HAVING TOPPED BOTH POP AND COUNTRY CHARTS, DARIUS RUCKER SHARES HIS UNUSUAL PATH TO STARDOM IN A NEW EPISODE OF "INSIDE FAME" AIRING FEBRUARY 7 ON CMT

NASHVILLE - February 4, 2015 - Twenty years have passed since country singer/songwriter Darius Rucker took the pop music scene by storm as a member of the group Hootie & the Blowfish. Now, a multi-platinum CMA Award winning country star, Rucker shares the moments behind his success in both pop and country when a new episode of CMT's bio-series INSIDE FAME: DARIUS RUCKER premieres Saturday, February 7 at 12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m. ET/PT. Through candid new interviews and never-before-seen footage, INSIDE FAME takes looks at the rise and rebirth of Rucker including the heart-breaking death of his mom, hitting pause on Hootie & the Blowfish and ultimately, his path to country stardom.

When Hootie & the Blowfish concluded their hugely successful run with a hiatus in 2008, Rucker jumped at the opportunity to pursue his country music dreams. Mike Dungan, who helmed Capitol Nashville at the time, couldn't deny there was something special in Rucker, even if it didn't seem particularly easy to reinvent the pop star as a country singer. "The tone, the quality and the uniqueness of his voice - and his phrasing - was amazingly like a country singer," Dungan commented. The transition from pop to country worked. The Charleston, S.C., native proved he was made for country when his first release Learn To Live sold more than a million copies in 2009. Rucker has since produced six No. 1 country singles, and is working on his fourth studio country album, Southern Style, to be released on March 31, 2015.

"I always believed since I was a kid that I was destined to do something totally special. I thought maybe Cracked Rear View was it," Rucker commented on his career. "But then, there were times I would think... there's something else out there for me. 'Don't Think I Don't Think About It' was the beginning of what I was supposed to do that was amazingly special."

Capitol Nashville recording artist Darius Rucker released his third country album, True Believers on May 21, 2013. The album is the third consecutive to top the Billboard Country albums chart and features the Platinum-certified, ACM and CMA nominated, GRAMMY award-winning two week No. 1 single "Wagon Wheel." Rucker's first two country albums, Learn To Live and Charleston, SC 1966 produced five No. 1 singles including "Come Back Song," "This," "Alright," "It Won't Be Like This For Long" and "Don't Think I Don't Think About It." In 2009 Rucker was named New Artists of the Year at the CMA Awards. He achieved a personal goal and childhood dream when he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on October 16, 2012. His upcoming fourth studio country album, Southern Style, will feature his current Top 15 and climbing single "Homegrown Honey," co-written by Rucker, label mate Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum and Nathan Chapman. To learn more about Darius, go to www.dariusrucker.com.

Visit CMT.com, Dariusrucker.CMT.com and the CMT Artists app for exclusive outtakes, videos and more. Join the conversation on CMT's official Facebook page and follow @CMT on Twitter using #InsideFame.

INSIDE FAME is a CMT original production, with Jayson Dinsmore, Lewis Bogach and John Miller-Monzon serving as executive producers.

CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S. CMT, CMT.com and CMT Radio offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and are the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT App, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.