Darius Rucker delivered the biggest country star of them all these days when he hosted his 16th annual Darius and Friends benefit at the Ryman on Monday: Morgan Wallen.
“I met this kid 5 or 6 years ago at a friend’s house, and he was playing songs that blew my mind,” Darius said as he brought Morgan to the stage. “He’s become a superstar. He’s a good friend of mine; he’s my brother.”
Luke Bryan, Tyler Braden, Lanie Gardner and Darius’ fall tour mates Kashus Culpepper and Austin Williams rounded out the lineup for the sold-out show.
In addition to playing his own country hits, Darius served up covers of ’90s classics like Tim McGraw‘s “I Like It, I Love It,” TLC‘s “Waterfalls” and Bell Biv DeVoe‘s “Poison,” as well as Amy Winehouse‘s “Valerie.”
In its previous 15 years, the benefit has raised more than $4.3 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, with the 2025 total still to come.
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