Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "
Me and Bobby McGee"Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, originally performed by Roger Miller. Others performed the song later, including Kristofferson himself, and Janis Joplin who topped the U.S. singles chart with the song in 1971 after her death, making the song the second...
", "
For the Good Times"For the Good Times" is a 1970 song penned by Kris Kristofferson that appeared on his debut album Kristofferson.Later that year, Ray Price recorded a version of the song which topped the U.S. country music charts and was awarded "Song of the Year" by the Academy of Country Music...
", "
Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down"Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" is a song written by Kris Kristofferson and first recorded by Ray Stevens in 1969; it became Steven's first chart hit, reaching #55 on the country charts and #81 on the pop Top 100. Kristofferson released his own version the following year, on his debut album,...
", and "
Help Me Make It Through the Night"Help Me Make It Through the Night" is a country music ballad composed by Kris Kristofferson and released on his 1970 album Kristofferson.Kristofferson said that he got the inspiration for the song from an Esquire magazine interview with Frank Sinatra...
". Kristofferson is the sole writer of most of his songs, but he has collaborated with various other figures of the
NashvilleNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
scene such as
Shel SilversteinSheldon Allan "Shel" Silverstein , was an American poet, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and author of children's books. He styled himself as Uncle Shelby in his children's books...
.
Early life
Kristoffer Kristofferson was born in
Brownsville, TexasBrownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
, to parents Mary Ann (née Ashbrook) and Lars Henry Kristofferson, a U.S. Army Air Corps (later U.S. Air Force)
Major GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
. Kristofferson's paternal grandfather was also an officer (in the
Swedish ArmyThe Swedish Army is one of the oldest standing armies in the world and a branch of the Swedish Armed Forces; it is in charge of land operations. General Sverker Göranson is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Army.- Organization :...
). When Kristofferson was a child, his father pushed him toward a military career. Like most "military brats", Kristofferson moved around frequently as a youth, finally settling down in
San Mateo, CaliforniaSan Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
, where he graduated from
San Mateo High SchoolSan Mateo High School is an American National Blue Ribbon comprehensive four-year public high school in San Mateo, California serving grades 9–12 as part of the San Mateo Union High School District....
. An aspiring writer, Kristofferson enrolled in
Pomona CollegePomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
in 1954. He experienced his first dose of fame when he appeared in
Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
s "Faces in the Crowd" for his achievements in collegiate
rugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
,
footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, and track and field. He and fellow classmates revived the
Claremont CollegesThe Claremont Colleges are a prestigious American consortium of five undergraduate and two graduate schools of higher education located in Claremont, California, a city east of downtown Los Angeles...
Rugby Club in 1958, which has remained a Southern California rugby dynasty. Kristofferson became a member of Kappa Delta at Pomona College, graduating in 1958 with a BA, summa cum laude in Literature. In a 2004 interview with Pomona College Magazine Kristofferson mentioned philosophy professor
Frederick SontagFrederick Earl Sontag was a professor of philosophy and author. He taught at Pomona College in Claremont, California from 1952 to 2009, retiring shortly before his death.-Life and academic career:...
as an important influence in his life.
Kristofferson earned a
Rhodes ScholarshipThe Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
to the University of Oxford, where his college was
MertonMerton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
. While at Oxford he was awarded his blue for boxing and began writing songs. With the help of his manager,
Larry ParnesLaurence Maurice "Larry" Parnes was an English pop manager and impresario. He has been described as "the first major British rock manager... Parnes' stable encompassed most of the most successful pre-Beatles British rock singers."...
, he recorded for Top Rank Records under the name Kris Carson. Parnes was working to sell Kris 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 towards his goal of becoming a novelist. This early phase of his music career was unsuccessful.
In 1960, Kristofferson graduated with a
BPhilBachelor of Philosophy is the title of an academic degree. The degree usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects...
in English literature and married an old girlfriend, Fran Beer. Kristofferson, under pressure from his family, ultimately joined the U.S. Army and achieved the rank of Captain. He became a helicopter pilot after receiving flight training at
Fort RuckerFort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located mostly in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training base for Army Aviation and is home to the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and...
,
AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. He also completed
Ranger SchoolThe United States Army Ranger School is an intense 61-day combat leadership course oriented towards small-unit tactics. It has been called the "toughest combat course in the world" and "is the most physically and mentally demanding leadership school the Army has to offer". The course is conducted...
