There's two times of year for me: Football season, and waiting for football season.
Darius Rucker
I'm lucky my wife is a strong woman. She's one of the stronger people I've ever met. It's hard for me to be away, but I know my home life is fine because my wife is there.
We went to church every Sunday. When I was a kid, the only time I sang was around my family.
Music education was always big for me. Ever since I was a young kid, I always said it was the reason I went to school sometimes and knowing if I didn't do well in class that my mom wasn't gonna let me sing in school or sing at that concert.
I'm pretty sure I'm gonna stick with country until I ride off in the sunset.
When I was growing up, I always knew that if I ever got anything, I was going to give back as much as I can. I learned that all you have to be willing to do is give your time.
There are so many people who would like to see me not make it in Nashville. But that's good motivation.
I've got some great stuff in my sports memorabilia collection. But my favorite thing by far is the robe. I actually have a Ric Flair robe with 'the Nature Boy' on the back. That's awesome. When I look at it, it brings back so many memories of my childhood and my teen years.
Every time I have a song that does well, that's a great feeling to have.
I love Christmas. I love the music... I love everything about Christmas. I'm a big fan.
I pay almost no attention to the charts.
One of the great reasons to be in Nashville is, you get guys like Shane McAnally to write songs with.
I played every position, from right tackle to quarterback and everything in between.
I've known Tiger since he was 18. Tiger is a great guy. I am so happy for him right now.
Ric Flair was such a huge part of my childhood and teen years. He's an icon.
I think I made records, since early on, that people wanted to listen to.
For me, the Mount Rushmore of greats would be Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino or Lou Thesz. You can do either one of them in that fourth spot. But I think Ric Flair is the greatest of all time. He's the greatest I've ever seen... on the mic and in the ring.
I think I could take a job as an NFL scout.
It seems that with other kind of music, they are looking for the next big thing, but with country music, they might be looking for that, but they also want to have that warm blanket that helped them through that relationship or that singer they have always loved.
If it wasn't for Kenny Rogers, I don't think I would be in country music. He was that guy when I was a kid - his music and 'Hee Haw' made me perk my ears up and made me say, 'What is this? I want to hear more of that.' He was that catalyst for me to start this whole run in country music.
I love jam bands, but I still like a three-and-a-half-minute rock song.
The other guys in Hootie were into rock. I brought the country influence.
I'm going to make country records back to back for a while - until country radio doesn't want me anymore or until I get my own theater in Branson - one of the two.
I'm a kid who grew up in an all African-American neighborhood and got into schools and aspired to just be me, and didn't worry about labels or anything. Just wanted to be a success at what I did.
I was an 8-year-old who loved wrestling and watched it religiously every Saturday at one o'clock.
Whether you are on stage or playing golf, all it takes is one person to throw everything off.
There's a lot of stuff I thought I'd do in the world, but I never thought I'd have a street named after me in my hometown. It's a great feeling.
One of the things that I'm dying to do is to sing the hook on a big rap song.
Everything that I do on stage comes from seeing the Black Crowes in '95 in Charlotte. For 'Let Her Cry,' I was just trying to write 'She Talks to Angels.'
There's nothing like sitting and watching the Masters on TV.
I'd be lying to say I've not experienced a lot of racism in my life; it's very much alive. I don't let it bother me. I couldn't be the singer I am if I didn't let it go.
I'd work with Charles Kelley anytime. I'd go do a 'Pancho and Lefty' record with Charles. He is class, man.
Great music will always rise to the top if you give it a chance.
As a kid, I was big into Al Green, Gladys Knight and the Pips, but as I got older, I started listening to all sorts of music, including country.
I expect to make a career out of country music.
For me, '52nd Street' is quintessential Billy Joel. I bought that record as a kid and listened to it so much.
I make records so I can go on tour. There's nothing else. I love to go out and play for people.
I love Bob Dylan. 'Blood on the Tracks' is one of my top five records.
It was important to me to find a label that wouldn't back out after a first single. Everyone's so used to hearing me with Hootie, they're going to be skeptical.
I have major respect for Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood and Sugarland. They are wonderful. They're superstars in the music business.
I'm going to do whatever I want as long as it's country. I mean, I'm not much on naysayers, so I'll just do whatever. If I like it, I'll do it.
When I was in high school, I read all of Neil Simon's plays.
I love Hootie & the Blowfish and what we do, but that's not my main focus anymore.
You always wanna make the best record you ever made, and if I feel like I didn't do that, I wouldn't put it out.
I love making music, and I love touring. I love that I get to wake up and play music. I don't like being away from my wife and kids.
I grew up in South Carolina. A lot of what I remember back in the day is AM radio. When I was a kid, you could hear Stevie Wonder and Buck Owens on the same station. All the walls and lines between music were taken down for me.
Everybody wants to have a good time, especially at a concert. That's why everybody goes.
It's hokey, but I love sitting in an inner tube and taking it easy on a lazy river ride. I can sit there all day.
I always say, no matter what happens to me as a black man in country music, I can handle it if Charley Pride could handle all the stuff he went through.
Hearing Radney Foster was big for me, like hearing Al Green or R.E.M. for the first time.
