Darius Rucker to Record Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird”
Pop rocker turned county pop star Darius “Hootie” Rucker has decided to cut yet another iconic tune from the American songbook after his massive commercial success with Old Crow Medicine Show’s long-suffering, massively-overplayed, and nauseatingly-requested song “Wagon Wheel.” Rucker’s next remake will be what many regard as the most-requested song in this history of American music, Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 14-minute anthemic jam “Free Bird.”
“Darius says that at his concerts, fans request ‘Free Bird’ all the time,” reports Rucker spokesperson Edith Frankenfurter. “And wanting to be receptive to his fan’s desires, he’s decided to fulfill their requests once and for all by recording the song. Rucker really has high hopes for his version, and thinks if it doesn’t go on to be nominated for a Grammy, then country music’s screwed.”
Rucker’s producers have apparently been reaching out to various musicians to gauge interest in collaborating on the “Free Bird” reboot, including Lynyrd Skynyrd original guitarist Gary Rossington who according to sources responded by saying, “Really? That guy from that 90’s band?” Former Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle was also reportedly contacted, and responded via text message with a curt, “SMH.” But Brad Paisely is on board according to reports, willing to hold down one of the three guitar parts as long as Darius doesn’t have a problem with him wearing a shirt with a Confederate flag on it so Paisley can “show his Skynyrd love.”
Though the song has yet to even be recorded, some people are already beginning to refer to “Free Bird” as a Darius Rucker song instead of Lynyrd Skynyrd song, including country artist and The Voice judge Blake Shelton who attributed the song to Rucker when mentioning it in passing last week on the NBC singing competition.
Darius Rucker apparently also considered some other overplayed songs for his next major project before narrowing it down to “Free Bird,” including “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison, the blues standard “Mustang Sally,” a version of Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me” to be released exclusively to topless clubs, and “Happy Birthday.”
Ronnie Van Zandt could not be reached for comment.
November 19, 2013 @ 10:02 am
Wow. Well done sir, well done.
November 19, 2013 @ 10:07 am
Great news! I’m hoping that someday he’ll consider covering Bohemian Rhapsody. It’s way past due for a 21st century upgrade and Darius is just the man to do it!
November 19, 2013 @ 10:18 am
Awesome. Loved it.
November 19, 2013 @ 10:22 am
That had me going for a minute. I was legitimately angry until I read the line “Darius says that at his concerts, fans request ”˜Free Bird”™ all the time,” That’s hilarious.
November 19, 2013 @ 12:13 pm
Verbatim, what I was about to reference. I was legitimately pissed, then came across that line.
November 22, 2013 @ 10:38 am
Same as ^^^ but at the same time it’s really not that much of a stretch…
November 19, 2013 @ 10:24 am
Will Rucker be collaborating with Kid Rock, who is well known for “borrowing” Skynyrd songs? With this duo, they may be the unstoppable farce in Trashville.
November 19, 2013 @ 10:43 am
You got me on that one. The “mustang Sally” bit was a nice touch.
November 19, 2013 @ 11:10 am
In 2004 Rascal Flatts recorded “bless the broken road”, which had been recorded first by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Billy Ray Cyrus, and a few others.
However their version was the only one to hit #1. It stayed #1 for five weeks and went double platinum.
It also won a Grammy for the songwriters.
Quit picking on Darius cause his version was a huge success over the others.
November 19, 2013 @ 12:40 pm
Defending Darius Rucker with a Rascal Flatts argument. All of the irony in the world was used in that post!
November 19, 2013 @ 2:25 pm
It’s spot on. People are having issues with a remake getting better treatment than the original version..
It happens all the time in music.
Waylon did a lot of covers that went #1 for him and not others.
Willie Nelson took “blue eyes crying in the rain” to #1 and awards though Hank Williams, Elvis, and other singers couldn’t get it that far .
November 19, 2013 @ 8:37 pm
Old Crow still kills “Wagon wheel” way more than Darius ever can. Darius is just more mainstream is all.
