Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American musician and actor. He was a pioneering figure in theoutlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polishedNashville sound and toward a more raw, introspective style. Some of his most famous songs include "Me and Bobby McGee" (1970), "For the Good Times" (1968), "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" (1969), and "Help Me Make It Through the Night" (1970), which were also recorded by and became hits for other artists.
Kristofferson was born in Brownsville, Texas. The family relocated to San Mateo, California during his childhood. He enlisted in military service during the early 1960s. After one single forEpic Records, Kristofferson was signed byMonument Records in 1969. Throughout his career, he recorded a total of 10 albums for Monument, two albums forMercury Records, one album each for Justice Records andAtlantic Records, and two albums each for New West Records and KK Records. In September 1971, Kristofferson made his film debut inThe Last Movie and devoted much of the later decade to making Hollywood films. Some of his most famous films includeCisco Pike (1972),A Star Is Born (1976),Convoy (1978),Heaven's Gate (1980), theBlade film trilogy (1998–2004), andPayback (1999).
Kristofferson was also a member of thecountry music supergroupthe Highwaymen between 1985 and 1995. He has charted 12 times on the AmericanBillboardHot Country Songs charts; his highest peaking singles there are "Why Me" and "Highwayman", which reached number one in 1973 and 1985, respectively. He was inducted into theCountry Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and received theGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. He was a three-timeGrammy Award winner, out of 13 total nominations.[1] Kristofferson died in 2024 at the age of 88, three years after announcing his retirement.
Kristofferson moved around frequently as a youth because of his father's military service, and the family settled inSan Mateo, California.[6] He attendedSan Mateo High School, where he graduated in 1954. At age 17, Kristofferson took a summer job with adredging contractor onWake Island in the western Pacific Ocean.[7]
Kristofferson went toPomona College in Claremont, California, as a literature major. He studied underFrederick Sontag, whom he considers an important influence in his life.[3] His early writing included prize-winning essays that were published inThe Atlantic.[8] During this time, Kristofferson worked in various construction jobs and as a firefighter.[3] He appeared in the March 31, 1958, issue ofSports Illustrated for his achievements in collegiaterugby union,American football, and track and field.[9] He and his classmates also revived theClaremont Colleges Rugby Club, and it remains a Southern California rugby institution. Kristofferson graduated in 1958, earning aBachelor of Arts degree,summa cum laude, inliterature. He was elected to thePhi Beta Kappa society his junior year.[3]
Also in 1958, Kristofferson was awarded aRhodes Scholarship to theUniversity of Oxford in Oxford, England,[10] studying atMerton College.[11] While performing his own songs there, Kristofferson signed withLarry Parnes, best known for his work withTommy Steele. Parnes was working to sell Kristofferson as "a Yank at Oxford" to the British public; Kristofferson was willing to accept that promotional approach if it helped his singing career, which he hoped would enable him to progress toward his goal of becoming a novelist.[12]
In early 1959, Kristofferson signed a recording contract with Paul Lincoln's Top Rank label as "Kris Carson", but these recordings were unsuccessful.[13][4][14] In 1960, Kristofferson graduated with amaster's degree inEnglish literature.[3][11][15][16]
In 1961, he married his longtime girlfriend, Frances "Fran" Mavia Beer.[11][17] Also in 1961, Kristofferson joined theUnited States Army and was commissioned as asecond lieutenant. He attendedU.S. Army Ranger School and completed helicopter pilot training atFort Rucker, Alabama.[18] He relocated Beer and their newborn daughter toWest Germany, where he served as a member of the8th Infantry Division.[19][4] During this period, Kristofferson was promoted to the rank ofcaptain and resumed his music career, forming a band to play at service clubs. It was at this point that he metMarijohn Wilkin, the aunt of his platoon commander.[4] In 1965, after his tour in West Germany ended, Kristofferson was re-assigned to teach English literature at theUnited States Military Academy in West Point, New York.[20][21]
