Darius Rucker’s ‘Wagon Wheel’ Rolled to No. 1: Chart Rewind to 2013

On April 13, 2013, Darius Rucker rode his smash single “Wagon Wheel” to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.

“Wheel” was authored by rock and folk legend Bob Dylan and Ketch Secor (of Old Crow Medicine Show). Dylan wrote the chorus in the early 1970s, with Secor rounding out the verses years later.

The song was released from Rucker’s LP True Believers, which arrived as his third of four No. 1s on Top Country Albums.

With its catchy, sing-along chorus (and such whimsical rhymes as “New England” and “string band”), “Wheel” became Rucker’s most recent of six leaders on Hot Country Songs, among 11 top 10s. He boasts nine No. 1s on Country Airplay, through “Beers and Sunshine” in February 2021.

Rucker was born in Charleston, S.C., and reached mass-appeal success in the ‘90s as frontman of Hootie & The Blowfish. The band notched two No. 1s albums on the Billboard 200 – Cracked Rear View (which has sold 10.4 million copies in the United States, according to Luminate) and Fairweather Johnson – and three top 10s on the Billboard Hot 100.

Rucker was welcomed as a promoted country artist with three straight No. 1 singles on Country Airplay (excluding holiday fare) in 2008-09: “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” “It Won’t Be Like This for Long” and “Alright.”

Now 57, Rucker released his newest track, “Fires Don’t Start Themselves,” March 31. Assisted by hourly plays on participating iHeartMedia stations that day, it debuts at No. 25 on the April 15-dated Country Airplay chart with 6.7 million impressions.

The song is from Rucker’s forthcoming album, Carolyn’s Boy.