Chuck Wicks talks fried food, new music and Julianne Hough before Saturday’s Oklahoma State Fair show
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Star eats up deep-fried fun
Country singer Chuck Wicks to perform at Oklahoma State Fair
His arteries and cholesterol levels might not agree, but up-and-coming country music star Chuck Wicks is having a terrific time as summer turns to fall.
“I’ve actually eaten more corn dogs and fried cheese curds this year than I’ve had my entire life because I’ve played more festivals and fairs this summer than I could ever imagine,” he said with a laugh during a recent phone interview from his tour bus, where he and two buddies were writing a song before a Connecticut concert.
“But I love it to pieces, man. It’s such a fun, great time. It’s a great way just to see different parts of the country and different lifestyles. … It’s funny how we all have something in common and that’s just having a good time and loving country music and just rocking.”
Wicks, 30, will be checking out the cuisine and performing Saturday night during the first weekend of Oklahoma’s Great State of a Fair 2009. Best known for the earnest ballads “Stealing Cinderella,” “All I Ever Wanted” and “Man of the House,” he hopes to add to the lively spirit of the fair.
“I think people would be surprised that it’s pretty high-energy. And it’s very intimate at the same time, you know, it’s like I like to talk to the crowd. I like to figure out what they’re feeling and thinking,” he said. “I’m also gonna play a lot of the new stuff I’ve been writing for the second record. I’m really excited about getting new music out there.”
Growing up on a farm in Smyrna, Delaware, Wicks listened to a variety of music, but he was more interested in slinging a bat than a guitar for a living. He played baseball at Florida Southern College, but his passion for country music eventually struck home. He quit just short of graduation and moved to Nashville, Tenn. He spent the next several years honing his songwriting by day and parking cars at a steakhouse by night until landing a record deal.
His first single, “Stealing Cinderella,” was the fast-rising track for a debut country artist in 2007, waltzing into the top five. When his debut album, “Starting Now,” came out in January 2008, the touching ballad about a father blessing his daughter’s nuptials guided the record to No. 7 on Billboard’s country albums chart.
Wicks wrote or co-wrote all but one track on “Starting Now,” finding the initial inspiration for “Stealing Cinderella” from a former girlfriend who played the fairytale princess at Disney World.
“With this second record, me, I have a lot to prove. Just as a singer and a songwriter, I feel like I’ve grown quite a bit over the last couple years, and I really want to try to show that in this 
second album,” he said.
His audience also has grown since he competed in spring on the hit reality TV show “Dancing with the Stars” with his girlfriend, fellow country star and professional dancer Julianne Hough. (The couple are pictured in the Associated Press photo at left.)
“It’s brought a lot of people to my shows that wouldn’t normally come, and hopefully they leave the show a fan of what I do musically. And if that happens, man, we all win,” he said.
Though he now considers himself a retired ballroom dancer, he enjoyed spending that time with Hough, since their busy touring and recording schedules often keep their relationship a long-distance affair.
“I had a blast. You know, it was very nerve wracking at the same time, but I had an awesome time, obviously, with Julianne. She’s a great teacher, and it was good to always be with her. And she was showing me her side of the world, which was nice. I was just trying to fit in,” he said.
On tour, Wicks is penning new songs for his follow-up album with plans to leave the road for the recording studio at the end of this month. He hopes to have a new single out by January and his second record in stores sometime next year.
In the meantime, he keeps reliving childhood memories and noshing on sinful concoctions at various fairs.
“I don’t make it a point to eat at the fairs and festivals, but when you smell it … You walk out of the bus, and I smell all the friedness. Did you know I had a fried peanut butter and jelly at one point in time? Which is ridiculous, but it was amazing. It’s like you can’t help it,” he said with a laugh.
In concert
Chuck Wicks with Candy Coburn at the Oklahoma State Fair
When: 8 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Toyota Stage at State Fair Park.
Cost: Free with outside gate admission.
Information: 948-6700 or www.okstatefair.com.
-BAM
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you guys make a great couple, i miss not seeing julianne on dwts. is she ever going to dance again? are you guys engaged yet, if you are how did he perpose, chuck seems like a real romantic