Audacy’s 99.5 WYCD Detroit’s Country (WYCD-FM) will host its annual 99.5 WYCD Hoedown at Pine Knob Music Theatre on Saturday, June 27. The event will feature a headlining performance by three-time GRAMMY Award winner Darius Rucker as part of his “Songs of Summer Tour” with special guests Corey Kent, Lauren Alaina and Austin Williams. Pine Knob Music Theatre is presented by Proud Partners United Wholesale Mortgage, Trinity Health and Ally.
“In the WYCD Hoedown tradition, Darius Rucker is a Country Superstar bringing multi #1 songs to the stage and guaranteed to be an incredible and fun show for our fans!! Combine that with new Country fire from Lauren Alaina and hot new country stars Corey Kent and Austin Williams for an unforgettable night at Pine Knob,” said WYCD Program Director Tim Roberts.
Rucker hits the road this summer with his 20-city Songs of Summer Tour, bringing his signature baritone voice and fan-favorite hits to amphitheaters and iconic venues nationwide. Promoted by Live Nation, the 2026 trek features special guests Corey Kent, Lauren Alaina, George Birge, Evan Honer, Old Crow Medicine Show, Robert Randolph and Austin Williams joining select dates.
“For me, it’s not summer if we’re not playing music outdoors,” says Rucker. “When I think of the concerts I love attending, it’s the people, the hits and the hot summer air… there’s nothing that compares, so Songs of Summer in a lot of ways is my nod to being in that moment together.”
Rucker also recently announced a one-night-only Big Band Gala at Charleston’s Gaillard Center on April 7. Presented by Explore Charleston, the performance offers fans a rare opportunity to experience Rucker in an elevated, intimate concert setting backed by Robert Lewis and the Charleston Jazz Orchestra, conducted by Peter Graves. A portion of proceeds will benefit the CMA Foundation’s music education initiatives for Charleston County Schools and the Carolyn G. Rucker Nursing Scholarship at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital.
Rucker first achieved multi-Platinum status in the music industry as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the GRAMMY Award-winning band Hootie & the Blowfish, who have sold more than 25 million albums worldwide including their Double Diamond-certified (22x Platinum) debut Cracked Rear View, which remains among the top 10 best-selling studio albums of all time. Since releasing his first Country album in 2008, Rucker has earned a whole new legion of fans with four No. 1 albums on the Billboard Country chart plus 10 No. 1 singles at Country radio and 11 Gold, Platinum or multi-Platinum certified hits. Rucker was inducted as a Grand Ole Opry member in 2012, and he won his third career GRAMMY Award in 2014 for Best Solo Country Performance with his Diamond-certified (11x Platinum) version of “Wagon Wheel,” one of the top five best-selling Country songs of all time. His latest album Carolyn’s Boy is available everywhere now, as is his New York Times bestselling memoir Life’s Too Short, released via Dey Street in 2024.