. During the early 1960s, he was stationed in
West GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
as a member of the 8th Infantry Division. It was during this time that he resumed his music career and formed a band. In 1965, when his tour of duty ended, Kristofferson was offered a position as a professor of English Literature at
West PointThe United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
. Instead, he decided to leave the Army and pursue songwriting. His family disowned him due to this decision and they never reconciled with him. They saw it as a rejection of everything they stood for while Kristofferson has stated that he was greatly influenced by the poet
William BlakeWilliam Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
while at Oxford, who had proclaimed that if one has a God-given creative talent then one should use it, or else reap sorrow and despair. Kristofferson sent some of his compositions to a friend's relative,
Marijohn WilkinMarijohn Wilkin , née Melson, was an American songwriter, famous in the country music genre for writing a number of hits. Wilkin won numerous awards over the years and was referred to as "The Den Mother of Music Row," as chronicled in her 1978 biography from Word Books--Lord, Let Me Leave a Song...
, a successful
Nashville, TennesseeNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
songwriter but when he arrived in the town to see
Sam PhillipsSamuel Cornelius Phillips , better known as Sam Phillips, was an American businessman, record executive, record producer and DJ who played an important role in the emergence of rock and roll as the major form of popular music in the 1950s...
of
Sun RecordsSun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27, 1952.Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash...
his shoes were, according to Philips 'falling off his feet.'
Music
After being honorably discharged from the Army in 1965, Kristofferson moved to
NashvilleNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. He worked at a variety of odd jobs while struggling for success in music, burdened with medical expenses resulting from his son's defective
esophagusThe esophagus is an organ in vertebrates which consists of a muscular tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach. During swallowing, food passes from the mouth through the pharynx into the esophagus and travels via peristalsis to the stomach...
. He and his wife soon divorced.
He got a job sweeping floors at Columbia Studios in Nashville. There he met
Johnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, who initially accepted some of Kristofferson's songs but chose not to use them. During Kristofferson's janitorial stint for Columbia,
Bob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
recorded his landmark 1966 album
Blonde on BlondeBlonde on Blonde is American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's seventh studio album, released in May or June 1966 on Columbia Records and produced by Bob Johnston. Recording sessions commenced in New York in October 1965, with a plethora of backing musicians, including members of Dylan's live backing...
at the studio. Though he had the opportunity to watch some of Dylan's recording sessions, Kristofferson never met Dylan out of fear that he would be fired for approaching him.
He also worked as a commercial helicopter pilot at that time for a south
LouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
firm called Petroleum Helicopters International (PHI), based in
Lafayette, LouisianaLafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
. Kristofferson recalled of his days as a pilot, "That was about the last three years before I started performing, before people started cutting my songs ... I would work a week down here [in south Louisiana] for PHI, sitting on an oil platform and flying helicopters. Then I'd go back to Nashville at the end of the week and spend a week up there trying to pitch the songs, then come back down and write songs for another week ... I can remember 'Help Me Make It Through The Night' I wrote sitting on top of an oil platform. I wrote 'Bobby McGee' down here, and a lot of them [in south Louisiana]."
In 1966,
Dave DudleyDave Dudley , born David Darwin Pedruska, was an American country music singer best-known for his truck-driving country anthems of the 1960s and 1970s and his semi-slurred baritone. His signature song was "Six Days on the Road," and he is also remembered for "Vietnam Blues," "Truck Drivin'...
released a successful Kristofferson single, "Viet Nam Blues". In 1967, Kristofferson signed to
Epic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
and released a single, "Golden Idol"/"Killing Time", but the song was not successful. Within the next few years, more Kristofferson originals hit the
chartsA record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, performed by
Roy DruskyRoy Frank Drusky Jr., was an American country music singer popular from the 1960s through the early 1970s. Known for his baritone voice, he was known for incorporating the Nashville sound. His highest-charting single was the No. 1 "Yes Mr. Peters", a duet with Priscilla Mitchell.-Early life and...
("Jody and the Kid"),
Billy WalkerWilliam Marvin Walker , better known as Billy Walker, was an American country music singer and guitarist best-known for his 1962 hit, " Charlie's Shoes"...
& the Tennessee Walkers ("From the Bottle to the Bottom"),
Ray StevensRay Stevens is an American country music, pop singer-songwriter who has become known for his novelty songs.-Early career:...
