The first thing you need to know about Darius Rucker: He's not Hootie.
While you may know him as a former member of the '90s band Hootie & the Blowfish, Rucker was neither: "They were two buddies of mine back in college--one guy was Hootie and his best friend was The Blowfish. They walked into a party once and I said, ‘Hey, Hootie and The Blowfish.' I think we started the band a week later."
But hits like "Let Her Cry" and "Only Wanna Be With You" were a long time ago. And since then, Rucker has made a country music career of his own. Tonight, his remake of Old Crow Medicine Show's "Wagon Wheel"--which made it to the top of Billboard's Country Singles Chart this year--is nominated for the Country Music Awards Single and Song of the Year. [Ed note: Darius did not win in these categories, but performed his hit to close out the CMAs.]
Rucker has more to say than the lyrics in his songs. After all, offstage he's a P90Xer, a traveler, a husband, and a father. Here are his thoughts:
On what you don't know about country music . . .
"The musicians are totally different. Everyone is really accessible. You'd be surprised at how easy it is to talk to Brad Paisley or Carrie Underwood."
On plowing ahead into a solo career . . .
"If I had cared about the naysayers, I would have never made it as a musician. If I had let the negative side of life affect me, I would have never made it in anything. If people like my music, great. If they don't, you know, hopefully I can make more."
On performing . . .
"On a summer night, I lose probably 5 to 8 pounds of water weight and sweat. It's so hot! You've got to be in good shape, especially with a high-energy show. I'm also not a partier. I gave up drinking and all that. I'm in bed at 11 and I'm up at 6:30."
On staying fit on the road . . .
"When I don't work out, I get mad. Yesterday, we were filming a music video and I was like, man, I didn't get my workout in. I don't love lifting weights. I don't love being on the elliptical. But I love everything that comes with it. P90X is my exercise on the road. When I'm home, there's this gym called 9 Round Boxing that I go to. It's all boxing stuff." (Want to be a white collar brawler? Check out these 5 things every desk jockey should know before stepping in the ring.)
On guilty pleasures . . .
"I'm a candy guy. I still have to have my Airheads and some candy corn!"
On hidden talents . . .
"I'm one of the best Madden players in the world. If I practice, I can beat anybody."
On who he still wants to perform with . . .
"Sade, John Legend, and I want to sing the hook on a Dr. Dre record."
On the best advice he's ever gotten . . .
"Brad Paisley once told me, 'Just be yourself.' I thought that was perfect."
On balancing work and home life . . .
"I try to tour mostly on the weekends so I can be home a lot. My kids also tour with me in the summer. I'll come off stage and they'll be watching a movie in the lounge. I'll be like, 'You guys watch any of the show?' and they're like, 'Nah, I heard three songs last night.' I'm their dad."
On his favorite achievement or accolade . . .
"Oh, my kids. Then there's being on stage with Al Green. My band was his backup singing 'Take Me to the River.' He was my mom's guy and my mom has been gone a long time. All I could think about was, my mom's in heaven, laughing her ass off."
Tune in to the Country Music Awards tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ABC to watch Darius Rucker.
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