Joe Rucker will tell you in a heartbeat that Country
Music is his passion, and has been since his early
teens.
Born October 11, 1976 in Baytown, Texas to Jerry and
Linda Rucker, Joe's musical heritage is rich. Jerry
was already an acomplished songwriter, and moved the
family back to central Florida shortly after Joe's
birth.
By age 3, Joe was singing in church and at family get
togethers with his parents, brother Jason, and sister
Michelle. The Rucker Family would also sing at
churches and BBQ's in the surrounding area.
Joe's dad Jerry was (and still is) a technician for
the Space Shuttle program. He had some success in 1980
when he wrote a song called "Blastoff Columbia" which
was played to wake up astronauts John Young and Robert
Crippen on their first morning in space during Space
Shuttle Columbia's first mission. Joe sites this as
his first interest in the music business.
A major turning point occured in Joe's life at age 12.
Joe's dad was invited over to a friends house for
dinner. The whole family went. There was another
"guest" there as well. It was none other than the
legendary Hank Locklin. The meeting with Hank made Joe
dive into the roots of Country Music and discover it's
rich past.
When Joe became a teen, he started learning the
guitar and mandolin. His dad took him to his first
country music concert in nearby Wiersdale, FL to see
Eddy Raven. He knew right then that he wanted to be in
Country Music!
So, he began to enter talent contests, winning
several. He also appeared on the Wiersdale Opry
semi-regularly. But he knew that Nashville was the
place to be if he was to be a reputable artist.
So in 1998, he made the move. Almost
immeadiatley, Joe began to be noticed. Jack Greene
invited him to appear on the world famous Ernest Tubb
Midnite Jamboree in November, 1998. He appeared twice
more with Jack on that show, and has appeared on it
several times with artists like his friend Hank
Locklin, Charlie Louvin, Joe Edwards, Bill Anderson,
Jett Williams, and Junior Brown to name a few.
Some of the artists Joe has been blessed to share the
stage / work with are: Bill Anderson, Ernie Ashworth,
Bonnie Bramlett, Junior Brown, Elizabeth Cook, Jack
Greene, Hank Locklin, Charlie Louvin, Eddy Raven, and
Daryle Singletary.
Joe's first album, "Nashville Scenes" debut in 2001.
His second effort, "Untangle My Mind" has just been released. It
includes several tunes written by Joe as well as some
covers by some of Nashvilles finest. Included on the
album are several special guests and heroes like Eddy
Raven, beach music legend Clifford Curry, and Opry
legend Hank Locklin.
Joe continues to write and perform songs from the
heart, also working as lead singer of the new Front
Porch News band. His fan base continues to grow, and
will undoubtedly continue to do so!