("
Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down"Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" is a song written by Kris Kristofferson and first recorded by Ray Stevens in 1969; it became Steven's first chart hit, reaching #55 on the country charts and #81 on the pop Top 100. Kristofferson released his own version the following year, on his debut album,...
"),
Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
("Once More with Feeling")
Faron YoungFaron Young was an American country music singer and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s and one of its most successful and colorful stars...
("Your Time's Comin'") and
Roger MillerRoger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
("
Me and Bobby McGee"Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, originally performed by Roger Miller. Others performed the song later, including Kristofferson himself, and Janis Joplin who topped the U.S. singles chart with the song in 1971 after her death, making the song the second...
", "Best of all Possible Worlds", "Darby's Castle"). He achieved some success as a performer himself, following
Johnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
's introduction of Kristofferson at the
Newport Folk FestivalThe Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival...
. Kristofferson had previously grabbed Cash's attention when he landed his helicopter in Cash's yard without prior arrangement and gave him some tapes.
Kristofferson signed to
Monument RecordsMonument Records was an American record label, Washington, D.C. named for the Washington Monument, founded in 1958, by Fred Foster and Buddy Deane . Buddy Deane soon left the company, and in the early 60's bought KOTN in Pine Bluff, Arkansas where he retired to until his death...
as a
recording artistA musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. In addition to running that label,
Fred FosterFred Foster is an American songwriter, record producer, and founder of Monument Records.-Biography:...
also served as manager of Combine Music, Kristofferson's songwriting label. His debut album for Monument in 1970 was
KristoffersonKristofferson is the first album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1970 on Monument Records.Many of the songs on the album were already hits when covered by other artists...
, which included a few new songs as well as many of his previous hits. Sales were poor, although this debut album would become a success the following year when it was re-released under the title Me & Bobby McGee. Kristofferson's compositions were still in high demand.
Ray PriceRay Price is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone has often been praised as among the best male voices of country music...
("
For the Good Times"For the Good Times" is a 1970 song penned by Kris Kristofferson that appeared on his debut album Kristofferson.Later that year, Ray Price recorded a version of the song which topped the U.S. country music charts and was awarded "Song of the Year" by the Academy of Country Music...
"),
Waylon JenningsWaylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
("The Taker"),
Bobby BareRobert Joseph Bare is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is the father of Bobby Bare, Jr., also a musician.-Early career:...
("Come Sundown"),
Johnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
("Sunday Morning Coming Down") and
Sammi SmithSammi Smith was an American country music singer and songwriter. Born Jewel Faye Smith, she is best known for her 1971 country/pop crossover hit, "Help Me Make It Through the Night", which was written by Kris Kristofferson...
("Help Me Make It Through the Night") all recorded successful versions of his songs in the early 1970s. "For the Good Times" (Ray Price) won "Song of the Year" in 1970 from the
Academy of Country MusicThe Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
, while "Sunday Morning Coming Down" (Johnny Cash) won the same award from the Academy's rival, the
Country Music AssociationThe Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
in the same year. This is the only time an individual received the same award from these two organizations in the same year for different songs.
In 1971,
Janis JoplinJanis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
, who dated Kristofferson for some time until her death, had a number 1
hitA hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
with "
Me and Bobby McGee"Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, originally performed by Roger Miller. Others performed the song later, including Kristofferson himself, and Janis Joplin who topped the U.S. singles chart with the song in 1971 after her death, making the song the second...
" from her posthumous
Pearl-Personnel:* Janis Joplin – vocals, guitar on "Me and Bobby McGee"* Richard Bell – piano* Ken Pearson – organ* John Till – electric guitar* Brad Campbell – bass guitar* Clark Pierson – drums-Additional personnel:...
. When released, it stayed on the number one spot on the charts for weeks. More hits followed from others: Ray Price ("I'd Rather Be Sorry"),
Joe SimonJoe Simon is an American chart-topping, Grammy Award winning, soul and R&B musician. Amongst other chart singles, Simon secured three number one hits on the US Billboard R&B chart between 1969 and 1975.-Career:...
("Help Me Make It Through the Night"),
Bobby BareRobert Joseph Bare is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is the father of Bobby Bare, Jr., also a musician.-Early career:...
("Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends"),
O. C. SmithO.C. Smith was an American musician. His recording of "Little Green Apples", which went to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968, also sold over one million records.-Biography:...
