Darius Rucker teamed up with Sugarlandâs Jennifer Nettles on a reimagined duet version of his Carolynâs Boy track âNever Been Over,â the South Carolina-born country star confirmed on Thursday (April 25).
âI wrote it with John Osborne and Lee Miller, and we cut it,â Rucker said of âNever Been Over,â via his record label. âWe talked about doing a duet, talked about a doing a duet. We just got deep in the record and never did it. It was the first song that I ever went to the label and said, âWill you make this a single?â And they said yeah, and I wanted to make it a duet so bad. And we talked about folks and talked about it, and somebody said Jennifer, I think my manager said, âHow about Jennifer Nettles?â And I instantly I went, âAbsolutely,â because ever since âStay,â Iâve wanted to sing with her, and Iâm so glad I finally got to.â
Rucker released his 14-track album, titled as a tribute to his late mother, in October 2023. Carolynâs Boy is his seventh full-length studio album and his first solo project in six years. Rucker co-wrote 10 of the tracks, teaming up with powerhouse songwriters like Ed Sheeran, HARDY, John Osborne, Ross Copperman, Josh Osborne, Lady Aâs Charles Kelley and others, his record label noted when Carolynâs Boy made its debut. Rucker also collaborated with âYou Can Have Him, Joleneâ trio Chapel Hart on the gospel-inspired âOlâ Church Hymn.â Other highlights on the album include âBeers And Sunshine,â âFires Donât Start Themselves,â âSame Beer Different Problemâ and more.
The collaboration with Nettles â which Rucker also teased on his social media pages on Wednesday (April 24) â arrives shortly after Sugarland performed their new song with Little Big Town on the 2024 CMT Music Awards stage. Nettles and duo partner Kristian Bush will hit the road with the quartet ( Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook) on the co-headlining âTake Me Home Tourâ later this year.
Rucker is âgetting back on the roadâ with Hootie & the Blowfish this year with special guests Collective Soul and Edwin McCain. The âSummer Camp With Trucks Tourâ kicks off on May 30 in Dallas, Texas. Stops include Ohio, New York, Colorado, Arizona, Nashville, Illinois, South Carolina, Virginia and other destinations before coming to an end on September 28 in West Palm Beach, Florida. See the full list of tour dates below.
âJust when I thought I loved this song, here comes Jennifer taking it over the top!!â Rucker said on Thursday as he announced his duet with Nettles. The new version of âNever Been Overâ arrives on Friday (April 26). Until then, listen to the original version here:
5/30 â Dallas, TX
5/31 â Rogers, AR
6/1 â St. Louis, MO
6/6 â Detroit, MI
6/7 â Cincinnati, OH
6/8 â Indianapolis, IN
6/13 â Gilford, NH
6/14 â Bangor, ME
6/15 â Sarasota Springs, NY
6/21 â Boston, MA
6/27 â Bethel, NY
6/28 â Hershey, PA
6/29 â Burgettstown, PA
7/10 â Denver, CO
7/11 â Salt Lake City, UT
7/13 â Phoenix, AZ
7/16 â Anaheim, CA
7/17 â Mountain View, CA
7/19 â Portland, OR
7/20 â Seattle, WA
7/26 â Birmingham, AL
7/27 â Nashville, TN
8/1 â Hartford, CT
8/2 â Holmdel, NJ
8/3 â Columbia, MD
8/8 â Somerset, WI
8/9 â Chicago, IL
8/10 â East Troy, WI
8/15 â Cleveland, OH
8/16 â Philadelphia, PA
8/17 â Bristow, VA
8/29 â Columbia, SC
9/5 â Wantagh, NY
9/6 â Syracuse, NY
9/7 â Toronto, ON
9/12 â Knoxville, TN
9/13 â Raleigh, NC
9/14 â Virginia Beach, VA
9/19 â Charlotte, NC
9/20 â Alpharetta, GA
9/26 â Tampa, FL
9/27 â Jacksonville, FL
9/8 â West Palm Beach, FL