Hootie and The Blowfish Helped Me Grieve The Loss of My Dad

Going to a Hootie and The Blowfish concert helped me to let my grief go. (Eugene Parciasepe/Shutterstock)

When I was in college, I fell in love with a guy named Hootie. And yes, back then, country music mega star Darius Rucker was known as Hootie, and yes, I realize that I’m showing my age when I call him Hootie. On any given day in my dorm room circa mid 1990s, the sounds of Cracked Rear View would be emanating from the boom box that sat on my dorm desk shelf.

Whether I was getting ready for...