Hootie and the Blowfish Singer Leads Country Crossover Pack

During a recent interview with a DJ in Tampa, Florida, Darius Rucker got some shocking news: His solo single "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" had hit Number One on the country charts five months after its release. "I started crying," says Rucker, whose album Learn to Live has sold 112,995 copies in three weeks. "I felt like such a dork, but it was really emotional. I'm in Hootie and the Blowfish, man. A lot of people don't get second chances."

Rucker isn't the only star to reignite a pop career by going down to Nashville. In the past year, Jessica Simpson, Jewel, Eagles and Bon Jovi have all found success on the country charts. "Country music allows artists to express themselves beyond any particular segment of their life," says Big and Rich's John Rich, who produced Jewel's Perfectly Clear. "Country has as many high schoolers listening to it as the grandparents of those kids."

For Rucker, his hit song is the culmination of two years of grass-roots promotion. "He was willing to get out there like a new artist," says Capitol Nashville president Mike Dungan. "We took him on a six-week tour of about 40 country radio stations. Given where he was coming from, there were a lot of skeptics." Rucker told the program directors about his lifelong love of country and performed a short acoustic set, winning them over one by one. Such promo tours — which are rare in the pop and hip-hop worlds — are common in country. "We recently had Jewel," says George King, program director of San Antonio's KAJA. "She talked about her husband, who is a world-champion bull rider. You don't get more country than that."

When pop artists hit country radio, they connect with a massive, loyal audience. "Top 40 listeners might go to light rock or classic rock, whereas the country fan is likely to just stay on the country station rather than changing," says King. Country fans are also more likely to buy an entire album rather than download singles — or get them online illegally. "There's definitely more Wal-Mart sales for country than pop music," says Capitol's Dungan. "We sell our first records at Wal-Mart, where generally in pop music that's the cleanup place after you break a record somewhere else."

In recent years, the number of major artists who have crossed over has grown. Bob Seger's 2006 single "Wait for Me" was a bigger hit on country radio than on rock. That same year, Bon Jovi topped the country charts with "Who Says You Can't Go Home," a duet with Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles. And last year, Bon Jovi decamped to Nashville and cut a full country disc, Lost Highway, which has sold more than 1.2 million copies. Even Kid Rock's smash "All Summer Long" is a crossover hit, landing at Number Four on the country-singles chart.

Rucker has done even better than most of his crossover peers. "I promise you, a lot of country listeners heard it and didn't know who it was," says Rich. "They just liked the song." And with Hootie and the Blowfish on hiatus, Rucker — who is about to hit the road with Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley — is just getting started. "This is a total career move for me," he says. "I plan on making country records until I'm playing at my own theater in Branson."

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[From Issue 1064 — October 30, 2008]