Life’s Too Short: A Memoir

From his home studio in Tennessee, laid-back Hootie & the Blowfish lead Rucker, for whom life has always been about music, cheerily narrates this playlist of life stories. Music pulled at him as early as age six, and he showed an innate sense for recognizing gifted musicians with lasting power in the industry, including Al Green, Barry Manilow, KISS, Nanci Griffith, R.E.M., and the Notorious B.I.G. Rucker fondly recalls Hootie & the Blowfish’s 1985 origins as a group of USC-Columbia students who played their way through local bars. After eight years, they reached mega-stardom with their album Cracked Rear View, which became one of the best-selling albums in music history. In 2008, due to constant touring, the drain of longstanding heavy substance use, and bandmates wishing to explore other life experiences, the group paused touring. Rucker’s desire to make a country record was fulfilled that year; his first number-one song as a country artist soon followed, and his version of the country standard “Wagon Wheel” won a Grammy. The memoir avoids oversharing about personal relationships, and Rucker’s loyalty to friends and family shines through.