In a 2001 episode of the animated television comedy "The Simpsons," Bart Simpson goes undercover for the police to help them bust the mafia, who are running an illegal fireworks ring.

In classic "Simpsons" style, Police Chief Wiggum hands Bart a tape to record his dealings with the bad guys, upon which Bart, looking at the tape, reads, "Hootie and the Blowfish?"

"Yeah," Wiggum replies. "It's cheaper than a blank tape."

The reference to Hootie and the Blowfish on what is now the longest-running comedy in television history is at once a recognition of the Grammy-winning band's overwhelming saturation of popular culture in the '90s -- their debut album, 1994's "Cracked Rear View," has sold more than 16 million copies -- and a swipe at how such massive success can be fleeting (put together, the band's four studio albums since have sold less than half the debut).

Ticket Info

Darius Rucker, country, 7 p.m. Wednesday, St. Joseph County Grange Fair, 316 E. Charlotte St., Centreville. $35 track seating, $30 (C/D/E) or $25 (A/B/F/G) grandstand seating. (888) 873-0550. www.centrevillefair.com.

• Watch his music video "Alright."

Yet it's the kind of criticism Darius Rucker -- frontman for the band and now a solo country-music star in his own right -- a has come to take in stride. From a tour stop in Colorado, Rucker said the "Simpsons" episode in question is one of his favorites.

"Bart Simpson said the name of my band," Rucker said, laughing. "That was worth anything, I don't care what he said. The thing is, you're part of American culture, and that's something that takes, like, every one of their 13 million viewers to get. That's cool."

One would think that by now Rucker -- who with his instantly recognizable, gruff vocals will be performing his country stylings at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the St. Joseph County Grange Fair -- would be used to seeing his music stationed comfortably at the top of the charts.

And yet when "Don't Think I Don't Think About It," the first single from his country debut "Learn to Live," released a year ago this month and certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in August, went to No. 1 on the country-singles charts, he cried.

"When the first single went No. 1, it was a pretty big thing for me," Rucker said, noting it was an accomplishment he hadn't expected. "It was like after all these years of wanting to make this record and then making it, people liked it."

It may seem that Rucker -- given his membership in one of the most popular pop-rock bands in recent years, his 2002 solo neosoul album, "Back to Then," his big-band charity gigs in South Carolina and his recent turn to country -- has a master plan to take over radio as a kind of perpetual voice blurring the lines between genres.

But Rucker's always had a soft spot for country music, and during his time with Hootie, he often talked to the band about making the transition to country and was voted down, especially with the last two or three records, he said.

"It was what we listened to when we sat around the bus and when we jammed together just sitting around, it was bluegrass and country," Rucker said. "And I always thought it was just a perfect transition for us. I wanted to make this record so bad, and they didn't, and I understood; it was cool; I wasn't mad at anybody. But it was something they knew I was gonna do eventually, and the time finally came."

Now that he's made the move, Rucker seems comfortable sticking with it. While he and the guys from Hootie still play charity shows each year and probably will make another record some time in the future, Rucker said he's going to focus on country for the next few years. To say he's grateful for this second round of success would be an understatement, he said.

"I never expected a second chance at being on the radio and mattering as an artist," he said. "I'm a country singer now, and when I'm done, when country radio doesn't want to play me anymore, then I'll just go sit in my house and watch the sun rise and set and play as much golf as I can and hang out with my wonderful wife."