Collegiate Times

Darius Rucker, the lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish, has recently traded his image as a rock musician for that of a country crooner.

And it seems that the country music world has embraced him. Rucker's second solo album "Learn to Live" went to number one on the country charts, as did the first single off the album, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It." Rucker was the first black singer to have a single in the Top 20 country music charts since 1988, and the first to have an album reach No. 1 since 1985.

Rucker spoke with the Collegiate Times over the phone Tuesday afternoon from Boca Raton, Fla., where he is currently touring with Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley. Rucker will perform in Burruss Auditorium on Jan. 28.

CT: What's it feel like to be on tour with Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley?

DR: Awesome. They're fun guys.

CT: How does it feel to be on your first country music tour?

DR: It feels good. I'm just out there. It's nice to be the first person performing and have everyone waiting for you. I did small clubs for so long.

CT: Did you think you'd find success in country music so quickly?

DR: No, not this much. I expected top 20s, top 15 single. But my first single went No. 1; I didn't expect that. It's hard for the new guy.

CT: Does country music embrace newcomers?

DR: People loved the song ("Don't Think I Don't Think About It"). I'm a pretty nice guy, they liked that, too. They (country musicians) started to open up and were like "come on in."

CT: How did it feel to be the first African-American singer to have a No.1 single on the country charts since Charley Pride in 1988?

DR: It was funny; it wasn't one of the first things that I thought about until people started talking about it. Until 2009, this great year in our country, you wouldn't have thought it was possible. But now, anything is possible.

CT: Do you think country music has tried to reach larger audiences in recent years?

DR: I don't think country music tried so much as it happened. Country music is still so much about the song. Every song is a song that touches you.

CT: How is the experience of being a rock musician different from being a country musician?

DR: They're totally different. The relationship you have with radio is different ... the relationship between the fans and artists is so different. Fan Fair in Nashville will have hundreds of thousands of country music fans. You don't see that in rock music. You sit at a table for four hours and people come and get your autograph. Everyone does it. Keith does it. Garth does it.

CT: Where do you see yourself going as a musician in the next few years?

DR: I'm going to make a lot of country singles and country records, and then I'm going to retire. I'm going to let my wife pursue her dreams and stay home and take care of the kids.

CT: Has that always been a dream of yours, like being a country musician has?

DR: I've always wanted to retire early. Retire at 55? That'd be cool.

CT: You're playing at Purdue University in late February. What does playing at a college venue provide you with as an artist?

DR: College's venues are usually 1,500 to 2,000 people, and it's always cool to play for college kids ... If I blow these people away, then I could be the talk of the campus the next day. College kids will tell their friends, and they become the people who go to your concerts. I just love to entertain.

CT:  Did you watch the swearing in (of President Obama)?

DR:  I did.

CT:  How did you feel about it?

DR: I thought it was beautiful, beautiful for the country. Everyone seems to have so much hope ... I just thought it was beautiful. The economy is bad and people are ready for something good. I'm so proud of our country. It's beautiful. I'm very, very proud of our country.

CT: Do you ever miss Hootie and the Blowfish and all that?

DR: We've still got gigs going on; I don't have time to miss it.