("Help Me Make It Through the Night")
Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
("Me and Bobby McGee"),
Patti PageClara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and has sold over 100 million records...
("I'd Rather Be Sorry") and
Peggy LittlePeggy Little is an American country music singer best remembered for her country cover version of Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man"...
("I've Got to Have You"). Kristofferson released his second album,
The Silver Tongued Devil and IThe Silver Tongued Devil and I is the second album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1971 on Monument Records. In the spoken word intro to "The Pilgrim, Chapter 33", Kristofferson says he wrote the song about various celebrities...
in 1971; the album was a success and established Kristofferson's career as a recording artist in his own right. Soon after, Kristofferson made his acting debut in
The Last MovieThe Last Movie is a 1971 drama film from Universal Pictures. It was written and directed by Dennis Hopper, who also played a horse wrangler named after the state of Kansas. It also starred Peter Fonda, Henry Jaglom and Michelle Phillips...
(directed by
Dennis HopperDennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
) and appeared at the
Isle of Wight FestivalThe Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place every year on the Isle of Wight in England. It was originally held from 1968 to 1970. These original events were promoted and organised by the Foulk brothers under the banner of their company Fiery Creations Limited...
. In 1971, he acted in
Cisco PikeCisco Pike is a 1972 drama written and directed by Bill L. Norton. It stars Kris Kristofferson as a musician fallen on hard luck who turned to dealing marijuana as a means of income. The film also stars Karen Black, Harry Dean Stanton, Antonio Fargas, Gene Hackman, Viva, and Texas musician Doug Sahm...
and released his third album,
Border LordBorder Lord is the third album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1972 on Monument Records.-Track listing:All songs by Kris Kristofferson except as noted#"Josie" – 3:12#"Burden of Freedom" – 3:22#"Stagger Mountain Tragedy" – 2:53...
; the album was all-new material and sales were sluggish. He also swept the Grammy Awards that year with numerous songs nominated, winning country song of the year for "Help Me Make It Through the Night". Kristofferson's 1972 fourth album,
Jesus Was a CapricornJesus Was a Capricorn is the fourth album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1972 on Monument Records. The album cover pictures Kristofferson and his soon-to-be wife Rita Coolidge...
initially had slow sales, but the third single, "
Why Me"Why Me" is an American country and gospel song written and recorded by Kris Kristofferson.-Song history:Kristofferson had become the toast of Nashville in the early 1970s, with the massive success of compositions including "For the Good Times," "Me and Bobby McGee," "Sunday Morning Coming Down,"...
", was a success and significantly increased album sales.
Film
For the next few years, Kristofferson focused on acting. He appeared in
Blume in LoveBlume in Love is a 1973 film written and directed by Paul Mazursky. It starred George Segal and Susan Anspach. Also in the cast were Kris Kristofferson, Marsha Mason and Shelley Winters.-Plot:...
(directed by
Paul MazurskyPaul Mazursky is an American film director, screenwriter and actor.-Personal life:He was born Irwin Mazursky in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Jean , a piano player for dance classes, and David Mazursky, a laborer. Mazursky was born to a Jewish family; his grandfather was an immigrant from...
) and
Pat Garrett and Billy the KidPat Garrett and Billy the Kid is a 1973 Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson. Co-star Bob Dylan composed multiple songs for the movie's score and the album Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid was released the same year.The film was noted for...
(directed by
Sam PeckinpahDavid Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
). He continued acting, in Sam Peckinpah's
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo GarciaBring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is a 1974 American action film directed by Sam Peckinpah and featuring Warren Oates....
, Convoy, (another Sam Peckinpah film which was released in 1978),
Alice Doesn't Live Here AnymoreAlice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is a 1974 American drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Robert Getchell. It stars Ellen Burstyn as a widow who travels with her preteen son across the American Southwest in search of a better life, along with Alfred Lutter as her son and Kris...
,
Vigilante ForceVigilante Force is a 1976 American action film concerning a Vietnam War veteran and his buddies, who are hired by his brother and others in a small California town for protection from rowdy oil-field workers....
, a film based on the Yukio Mishima novel
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the SeaThe Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea , is a novel written by Yukio Mishima, published in Japanese in 1963 and translated into English by John Nathan in 1965.- Plot summary :...
, and
A Star Is BornA Star Is Born is a 1976 American rock music musical film telling the story of a young woman, played by Barbra Streisand who enters show business, and meets and falls in love with an established male star, played by Kris Kristofferson, only to find her career ascending while his goes into decline...