In June 1965, while on a two-week leave from his assignments, Kristofferson contacted Wilkin in Nashville, Tennessee, and decided to become a country music songwriter. He resigned from the Army and relocated his family to Nashville that year, exacerbating his relationship with his parents.[22][23][24] Wilkin signed Kristofferson to her publishing house Buckhorn Music and pitched his song "Talkin' Vietnam Blues" to singerDave Dudley. Concurrently, Kristofferson held various jobs including as a bartender, a construction worker, and a railroad worker. He later worked as a janitor forColumbia Records, which afforded him the possibility of talking directly with the artists and a presence during recording sessions.[25] He released his debut single containing his songs "Golden Idol" and "Killing Time" in 1967 onEpic Records.[4]
After his second child was born with esophagus issues in 1968, Kristofferson worked atPetroleum Helicopters International (PHI) inLafayette, Louisiana. While flying workers to and from oil rigs in theGulf of Mexico, he would often write new songs. At weekends, he returned to Nashville, and for the following week he would pitch the songs around town before returning to Louisiana.[26] The trips exhausted Kristofferson; his children were living with Fran in California and he felt his career as a songwriter was failing. PHI also admonished him for his increased alcohol consumption. Upon returning to Nashville the same week,[27] Kristofferson learned three of his songs had been recorded: "Jody and the Kid" byRoy Drusky, "Help Me Make It Through the Night" byJerry Lee Lewis and "Me and Bobby McGee" byRoger Miller.[28]
ThroughJune Carter, Kristofferson first attempted to pitch material to her husbandJohnny Cash. Carter took the demos, which were eventually lost in a pile of other material Cash had received.[29] At the time, Kristofferson worked on the weekends for theTennessee National Guard. To attract Cash's attention, Kristofferson landed a helicopter in Cash's property.[30] Cash eventually invited Kristofferson to a "guitar pull" party in his house. Cash was impressed and invited Kristofferson to perform with him at the 1969Newport Folk Festival.[31] Unsatisfied by Buckhorn Music, Kristofferson decided to change labels.Monument Records directorBob Beckham invited Kristofferson to play songs for him and label ownerFred Foster.[31] Kristofferson performed "To Beat the Devil", "Jody and the Kid", "The Best of All Possible Worlds" and "Duvalier's Dream"; Foster was impressed and signed Kristofferson to Monument as a recording artist andCombine Music as a songwriter. The ten-year contract required Kristofferson to submit ten records containing songs he had written.[32] Kristofferson was surprised he had been signed as a singer; he told Foster at the time: "I can't sing, I sound like a frog!"[32] Kristofferson later said Buckhorn Music had not allowed him to record demos of his compositions.[33]
In 1969, Kristofferson divorced Beer and left Nashville to join the production of his first motion picture,Dennis Hopper'sThe Last Movie, in Peru. In his absence, Cash continued promoting Kristofferson's original songs with other singers. Upon returning to Nashville, Kristofferson learned of his new popularity and started to work on his debut album for Monument,Kristofferson.[34] As his manager and producer, Foster had decided to keep some of Kristofferson's original material from being passed to other artists. The new material, as well as his songs that had already been recorded by other artists, were included in the recording sessions, which were held atMonument Recording Studio.[35]
Monument releasedKristofferson in June 1970. Kristofferson wrote or co-wrote every song on the album. He collaborated with Marijohn's son,John Buck Wilkin, on "Blame it on the Stones". ThoughKristofferson was not a commercial success, it received positive reviews from critics. According toRobert Hilburn of theLos Angeles Times, the album "is able to combine lyric sophistication with country music's traditional interest in everyday problems".[36] The commercial success of "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" led to the first of several industry awards nominations for the singer. Johnny Cash's rendition of the single earned Kristofferson his firstCountry Music Association award forSong of the Year that November.[37]
Also in 1970, he made his debut performance as a singer at the Los Angeles nightclubThe Troubadour.Fred Roos, the casting director ofBob Rafelson'sFive Easy Pieces, invited him to audition for his film debut for a leading role onTwo-Lane Blacktop. Kristofferson, who was signed toColumbia Records, arrived to the appointment intoxicated and left. Kristofferson was next offeredBill L. Norton's script forCisco Pike by Columbia. His peers encouraged him to reject the role and to take acting lessons instead, but he accepted the part, and later said; "I read the script and I could identify with this cat" and that acting is "understanding a character, and then being just as honest as you can possibly be".[38]
