While he may not quite be a headliner just yet, Darius Rucker is sitting pretty, opening for country music superstar Brad Paisley. The former raspy singer that helped Hootie & the Blowfish sell millions of records is responding well to his new country fame via the singles “Don't Think I Don't Think About It” and “It Won't Be Like This for Long.” The man, who is more familiar with selling out headlined tours than acting as an opening act is still pleasantly surprised at his place for Brad Paisley's new tour. “The funny thing is, I really wanted to do this tour. I asked for it a long time ago,” Rucker said to http://CMT.com. “I've done the little club thing and made that run, but now it feels like I'm really starting the touring side of my country career.” When Rucker first saw Paisley in concert, his energy was so inviting that Rucker felt an instant desire to join in with the crew. As the latest country sensation joins Brad Paisley's show, make sure to hit up http://www.stubhub.com/darius-rucker-tickets to pick up some of the first Darius Rucker tickets in mainstream arenas!



Playing small club gigs was fun for awhile, but after such success with “Let Her Cry” and others, Rucker was ready to hit the big stages once again, and was able to do so with Dierks Bentley for his tour this year. “The thing about being on this tour for me, as I've said before, is that I would pay to see those two guys together. I've seen Dierks, and he's incredible, and I've seen Brad and he's incredible. The show right there was worth every penny that everybody's paid to get in. I'm just added on as fluff, and I'll take it.” Fluff or not, Rucker is making a name for himself this year as he performs at country music award shows and earns admiration from the genre's biggest names.

Rucker still resides in his native Charleston, South Carolina where he was raised on R&B classics like Al Green, Otis Redding and Gladys Knight. After years fronting the poppy southern rock group Hootie & the Blowfish, Rucker went on to pursue a solo career during the group's first hibernation, originally working with Atlantic Records in the early ‘00s for his The Return of Mongo Slade, but lost his patience after months waiting for a release and signed with Hidden Beach Recordings in lieu of a contract. The album finally appeared (after a buying out via Hidden Beach), followed by the R&B tinged Back to Then in 2002. It wasn't until his second Hootie & the Blowfish stint that Rucker focused on making country music, recording the deeply southern rooted Learn to Live, already charting well thanks to the single “Don't Think I Don't Think About It” (a number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart) as the album peaked at number 5 on The Billboard 200 and the Top Internet Albums and the top spot on the Billboard Top Country Albums. It looks like Darius Rucker has finally found a permanent home with the Nashville natives of the country, and there's no fluff about it. Just ask Brad or Dierks.