(with
Barbra StreisandBarbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
), for which he received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor (and which he noted had been an experience "worse than boot camp") and
FlashpointFlashpoint is a film starring Kris Kristofferson and Treat Williams. Rip Torn, Jean Smart, Kurtwood Smith, and Tess Harper also co-star. The movie was directed by William Tannen and based on a novel by George La Fountaine...
in 1984 (directed by William Tannen). At the peak of his box-office power, Kristofferson turned down both
William FriedkinWilliam Friedkin is an American film director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing The French Connection in 1971 and The Exorcist in 1973; for the former, he won the Academy Award for Best Director...
's
SorcererSorcerer is a 1977 thriller adventure film, produced and directed by William Friedkin, starring Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal and Amidou. It is the second remake of the 1953 French film Le Salaire de la Peur ....
(1977), the romantic war film
Hanover StreetHanover Street is a 1979 Anglo-American war film written and directed by Peter Hyams, starring Harrison Ford, Lesley-Anne Down and Christopher Plummer.-Plot:...
and the first Rambo-installment,
First BloodFirst Blood is a 1982 action thriller film directed by Ted Kotcheff. The film stars Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo, a troubled and misunderstood Vietnam War veteran, with Sheriff Will Teasle as his nemesis and Colonel Samuel Trautman as his former commander and only ally...
. In spite of his success with Streisand, Kristofferson's solo musical career headed downward with his non-charting ninth album,
Shake Hands with the DevilShake Hands with the Devil is the ninth solo album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1979 on Monument Records. Several of the songs on the album were written by Kristofferson years before its release.-Track listing:...
. His next film Freedom Road did not earn a theatrical release in the U.S. Kristofferson's next film was
Heaven's GateHeaven's Gate is a 1980 American epic Western film based on the Johnson County War, a dispute between land barons and European immigrants in Wyoming in the 1890s...
, a phenomenal industry-changing failure. In 1986, he starred in The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James with Johnny Cash. In 1989, he was the male lead in the film
MillenniumMillennium is a 1989 film directed by Michael Anderson and starring Kris Kristofferson, Cheryl Ladd, Robert Joy, Brent Carver, Al Waxman and Daniel J. Travanti. The original music score was composed by Eric N. Robertson...
with Cheryl Ladd. He earned a supporting role in John Sayles' Lone Star, a film nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay. In 1998, he took a role in the film
BladeBlade is a 1998 vampire superhero action horror starring Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff, loosely based on the Marvel Comics character Blade. The film was directed by Stephen Norrington and written by David S. Goyer. Blade grossed $70 million at the U.S. box office, and $131.2 million worldwide...
, playing alongside
Wesley SnipesWesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
as
Blade'sBlade is a fictional character, a superhero/vampire hunter in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, his first appearance was in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula #10 as a supporting character.The character went on to alternatively star and co-star...
mentor Abraham Whistler. He returned to the character in
Blade IIBlade II is a 2002 superhero vampire film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Blade. It is the sequel of the Blade film series. It was written by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the previous film...
in 2002 and again in
Blade: TrinityBlade: Trinity is a 2004 American superhero vampire action film, written and directed by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the screenplays to the first two Blade films...
in 2004. In 1999, he co-starred with Mel Gibson in Payback. He has also played the title character "Yohan" as an old man in the Norwegian film Yohan-the Children Wanderer.
Mid-career
Also during this time, Kristofferson met singer
Rita CoolidgeRita Coolidge is a multiple Grammy Award-winning American vocalist. During the 1970s and 1980s, she charted hits on Billboard's Pop, Country, Adult Contemporary and Jazz charts.-Career:...
. They married in 1973 and released an album titled
Full MoonFull Moon is a duet album by Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge, released in 1973 on A&M Records. It is the first of three duet albums by the couple, who married the year before the album's release...
, another success buoyed by numerous hit singles and Grammy nominations. However, his fifth album,
Spooky Lady's SideshowSpooky Lady's Sideshow is the fifth solo album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1974 on Monument Records. It was preceded and followed by duet albums with his wife, Rita Coolidge. It was recorded shortly after Kristofferson's appearance in the movie Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. The album...
