Entertainment

Chris Daughtry is not an American original. He admits to and sounds quite comfortable with that, actually.

But he is an American success story. From his star-making run on the fifth season of American Idol – a stint that he no longer wants to talk much about, now that he's a hit-making, megaselling recording artist – to the sales records he and his self-monikered band, Daughtry, have broken, he's surpassed every expectation and prediction made by every critic, music-biz suit and obsessive modern rock fan.

Danny Clinch

Rocker and former American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry

It's now obvious that Daughtry's four singles (including two that cracked the top 10 on Billboard's pop chart, "It's Not Over" and "Home") and 3-million-plus sales (2007's best-selling album to date) signify more than just a stab to cash in on mass awareness and a bit of modest appreciation. American rock had a chasm in it, and Mr. Daughtry has filled it.

"I think there was definitely a void in rock music," Mr. Daughtry says from Sioux Falls, S.D., where he and Nickelback were to perform on a tour that brings them to Pizza Hut Park on Sunday. "Now it's doing really well; record sales are up, unlike most other types of music. But I don't know that I brought attention to it; I'm still a neophyte in this business, so I can't possibly take credit for that.

"I think it was figuring out how to put out a great rock song, but at the same time crossing over to appeal to a much bigger audience that aren't necessarily rock fans."

Good point, but there's more to it. Daughtry is a well-crafted arena-rock album with songs that possess enough variety to keep rockers and pop followers alike interested long-term.

But even more critical is the disc's honesty. Mr. Daughtry co-wrote all but two of its tunes, and with rare exception, his helpers (Shinedown singer Brent Smith, former Nixons head Zac Maloy, Hinder producer Brian Howes, and former Evanescence members Ben Moody and David Hodges, to name a few) are rock specialists, not pop. And in rock, the live performance is at least as bread-and-butter as the recording.

"What I always think about a song is, How is it going to sound live?" Mr. Daughtry says. "What are people going to do when I play the thing live? I want them singing and jumping up and down and having a great time. For me, the heavier, the better, but we've got to realize that people are going to want to sing along, too. It's important to have melodies for people to be able to sing along to and know.

"For me, when I cover a song, I don't like to do it straight. We're essentially playing covers of our own tunes, so I'm not going to perform those straight, either."

"Straight" is a subjective description, though. Neither Daughtry nor Nickelback (currently America's two most successful rock acts) is going to turn its hits into, say, psychobilly exercises this Sunday. But the way Mr. Daughtry sees it, it's a necessary component because both would rather be performing even harder-edged material.

"What we have in common are melodies that people like," he says. "What we don't have in common: the guitar shredding, which I'd like to add a lot more of in the future. They're pretty metal, and it's refreshing to see a metal band become as huge as they have."

Is that evidence of selling out? Perhaps, but that's subjective, too. One thing the North Carolina native won't compromise is his personal integrity, which flies in the face of the stereotypical frontman mantra of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. In the end, his values (he's married, has children and constantly prioritizes fan accessibility in person as well as through his Web site) appear to have made fans even more enamored of him.

"I think more bands out there are like us as opposed to the Mötley Crües of the rock world," he says. "Bands like that were like that before they became famous. We rock out, but you can still be a basically good human being and not get hammered every night and womanize.

"That's what's important to us; going home, and having a home still be there. At the end of the day, for me, I would much rather share my success with my family than enjoy it all alone."Plan your life

Nickelback, Daughtry and Puddle of Mudd perform Sunday at 7 p.m. at Pizza Hut Park, Main Street at the Dallas North Tollway in Frisco. Tickets are $45.50 and $53.50 at Ticketmaster.