Wheel” that was met with what seemed like an unusually heightened sense of disdain by those who claimed he’d ruined the “original” Old Crow Medicine Show version, like this Tweet.
Darius Rucker ruined my favorite song wagon wheel, black people shouldn't sing country. #StopPlayingIt
— Zach McDonald (@zmcdonald124) January 4, 2013Darius Rucker's "Wagon Wheel" doesn't compare to the original..if you disagree, your either stupid or black.
— Courtneyy (@CourtneyBingel) March 12, 2013Are we really saying Darius Rucker sings wagon wheel better....Lemme guess next olympics black people gonna start swimming too!
— Rolling Stone (@aaronmclendon_) August 7, 2013Darius Rucker killed wagon wheel. You stuck #nigger
— Mike Johnston (@drjohnston12) April 12, 2013Regarding Rucker’s “Wagon Wheel,” there’s an uncomfortable undertone of theft, like he stole something that belonged to someone. It’s a notion rarely applied to other country artists’ covers, like Rascal Flatts’ version of “Life Is a Highway.”
Rucker’s struggle isn’t as visible as, say, Jackie Robinson’s. It’s more subtle and lies beneath a few more complex layers. But that doesn’t mean that what he’s doing — what he’s achieving right now — won’t make a measurable difference in the lives of all the minority country music stars who will come after him, like up-and-coming Texas crooner Mickey Guyton, a black female artist who just this January released her debut single, “Better Than You Left Me,” to much national praise. Rucker will help grease the wheels for her and others like her, just as people like Pride and Ray Charles made life a little easier for him.
And whether you prefer his version of “Wagon Wheel” or Old Crow Medicine Show’s or Bob Dylan’s or your grandmother’s — that’s something you must respect.
Darius Rucker with Brothers Osborne, Brett Eldredge, and a Thousand Horses. 7 p.m. Saturday, May 23, at Coral Sky Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansbury’s Way, West Palm Beach. Call 561-795-8883, or visit cruzanamphitheatre.net. Tickets cost $25 to $324 plus fees via livenation.com.
Follow Ryan Pfeffer on Twitter.