, released in 1974, was a commercial failure, setting the trend for most of the rest of his career. Artists such as
Ronnie MilsapRonnie Lee Milsap is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country’s most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s...
and
Johnny DuncanThis page is about John Duncan the contemporary artist. For the Symbolist artist see John Duncan .John Duncan is an artist who has lived and worked in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Amsterdam, currently lives and works in Bologna...
continued to record Kristofferson's material with much success, but his distinctively rough voice and anti-pop sound kept his own audience to a minimum. Meanwhile, more artists took his songs to the top of the charts, including
Willie NelsonWillie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, whose 1979 LP release of Willie Nelson Sings Kris Kristofferson proved to be a smash success.
In 1979, Kris Kristofferson travelled to
HavanaHavana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba, to participate in the historic
Havana JamHavana Jam was a three-day music festival that took place at the Karl Marx Theater, in Havana, Cuba, on 2-4 March, 1979. It was sponsored by Bruce Lundvall, the president of Columbia Records, Jerry Masucci, the president of Fania Records, and the Cuban Ministry of Culture.The festival included, on...
festival that took place between March 2–4, alongside
Rita CoolidgeRita Coolidge is a multiple Grammy Award-winning American vocalist. During the 1970s and 1980s, she charted hits on Billboard's Pop, Country, Adult Contemporary and Jazz charts.-Career:...
,
Stephen StillsStephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
, the CBS Jazz All-Stars, the
Trio of DoomThe Trio of Doom was a short-lived jazz fusion power trio consisting of John McLaughlin on guitar, Jaco Pastorius on bass, and Tony Williams on drums...
,
Fania All-StarsThe Fania All-Stars was a musical ensemble established in 1968 by the composer, Johnny Pacheco, as a showcase for the musicians on the record label Fania Records, the leading salsa record company of the time.-Beginnings:...
,
Billy SwanBilly Lance Swan is an American songwriter and singer, best known for his 1974 single, "I Can Help".-Life:Swan was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. As a child, he learned drums, piano and guitar, and began writing songs...
,
Bonnie BramlettBonnie Bramlett is an American singer and sometime actress known for her distinctive vocals in rock and pop music. This began in the mid 1960s as a backing singer, forming the husband-and-wife team of Delaney & Bonnie, and continuing to the present day as a solo artist.-Life and career:Bramlett...
, Mike Finnegan,
Weather ReportWeather Report was an American jazz-rock band of the 1970s and early 1980s. The band was co-led by the Austrian-born keyboard player Joe Zawinul and the American saxophonist Wayne Shorter...
, and
Billy JoelWilliam Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, plus an array of Cuban artists such as
IrakereIrakere is a Cuban band founded by Armando de Sequeira Romeu Music Director and composer, and by pianist Chucho Valdés in 1973...
,
Pacho AlonsoPacho Alonso was a Cuban singer and bandleader from Santiago de Cuba who is attributed with creating the musical form Pilón....
,
Tata GüinesTata Güines was a Cuban percussionist on the tumbadora, or conga drum, as well as a composer. He was important in the first generation of Afro-Cuban jazz....
and
Orquesta AragónOrquesta Aragón was formed on 30 September 1939, by Orestes Aragón Cantero in Cienfuegos, Cuba. The band originally had the name Ritmica 39, then Ritmica Aragón before settling on its final form. Though they did not create the Cha-cha-cha, they were arguably the best charanga in Cuba during 1950s...
. His performance is captured on
Ernesto Juan CastellanosErnesto Juan Castellanos, born in 1963, is a freelance author, translator, journalist, filmmaker and researcher who lives and works in Havana, Cuba. In 1996, he started organizing the Cuban Beatles conventions, which opened doors to the world of writing...
's documentary
Havana Jam '79Havana Jam ’79 is an hour-long documentary written, produced and directed in 2009 by Cuban author, journalist and filmmaker Ernesto Juan Castellanos....
.
Kristofferson and Coolidge divorced in 1980.
Later work
In 1982, Kristofferson participated (with
Willie NelsonWillie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
,
Dolly PartonDolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, and
Brenda LeeBrenda Mae Tarpley , known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer who sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 37 US chart hits during the 1960s, a number surpassed only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Connie Francis...
) on
The Winning HandThe Winning Hand is a double album, released in December 1982, featuring Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Brenda Lee and Kris Kristofferson. The album consisted largely of unreleased tracks from their years with Monument Records...
