Darius Rucker Set to Make History at CMAs

Courtesy of INFDaily.com

Hootie and the hootenanny.

Darius Rucker isn't exactly the Jackie Robinson of country music, but he is still setting some pretty big milestones. The former Hootie and the Blowfish singer is now a honky tonk superstar, and he's up for two Country Music Association Awards that would put him in a very select group.

Rucker's love for country music started at a very young age, and he almost started listening to it out of spite.

"When I was 4, I just kind of found these Beatles 45s," Rucker said. "I think I just said to myself, 'I'm never going to let anybody tell me what I can listen to.' And I never did. When I was sitting there watching Hee Haw, my brother didn't want to watch it. He was older than me but there was going to be a friggin' fight if they didn't let me watch Hee Haw."

With over a million copies sold of his debut CD, Learn to Live, Rucker has been nominated for best male vocalist. If he wins, it would mark him as only the second African American to ever be given the honor. Charley Pride did it back in 1971.

This would put Rucker in the middle of country music hall-of-fame, and he couldn't be happier. "You can't help but smile when someone mentions your name in the same sentence as Charley Pride," he said.

So it looks like Taylor Swift won't be the only one people will be watching. Tune your sets to ABC on wednesday night at 8/7c to see Darius Rucker make history.