Kristofferson began an 18-month tour, during which he suffered a bout ofwalking pneumonia, which was worsened by his alcohol consumption. While performing, he would not face the audience and mumbled the words to his songs. Eventually, he was hospitalized.[39] During the tour, Kristofferson performed onThe Johnny Cash Show. While in California, Kristofferson befriended singerJanis Joplin.[40] Upon returning to Nashville in early 1971, he received with his mail at Combine Music Joplin's posthumous albumPearl, which at the time was still unreleased. Joplin's album included a cover of his original composition "Me and Bobby McGee". The following morning, he returned to the studio and recorded his second Monument album,The Silver Tongued Devil and I, which was released that July.[41] He wrote nine of the album's 10 songs, including the single "Lovin' Her Was Easier (than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)". He collaborated with songwriterShel Silverstein on "The Taker" and keyboardistDonnie Fritts on "Epitaph (Black and Blue)". Also included on the album was a cover ofBobby Bare's "Good Christian Soldier". "Lovin' Her Was Easier (than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" reached number 46 onBillboardHot 100 and number 4 onAdult Contemporary. These songs would later be used on the soundtrack forCisco Pike, which was released on January 14, 1972.
That February, Monument released his third albumBorder Lord. The album was all-new material and sales were sluggish. He also swept theGrammy Awards that year with numerous songs nominated, winning country song of the year for "Help Me Make It Through the Night". Kristofferson's fourth album,Jesus Was a Capricorn, initially had slow sales, but the third single, "Why Me", was a success and significantly increased album sales. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded agold disc by theRIAA on November 8, 1973.[42] Kristofferson appeared with Rita Coolidge on the BBC television seriesThe Old Grey Whistle Test, performing "Help Me Make It Through the Night".Al Green later released his version of "For the Good Times" on the albumI'm Still in Love with You.
In April 1973, Kristofferson received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Pomona College during Alumni Weekend, accompanied by Cash and Coolidge.[43] Four months later, Kristofferson married Coolidge. The duo released an album titledFull Moon, another success buoyed by numerous hit singles and Grammy nominations.
His fifth album,Spooky Lady's Sideshow, released in 1974, was a commercial failure. Artists such asRonnie Milsap,Willie Nelson andJohnny Duncan continued to record Kristofferson's material with success, but his rough vocal style and anti-pop sound kept his own audience to a minimum.
In March 1979, Kristofferson participated in theHavana Jam festival inHavana alongside several notable American and Cuban artists. His performance is captured on Ernesto Juan Castellanos's documentaryHavana Jam '79.[44] That November, Kristofferson and Coolidge appeared onThe Muppet Show, where Kristofferson sang "Help Me Make It Through the Night" withMiss Piggy, Coolidge sang "We're All Alone" with forest animals, and the pair sang "Song I'd Like to Sing" with the Muppet monsters. They divorced in 1980.[45]
In 1982, Kristofferson joinedWillie Nelson,Dolly Parton, andBrenda Lee onThe Winning Hand, a double album consisting of remastered and updated performances of recordings the four artists had made for the Monument label during the mid-1960s; the album reached the top ten on the U.S. country album charts. He married again, to Lisa Meyers, and concentrated on films for a time, appearing in the 1984 releasesThe Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck,Flashpoint, andSongwriter. Nelson and Kristofferson both appeared inSongwriter, and Kristofferson was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Original Score. The albumMusic from Songwriter, featuring Nelson-Kristofferson duets, was a country success.[12]
Nelson and Kristofferson continued their partnership, and by 1985, they addedWaylon Jennings andJohnny Cash to form thesupergroupthe Highwaymen. Theirself-titled first album, released on May 6, was a success, and the supergroup continued working together for a time. The single from the album, a cover ofJimmy Webb's "Highwayman", was awarded the ACM's single of the year in 1985.[46] In 1985, Kristofferson starred inTrouble in Mind and releasedRepossessed, a politically aware album that was a country success, particularly "They Killed Him" (also performed byBob Dylan), a tribute to his heroes, includingMartin Luther King Jr., Jesus, andMahatma Gandhi.[47] Kristofferson also appeared inAmerika at about the same time, a miniseries that attempted to depict life in America underSoviet control.[48]