November 20, 2013 @ 2:00 am
I’m not sure which meaning of “kill” you’re evoking here.
November 20, 2013 @ 2:14 am
I mean invoking…
November 20, 2013 @ 5:26 pm
I Mean that I like Old Crows Cover of the song way more than darius.
November 19, 2013 @ 11:15 am
Looks good, but I was kinda hoping for a cover of Long Haired Country Boy.
November 19, 2013 @ 11:33 am
A touch of “the Onion” spoof here? Please tell me it is………please?
November 19, 2013 @ 11:44 am
What Hootie really needs to do is cover Alan Jackson’s “Gone Country”. At least then he can sing a country song with some personal authenticity.
That said, and as much as I can’t stand the dude’s “country” music, I did like Hootie and the Blowfish’s cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Hey Hey, What Can I Do” from the Encomium tribute album. The mandolin was a nice way to interpret the song. Come to think of it, the cover sounds more country than a lot of the tripe he has put out in his supposed country career. What exactly got him into the Opry?
November 26, 2013 @ 4:33 pm
Grand Ole Knee Pads.
November 19, 2013 @ 1:10 pm
“But Brad Paisely is on board according to reports, willing to hold down one of the three guitar parts as long as Darius doesn”™t have a problem with him wearing a shirt with a Confederate flag on it so Paisley can ‘show his Skynyrd love.’ ”
Hehe! Nice touch. 😀
November 19, 2013 @ 1:27 pm
So, Brad Paisley is guitarist #1. The second slot has to be Keith Urban, who has some lead guitar skills. This way, Darius can debut his version on American Idol. And the third slot – John Mayer. Man, what a fearsome trio that would be.
November 19, 2013 @ 1:39 pm
“Ronnie Van Zandt could not be reached for comment.”
Too soon
November 19, 2013 @ 1:50 pm
Actually laughing out loud at this one.
You should get together with the dude from Country California and write a screenplay for a pop-country music Spinal Tap.
November 19, 2013 @ 2:04 pm
Oh man, that is a brilliant idea. There is so much potential there it is unbelievable. FGL might have the combined brain power and talent of Nigel Tufnel.
November 19, 2013 @ 1:51 pm
CONFIRMED: Colt Ford will offer a thirty-two bar rap to the endeavour.
November 19, 2013 @ 2:00 pm
At first I was pissed because I thought it was true. Then I laughed my ass off after realizing the article was just a satire.
Well done, Trig, well done.
No Cry Baby Tiddy Bits | Rawhide And Velvet
November 19, 2013 @ 3:02 pm
[…] Calm down people, this is a fake news story.  […]
November 19, 2013 @ 4:27 pm
Goddamn it, you got me good.
November 19, 2013 @ 5:52 pm
“Happy Birthday.”
lol.
yeah, you had me too for a paragraph or so.
November 19, 2013 @ 6:25 pm
darius rucker will never be more than hootie and the blowfish with a fiddle
November 19, 2013 @ 6:48 pm
Yea he should get kid rock in it as well! That would be a lot better and kid rock could help kick out the song!
November 19, 2013 @ 7:04 pm
So why he want to record that any way, seems like he should pal up with kid rock and make sum music for sure!!
November 19, 2013 @ 7:18 pm
David St Hubbins: It’s “Baby, you are a song”
Nigel Tufnel: “No, its “Baby you a song”
David St Hubbins: No its “Baby, you are a song”
Nigel Tufnel: Well, “Baby you a song” sounds much more clever
David St Hubbins: “There is a fine line between clever and stupid”
November 19, 2013 @ 8:41 pm
I’m so buying this record if Jason Aldean joins in and raps the chorus.
November 19, 2013 @ 8:41 pm
OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When will all this bullshit end??
November 19, 2013 @ 8:51 pm
I see now… And that wasn’t funny !!!!
