Darius Rucker Names Forthcoming Album For His Mother

Darius Rucker recently announced details on a brand new album that will honor his late mother, Carolyn. Darius said on The Today Show, "At the end of the day, I'm really still just Carolyn's Boy."

Carolyn's Boy is the title of the new album project planned for 2023, along with the meaningful cover image, a portrait of his late mother, Carolyn. Rucker continued, "I wanted to name the record Carolyn's Boy because Mom never got to see any of my success. She died before any of this happened, so it's just another homage to the greatest woman I've ever known."

When asked why now is the right time to honor her, Darius was reflective, conceding, "Years ago, I wasn't really sure what my place in country music was, and I was trying to find it. Now I have found it, I know, and I think it's time to give that record."

In addition to looking ahead to the forthcoming album, Rucker also marked several significant milestones during the conversation, including his 10-year anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry and his recent 10th No. 1 single on country radio with "Beers And Sunshine." Darius celebrated the milestone only three other artists have ever achieved in Country music, as "Wagon Wheel" earned RIAA Diamond certification as an 11x Platinum hit.

When asked about his reaction to achieving that level of success in country music, Darius noted, "Coming into Nashville, to expect anything like that wasn't even in the cards. Here we are now – 15, 16, years in – it's been a fun run."

In October, shortly after the death of country icon Loretta Lynn, Rucker said, "Loretta was wonderful to me. We became really good friends. She always called me her boyfriend, and we always had a great time together. When I first came to Nashville 16 years ago, Loretta was one of the first people who was singing my praises."

He continued, "I'll never forget looking at just a random article somebody sent to me, and they asked Loretta what she thought of country music, and she said, 'That Darius Rucker is country.' That was amazing to me. That was amazing to me that she even knew who I was, let alone to go out of her way to be that way to me and be that way in public, and I think that helped me a lot. So, we became really good friends, and she's always special."

In 2018, a group of superstars joined host Blake Shelton on NBC to pay tribute to Elvis Presley and his legendary 1968 TV special. A few years later, Baz Luhrmann's 2022 movie Elvis chronicles just how that special came about, along with other aspects of Elvis' story.

As the new movie sparks Elvis mania, we look at what the Elvis '68 special tribute lineup looked like back in 2019.

The all-star group of music superstars performing included Post Malone, Ed Sheeran, Alessia Cara, Shawn Mendes, Adam Lambert, and Kelsea Ballerini. John Fogerty, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, Josh Groban, John Legend, Darius Rucker, Pistol Annies, Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, and Mac Davis.