In 2003,Broken Freedom Song was released, a live album recorded in San Francisco. That year, he received the "Spirit of Americana" free speech award from theAmericana Music Association.[53] In 2004, he began experiencing memory problems which lasted for the next 11 years.[54] That November, he was inducted into theCountry Music Hall of Fame.[55]
On October 21, 2005, the filmDreamer was released, in which Kristofferson played the role of "Pop", a retired thoroughbred horse trainer. The film was inspired by the true story of the mareMariah's Storm which won the Turfway Breeders Cup Classic. In 2006, he received theJohnny Mercer Award from theSongwriters Hall of Fame and released his first album full of new material in 11 years;This Old Road. Also in 2006, Kristofferson starred withGeneviève Bujold in the filmDisappearances about whiskey running fromQuebec to the U.S. during theGreat Depression.[56]
On April 21, 2007, Kristofferson wonCMT's Johnny Cash Visionary Award.Rosanne Cash, Cash's daughter, presented the honor during the April 16 awards show in Nashville. Previous recipients include Cash,Hank Williams Jr.,Loretta Lynn,Reba McEntire, and theDixie Chicks. "John was my hero before he was my friend, and anything with his name on it is really an honor in my eyes," Kristofferson said during a phone interview. "I was thinking back to when I first met him, and if I ever thought that I'd be getting an award with his name on it, it would have carried me through a lot of hard times."[57]
Kristofferson's next studio album, titledCloser to the Bone, was released in September 2009. It is produced byDon Was on theNew West Records label. Before the release, Kristofferson remarked: "I like the intimacy of the new album. It has a general mood of reflecting on where we all are at this time of life."[58] That November, Kristofferson was honored as aBMI Icon at the 57th annual BMI Country Awards. Throughout his career, Kristofferson's songwriting garnered 48 BMI Country and Pop Awards.[59] He later remarked, "The great thing about being a songwriter is you can hear your baby interpreted by so many people that have creative talents vocally that I don't have."[60] Kristofferson had always denied having a good voice, and had said that as he had aged, any quality it once had was beginning to decay.[61]
In May 2010,Light in the Attic Records released demos that were recorded during Kristofferson's janitorial stint at Columbia.Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends: The Publishing Demos was the first time these recordings were released and included material that would later be featured on other Kristofferson recordings and on the recordings of other prominent artists, such as the original recording of "Me and Bobby McGee".[62] Also in 2010, Kristofferson voiced the character Chief Hanlon of the NCR Rangers in the video gameFallout: New Vegas.[63]
In early 2013, Kristofferson released an album of original songs calledFeeling Mortal.[64] Thom Jurek ofAllMusic called album "as honest a title as exists". He also praised the album's title track and "Ramblin’ Jack".[65] That June, Kristofferson portrayed Joe on the albumGhost Brothers of Darkland County, a collaboration between rock singerJohn Mellencamp and novelistStephen King.[66] In September, Kristofferson recorded an acoustic concert atUnion Chapel, Islington, to be released the following year asAn Evening with Kris Kristofferson: The Pilgrim; Ch 77.[67]
In 2014, Kristofferson engaged in a series of recording sessions at Cedar Creek Recording in Austin, Texas, which led to his final studio album,The Cedar Creek Sessions. Released in June 2016, the album was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Americana Album that December.[68] Jeff Lincoln, in his review for the album onCountry Standard Time, praised Kristofferson's humor and called the album "a songwriter's showcase".[69]
In August 2018, Kristofferson's final film,Blaze, was released. That November, Kristofferson performed, with assistance from Carlile, a cover ofJoni Mitchell's "A Case of You", from the 1971 Mitchell albumBlue, at theBoth Sides Now – Joni 75 A Birthday Celebration to celebrate Mitchell's 75th birthday.[71]
Kristofferson was one of the supporting artists for a Barbra Streisand "exclusive European concert" on July 7, 2019 inHyde Park, London as part of theBritish Summer Time concert series.[72]
By January 2021, Kristofferson announced his retirement from performing, citing age and concerns regarding theCOVID-19 pandemic.[73] Kristofferson's final performance was held in Los Angeles at theHollywood Bowl on April 29, 2023, where he sang a cover of "Lovin' You Was Easier" with Rosanne Cash in honor of Willie Nelson's 90th birthday;[74] the concert was later released asLong Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 that December.
