Chuck Wicks Biography

Chuck Wicks, singer

Birthdate: June 20, 1979

Birthplace: Smyrna, Delaware

Sign: Gemini

Country singer Chuck Wicks shot to fame with his debut single "Stealing Cinderella," a single which produced the biggest debut for any new country artist in all of 2007. In its first official week of airplay the song was added to 52 of the stations on Billboard's survey and went on to become the fastest-rising single for a new country act in all of 2007 reaching a peak of No. 5 on the country charts.

Shortly after the song's release, University of Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer heard it and contacted Wicks, arranging a private performance at his daughter Courtney's wedding.

Wicks was born as Charles Elliott Wicks on June 20, 1979 in Smyrna, Delaware and raised on a potato farm. He moved to Nashville in 2002 to pursue a career in music after quitting college two classes short of graduation. He began to hone his songwriting skills, penning more than one hundred songs per year. His song "Lead Me On" was cut by Steve Holy on his 2006 album Brand New Girlfriend.

Eventually, Wicks caught the attention of RCA Records executives who signed him to a recording contract in 2007. While working on his debut album, Wicks was also picked as a cast member for Fox Networks' short-lived reality TV series "Nashville." Due to poor ratings, "Nashville" was cancelled after its second episode.

In August 2008, Wicks began dating fellow country singer Julianne Hough, who is also a professional dancer and two-time champion on "Dancing with the Stars." The two met while touring with Brad Paisley. They were work-out buddies and ran up and down stadium stairs to keep fit.

Wicks, who debuted his song "Stealing Cinderella" at the Grand Ole Opry, has been nominated for the 2008 CMT Online Awards. Although he is still an up and coming artist in the country music world, his record-breaking success and loyal fan following means Wicks should be around for years to come.