Darius Rucker celebrated the success of his recent No. 1 single, “Wagon Wheel,” with a party on the stage of Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium. Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor, who co-wrote “Wagon Wheel” based on an unfinished song by Bob Dylan. The song even earned Dylan his first CMA Awards nomination for Song of the Year (it also picked up a nod for Single of the Year).

“I talked Frank Rogers, my producer, into cutting it, and it’s the perfect country song. When I hear it on the radio, I think, ‘I don’t think I could be any countrier than that,’” says Darius. “For me, it was a no-brainer. Once we started cutting it, I couldn’t believe I didn’t cut it for my first record. It’s just one of those songs that I just thought was perfect.”

Darius is currently making his way up the charts with his latest single, “Radio.”

Darius Rucker (WW 1 party) OC: …was perfect. :39
“I heard the song probably the first time 7, 8 years ago, and it’s such a great tune. I love it. It was such a bluegrass song, that I never really thought about…they do it so perfectly. I mean, the way they do the song is the way it should be done. It’s just a perfect bluegrass song. I didn’t think that I could make it a country song, then I heard a band playing it in a country way, and I thought, ‘Wow! I wanna cut that.’ I talked Frank Rogers, my producer, into cutting it, and it’s the perfect country song. When I hear it on the radio, I think, ‘I don’t think I could be any countrier than that.’ For me, it was a no-brainer. Once we started cutting it, I couldn’t believe I didn’t cut it for my first record. It’s just one of those songs that I just thought was perfect.”