November 19, 2013 @ 10:58 pm
Please don’t use Lynyrd Skynyrd and Darius Rucker in the same sentence, it is an insult to Lynyrd Skynyrd.
November 20, 2013 @ 7:49 am
This should be a catatonic car-crash. A watered-down, bubblegum, 3:20mins radio cut version of a rock classic. Music is dead!
November 20, 2013 @ 9:17 am
The glory days of Rock are gone.
When you find a formula that works….you run that thing into the ground.
Cherry picking from the classics is Karoke. There are artists and there are interpreters of other’s work.
American Idol is filled to the brim with interpreters.
November 20, 2013 @ 1:33 pm
Thanks for the laugh. I needed it. Good Lord..
November 20, 2013 @ 3:21 pm
“Miley Cyrus to cover Patsy Cline’s ‘Walking After Midnight’ as a techno pop track called ‘Twerking After Midnight’ ”
(Top That)
November 20, 2013 @ 5:29 pm
OH GOD! I just threw up a lil in my mouth thinking about that tongue hanging out 🙁
November 20, 2013 @ 5:43 pm
Holy crap, that got me riled up there for a minute. When I saw the headline the first thought in my head was “someone needs to that MF out”. Well played….
November 20, 2013 @ 7:07 pm
I liked it better when this article was first posted and it said “0 Comments”.
November 20, 2013 @ 9:13 pm
Seriously I think his Wagon Wheel cover is his best country song ever. He’s about the only non-country artist to do a good job of going country and should make more country songs like that instead of the more poppier generic stuff he’s gone to on recent albums. His Wagon Wheel sold over 2 million singles, 2-5 times more than his previous best-selling country singles. This kills the pop pushers’ lame argument that “it’s pop but it sells so we’re just meeting demand by putting it on country radio.” Hmm, isn’t that what pop radio is for and they sure aren’t playing country songs. Obviously the demand for country is still there and country radio just needs to play more of it again.
November 26, 2013 @ 4:23 pm
Delerious Fucker ripped off OCMS for their whole musical proggression! All he did is add his vocal accompanyment and a Trashville backing,…and a well padded set of knee pads!
November 20, 2013 @ 10:47 pm
Sure, I too was nibbling on the bait a little until i realized it was a goof, I chuckled and read it through. However, the funniest part is serious comments in reply by silly gonads honestly trying to defend Hootie based on sales or some other foolish factoids. thanks Trig.
Facts are not the truth, only fractions thereof.
November 21, 2013 @ 6:08 am
Course, the problem with jokes like this is it can sometimes come back and bite you on the bum. Just imagine – Darius is sitting at the computer googling his own name (come on, you just KNOW he does!!) and comes across this story and thinks to himself, “Hmmm …. not bad” and reaches for his phone: “Hey Brad, it’s Darius. Remember that Grammy we spoke about ….. “
November 26, 2013 @ 4:42 pm
“dig a little deeper in the hole son, dig a little deeper in the hole”.
November 21, 2013 @ 5:41 pm
I give credit to the SCM reading crowd for acknowledging the satire without having it pointed out to them.. I do immediately thought “No, no.. NO.” Until I got to the “fans request Free Bird” line, like so many others. God bless you, Trig, you entertain me daily.
November 22, 2013 @ 8:22 am
“Ronnie Van Zandt could not be reached for comment”. Bwahahaha! Because he’s currently rolling over in his grave!
Game, set, match, Trig! Nice! Thanks for the morning laugh!
September 27, 2014 @ 8:12 am
“Ronnie Van Zant could not be reached for comment.”
That was a smooth move you son of a b****!
March 28, 2015 @ 6:20 pm
This is all so sickening…it seems to have disrespectful connotations…granted,Rucker is a good musician but he seems to be getting greedy…has he just ran out of material to write his own songs with or just content with being known as a “cover” musician ? Those are a dime a dozen and will eventually just fade into the woodwork and be forgotten…what a waste , taking the easy way out