By Ryan Gueningsman
Herald Journal

Darius Rucker says he is on a crazy ride that just keeps getting crazier.

The lead singer of rock band Hootie and the Blowfish has made the transition to country music and has done it in a big way.

His debut album, “Learn To Live,” yielded three number-one hits and one additional top-five hit, and his follow-up album, “Charleston, S.C. 1966” has produced yet another number-one hit for Rucker.

His “Come Back Song” was at number one on the country music charts when he sat down for this interview before a show at Grand Casino Hinckley Nov. 6.

“Number ones are always cool,” Rucker said humbly. “It’s just wild to watch all the things that have happened since I started doing this. That’s just another of those steps where you just go, ‘man, this has all been a crazy ride that’s getting crazier.’”

His venture into country music began back in 2008, with the release of “Learn To Live,” and with hits like “Alright,” “It Won’t Be Like This For Long,” “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” and “History in the Making.”

His second album, “Charleston, S.C. 1966,” was released Oct. 12 and less than one month later, he was celebrating his fourth number-one hit with “Come Back Song.”

“It’s been received real well,” Rucker said of his latest album. “It did well and people seem to like it – that’s all that matters to me.”

Rucker’s follow-up single, “This,” has also been released to radio and is on the charts.

Next, Rucker said he’s not sure what single will be released to radio. Until then, he is going to be spending some time writing, taking a bit of time off around the end of the year, and also continuing to tour with Brad Paisley’s H2O world tour through March.

“We’ll start putting the third record together real soon,” Rucker added. He has also been busy with appearances on E! News, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and on CMT’s Artists of the Year program, which honored fellow Winstock headliner Jason Aldean.

It was announced Dec. 1 that Rucker will be the Friday night headliner of the 18th annual Winstock Country Music Festival June 10, 2011, in Winsted.

The same night of the announcement, Rucker also made an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. However, come June, he’ll be ready to get outside and have some fun.

“In June we’ll be in full headline mode,” Rucker said. “Just out having a good time. Touring in the summer is always fun because it’s hot and people are out there to have a good time. I love all those festivals.”

He said he enjoys both indoor and outdoor shows – however his preference depends on the time of the year.

“I like them both. I prefer indoor in the winter and outdoor in the summer,” Rucker said with a laugh. “It’s always great to have those places where people just are enjoying you and enjoying the outdoors.”

The South Carolina native cites his musical influence as largely coming from his mother, who sang in choirs, and other artists including Radney Foster, taking the naming convention of his latest album from him. Foster named his 1992 album, “Del Rio, TX 1959,” which is the singer’s birthplace and birth year. That record inspired Rucker as a young man to pursue his dream of being a singer.

Rucker candidly admits he doesn’t know why he’s been as successful in country music as he has been, when other artists have tried to make the transition to country music from other genres and not done as well.

“Don’t know,” he said with a laugh. “I’m sure there’s a lot of people that would like to know. We just went out and did our thing and it worked. I didn’t expect anything like this. I was out to have a good time and we had some success.”

He said the country genre is the only other genre he has plans to explore, and said Hootie and the Blowfish was also almost a country band.

“We talked about being a country band, and I just got out-voted,” Rucker said in the biography for his 2008 release. “They also used to kid me about how I always was bringing them country songs that they had to turn into rock songs . . .”

The Grammy-winning group’s 1994 debut, “Cracked Rear View” is one of the best-selling albums in history, surpassing the 16 million album mark. And, yes, Rucker mixes a few Hootie and the Blowfish hits into his current country set list.

Rucker also said he expects Hootie and the Blowfish to produce a record and tour sometime in the future.

“Country music’s my day job now,” he said, adding that perhaps his success as a country artist came from starting from scratch and essentially beginning a new career in a new genre, not piggy-backing too much on his previous successes.

“It’s tough being the new guy sometimes, but it’s a lot of fun,” Rucker said. One person he turned to for advice about success in country music was fellow African-American performer Charley Pride, who also performed at Winstock in 2005.

“We met at the Grand Ole Opry,” Rucker said of his first meeting with Pride. “He was hosting and I was playing and we hung out and talked for a while. He’s a great guy and had nothing but nice things to say to me and good advice to give me. He was a great guy.”

Rucker gives a “shout-out” to Pride on his latest album in the song, “In A Big Way.”

Summer will include Rucker making his Winstock debut, also in a big way.

“I’m very excited to be headlining,” Rucker said of his pending Winstock appearance. “All those festivals are fun . . . I’m looking forward to coming out and having a great time. I get up here a few times during the year on tour, and play different cities. I love coming up here. It’s a little cold in the winter, but I don’t mind.”

Darius Rucker will headline the 18th annual Winstock Country Music Festival in Winsted, Minnesota, June 10, along with Jason Aldean. The festival will be June 10-11, 2011.

For more information on Winstock, visit www.winstockfestival.com, or call 888-946-7865.

For more information on Rucker, visit www.dariusrucker.com.

Ryan Gueningsman is at ryan@heraldjournal.com.