Iconic Songwriter Kris Kristofferson Dies at 88

Kris Kristofferson 1936 – 2024

“Kris Kristofferson believed to his core that creativity is God-given, and that those who ignore or deflect such a holy gift are doomed to failure and unhappiness. He preached that a life of the mind gives voice to the soul, and then he created a body of work that gave voice not only to his soul but to ours. Kris’s heroes included the prize fighter Muhammad Ali, the great poet William Blake, and the ‘Hillbilly Shakespeare,’ Hank Williams. He lived his life in a way that honored and exemplified the values of each of those men, and he leaves a righteous, courageous, and resounding legacy that rings with theirs.”

—Kyle Young, CEO
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

From Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum:

In some ways, Kris Kristofferson was an unlikely candidate for a career as a country songwriter and recording artist. Considering his family background and his education, he seemed destined to become a military officer or a college professor.

Kristofferson was the son of an Air Force major general, and he served as a captain and helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army during his own stint in the service. As a Rhodes Scholar, he studied literature at Oxford University after finishing his undergraduate degree at Pomona College in California.

Two weeks before Kristofferson was to begin teaching English literature at West Point, however, he resigned his commission and headed for Nashville, where he pursued his dream of becoming a professional songwriter. He found encouragement from publisher Marijohn Wilkin at Buckhorn Music early on, and later from Fred Foster and Bob Beckham at Combine Music. Like most Nashville tunesmiths, he paid his dues working part-time jobs, including that of janitor for Columbia Studios. While Bob Dylan was recording his famous Blonde on Blonde album there, a then-unknown Kristofferson was sweeping floors and emptying ashtrays.

All the while, Kristofferson was crafting a songwriting style that drew inspiration from the Romantic poets, from the folksingers and poets of New York’s Greenwich Village, and from Mickey Newbury, a fellow Texan and close friend, who also was a Nashville-based songwriter. Kristofferson’s songs began to embody not only the alienation that many Americans felt in a turbulent era of social change, but also the high value they placed upon personal freedom, emotional honesty, and sexual frankness. As a result, his songs helped country artists speak to the times and win new fans young and old alike.

Roger Miller, for instance, recorded Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee,” gaining a #12 country hit in 1969. The following year, Ray Price took Kristofferson’s “For the Good Times” to the top of the country charts and crossed over to the pop charts, peaking at #11. Also in 1970, Bobby Bare cracked the country Top Ten with Kristofferson’s “Come Sundown.”

One of Kristofferson’s musical heroes was Johnny Cash, who inspired Kristofferson’s song “The Pilgrim.” After several unsuccessful attempts to pitch Cash the song “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” Kristofferson finally got his attention by piloting a helicopter and landing it in Cash’s backyard. The song became a #1 country hit for Cash and the Country Music Association’s 1970 Song of the Year.

The year 1971 proved even more successful for Kristofferson. Sammi Smith’s rendition of his “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” in which the narrator openly encourages a one-night stand, topped the charts that year, winning Kristofferson a Grammy for Best Country Song. Additionally, Smith’s recording won a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female, and a CMA for Single of the Year. Also in 1971, a recording of “Me and Bobby McGee” by rock star Janis Joplin became a #1 pop hit.

Inspired by Kristofferson’s literary, sensual approach, other writers followed in his footsteps. “Hearing Kristofferson’s ‘Me and Bobby McGee’ on the radio and knowing it came out of Nashville made Nashville seem a lot more accessible to me,” said Guy Clark, renowned for songs including “L. A. Freeway” and “Desperadoes Waiting for a Train” about his own 1971 move from Los Angeles to Nashville.

See the entire Kris Kristofferson article here.