Darius Rucker Recalls ‘Good Times’ As a Musical Kid

Darius Rucker grew up listening to all kinds of music as a kid, and spent plenty of time singing for his mama, who loved to hear him perform and was always one of his biggest cheerleaders. Among the family favorites that played constantly around their house was Al Green, and Darius got quite a surprise one day when he was reading the credits on the back of one of the Al Green albums they wore out.

"My absolute favorite Kris Kristofferson song of all time was 'For the Good Times,' and for me, being a little kid growing up in South Carolina and listening to Al Green records, 'For the Good Times' was my seven minutes of making my mom happy because I sang it every day," Darius tells The Boot. "And one day I'm 13, and I wanna be a songwriter and look on the back and it says it was written by Kris Kristofferson ... this R&B classic was written by Kris Kristofferson! That's just a moment of my life I'll never forget."

It must have been one of those pinch-me moments for Darius a few weeks ago then, when he traveled to Washington D.C. to sing at the White House with the very man who penned that song he so loved and sang hundreds of times as a child. Taking the stage in November with Kris is a moment he's likely to not ever forget as the two performed for President Obama at his "In Performance at the White House" series. Darius and his songwriting hero paid homage to two country heroes of their own with a duet performance of the Willie Nelson hit 'Pancho and Lefty,' and were part of a lineup for the special evening that included Lyle Lovett, Dierks Bentley and Lauren Alaina, among others.

The former Hootie and the Blowfish frontman will hit the ground running in the New Year, entering the studio to record his third country CD, and hitting the road as part of Lady Antebellum's Own the Night tour. A huge football fan and longtime Dolphins backer, he's no doubt thrilled to be traveling to Indianapolis to perform Jan. 29 in Super Bowl Village as part of the festivities for Super Bowl XLVI, as well. He'd normally watch the game on one of the many TVs in his 'man cave,' but this year he may just have an up-close-and-personal seat for all the action come Feb. 5.