Kristofferson died in his Hana, Hawaii, home on September 28, 2024, at the age of 88. His family did not provide a cause of death.[75][76] He had requested for the first three lines ofLeonard Cohen's "Bird on the Wire" on his tombstone:[77][78]
Like a bird on the wire Like a drunk in a midnight choir I have tried in my way to be free
Family and associates, includingDolly Parton,Reba McEntire andMiranda Lambert, paid tribute to Kristofferson on social media,[79] while media outlets also published tributes written by singersWillie Nelson and Ashley McBride.[80][81] Many other musicians, artists, and celebrities offered public acknowledgements.[82]
In 1961, Kristofferson married his longtime girlfriend Frances "Fran" Mavia Beer, but they divorced in 1969.[11][83][84] Kristofferson briefly datedJanis Joplin before her death in October 1970.[83] His second marriage was to singerRita Coolidge in 1973, ending in divorce in 1980.[6][83] Kristofferson married Lisa Meyers in 1983.[83]
Kristofferson and Meyers owned a home in Las Flores Canyon inMalibu, California,[50] and they also resided inHana, Hawaii from 1990 until his death.[83] Kristofferson had eight children from his three marriages: two from his first marriage, one from his second marriage, and five from his third marriage.[85]
Kristofferson's debut studio album included a pro–Vietnam War song, but he said that he later became an opponent of the war after speaking with returning soldiers who had seen combat. Speaking about a soldier who had told him that he had witnessed other soldiers throwing people out of helicopters during interrogation, Kristofferson said, "The notion that you could make a young person do something so inhumane to another soldier—or even worse, a civilian—convinced me that we were in the wrong." Kristofferson called himself a "dove with claws" and remained proud of his military service in spite of hisanti-imperialist views.
In a 1991 interview on New Zealand TV, he condemned media support for the Gulf War, saying "The lapdog media cranks out propaganda that would make aNazi blush."[89] Kristofferson was a supporter of theUnited Farm Workers and appeared at several rallies and benefits for them, campaigning withCesar Chavez for the passage of Proposition 14. He continued to play at benefits for the UFW through the 2010s. In 1987, he played at a benefit concert forLeonard Peltier withJackson Browne,Willie Nelson andJoni Mitchell. In 1995, he dedicated a song toMumia Abu-Jamal at a concert in Philadelphia, and was booed by the crowd.[90]
He performed in benefit concerts forPalestinian children, and said that he "found a considerable lack of work as a result." At aBob Dylan anniversary concert shortly afterSinead O'Connor's protest onSaturday Night Live in 1992, he showed solidarity with her when she was booed by the crowd.[91]
^"Death claims famed pilot".The Times. San Mateo, California. January 4, 1971. p. 3.Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. RetrievedMay 26, 2020.Henry C. Kristofferson, 65, famed pilot and former division manager for Pan American World Airways when he was a resident of San Mateo, died... two sons, Kraig and Kris, who has recently won fame as a folk music and country-western singer.
^abcde"Acts of Will".Pomona College Magazine (Winter 2004). Archived fromthe original on September 7, 2013. RetrievedFebruary 2, 2013.
^"Fire Down Below (1997)".Turner Classic Movies. Turner Classic Movies, Inc. Archived fromthe original on November 3, 2012. RetrievedNovember 14, 2024.
^Cohen, Leonard,Greatest hits, Sony Music Entertainment Inc, CD booklet, p. 4,OCLC863239766,archived from the original on October 1, 2024, retrievedFebruary 12, 2023
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