Darius Rucker Credits Country Music and His Wife With Saving His Life

Darius Rucker is as in love with his wife, Beth, today as he was when they first tied the knot in 2001 – maybe more. The "For the First Time" singer reveals he knew early on that he wanted to marry her, and the years have proven he made the right choice.

"I don't know what it was about her. I mean, it was everything about her," Rucker says. "I told her I was going to marry her on our first date. Beth's a strong woman. It takes a strong woman to be married to a musician, especially a musician who was drinking and partying as hard as I was, and I think life for us is where we are now. It took a long time for us to get to where we are now, and we say to each other all the time, 'I love us. I love our family. I love us.'"

Rucker admits his life and career aren't conducive to family life, which is why he is so grateful that his spouse understands the challenges and demands of his job.

"I thank her every day for staying with me and being the strong woman she is, because with Hootie & the Blowfish, I could be gone for three months and then I'd come home for two days and then I'd be gone again for a month, and she put up with all that crap," adds Rucker.
You know, her and country music saved my life."

Rucker's family, which includes his two children (plus an adult daughter), will have to get used to life without him this summer, when he joins Lady Antebellum on their co-headlining Summer Plays On Tour. Dates can be found on Rucker's website.

Photo Credit: Instagram/DariusRucker