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Before taking the stage at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Saturday, July 25, Darius Rucker and Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor were surprised with a Spotify Billions Club plaque honoring “Wagon Wheel” after Rucker’s recording surpassed one billion streams on the platform. (If there was an award for most played song on Broadway in Nashville it would be this song.)
The celebration continued later that evening when the two GRAMMY winners performed the beloved song together, giving the sold-out Red Rocks crowd a memorable moment as the songwriter and the artist who turned the tune into one of country music’s biggest crossover hits shared the stage.
“You never know where a song is going to take you, and I don’t think any of us could’ve imagined ‘Wagon Wheel’ would still mean this much to people all these years later,” Rucker said. “To celebrate a billion streams with Ketch right before we walked out at Red Rocks made it even more special. I’m grateful to everybody who’s made this song part of their lives, and I’ll keep singing it as long as y’all let me!”
The song has one of country music’s most unique origin stories. Secor completed “Wagon Wheel” after hearing an unfinished Bob Dylan demo containing what would become its now-famous chorus. Old Crow Medicine Show released the song in 2004, where it quickly became a fan favorite.
Rucker introduced his version in 2013 on the album True Believers, and it became a massive hit, earning a GRAMMY Award, RIAA Diamond certification, and now membership in Spotify’s exclusive Billions Club.
“Songs have a funny way of finding their own path, and ‘Wagon Wheel’ has had one incredible life,” Secor said. “Watching Darius bring it around the world over the last decade has been one of the greatest gifts a songwriter could ever receive. Standing beside him at Red Rocks to celebrate this milestone felt like watching another beautiful chapter get written.”
Spotify’s Billions Club recognizes songs that have surpassed one billion streams and has become one of the streaming service’s highest honors, celebrating some of the most enduring and influential recordings in music.
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