, a country success that failed to break into mainstream audiences. He married again, to Lisa Meyers, and concentrated on films for a time, appearing in The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck,
FlashpointFlashpoint is a film starring Kris Kristofferson and Treat Williams. Rip Torn, Jean Smart, Kurtwood Smith, and Tess Harper also co-star. The movie was directed by William Tannen and based on a novel by George La Fountaine...
, and
SongwriterSongwriter is a 1984 film, directed by Alan Rudolph.The film concerns Doc Jenkins, , a country and western composer and the devious tricks he employs to extricate himself from his legal entanglement with a Nashville gangster entrepreneur who takes all the profits from his songs...
. The latter also starred Willie Nelson. Kristofferson was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.
Music from SongwriterMusic from Songwriter is a soundtrack album by Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, released on Columbia Records in 1984 . It is the soundtrack to Songwriter, a film starring the two performers. Two of the songs on the record are duets, five are sung by Nelson and four by Kristofferson...
(an album of duets between Nelson and Kristofferson) was a massive country success.
Nelson and Kristofferson continued their partnership, and added
Waylon JenningsWaylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
and
Johnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
to form the
supergroupIn the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
The HighwaymenThe Highwaymen were an American supergroup comprising four country music artists well known for, among other things, their involvement and pioneering influence on the outlaw country subgenre: Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson...
. Their first album, Highwayman was a huge success, and the supergroup continued working together for a time. The single from the Album Highwayman also titled Highwayman was awarded the ACM's single of the year in 1985. In 1985, Kristofferson starred in
Trouble in MindTrouble in Mind is a 1985 neo-noir film which follows an ex-cop just released from jail after serving time for a murder sentence as he returns to the mean streets of the fictional "Rain City"....
and released
RepossessedRepossessed is an album by Kris Kristofferson, release on Mercury Records in 1986 . It was Kristofferson's first full-length solo album since 1981's To the Bone, although the singer did collaborate with other artists in the meantime, most notably on Highwayman with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and...
, a politically aware album that was a country success, particularly "They Killed Him" (also performed by
Bob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
), a tribute to his heroes, including
Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, Jesus, and
Mahatma GandhiMohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
. Kristofferson also appeared in
AmerikaAmerika – suggesting a Russified name for the United States – is an American television miniseries that was broadcast in 1987 on ABC. It starred Kris Kristofferson, Mariel Hemingway, Sam Neill, Robert Urich, and a 17-year-old Lara Flynn Boyle in her first major role. Amerika was about life in the...
at about the same time; the miniseries was controversial, hypothesizing life under Communist domination.
In spite of the success of
Highwayman 2Highwayman 2 is an album by American country supergroup The Highwaymen. This album was released in 1990 on the Columbia Records label.-Track listing:# "Silver Stallion" – 3:12...
in 1990, Kristofferson's solo recording career slipped significantly in the early 1990s, though he continued to record successfully with the Highwaymen.
Lone StarLone Star is an American mystery film written and directed by John Sayles and set in a small town in Texas. It features Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Kris Kristofferson and Matthew McConaughey and deals with a sheriff's investigation into who murdered one of his predecessors.-Plot:In this ensemble...
(1996 film by
John SaylesJohn Thomas Sayles is an American independent film director, screenwriter and author.-Early life:Sayles was born in Schenectady, New York, the son of Mary , a teacher, and Donald John Sayles, a school administrator. He was raised Catholic and took to labeling himself "a Catholic atheist"...
) reinvigorated Kristofferson's acting career, and he soon appeared in
BladeBlade is a 1998 vampire superhero action horror starring Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff, loosely based on the Marvel Comics character Blade. The film was directed by Stephen Norrington and written by David S. Goyer. Blade grossed $70 million at the U.S. box office, and $131.2 million worldwide...
,
Blade IIBlade II is a 2002 superhero vampire film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Blade. It is the sequel of the Blade film series. It was written by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the previous film...
,
Blade: TrinityBlade: Trinity is a 2004 American superhero vampire action film, written and directed by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the screenplays to the first two Blade films...
, A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries, Fire Down Below,
Tim BurtonTimothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
's remake of
Planet of the ApesPlanet of the Apes is a 2001 American science fiction film, based on Pierre Boulle's novel and a remake of the 1968 film of the same name. Tim Burton directed the film, which stars Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti, and Estella Warren. It tells the...
,
Chelsea WallsChelsea Walls is an American independent film directed by Ethan Hawke and released by Lions Gate Entertainment. It stars Kris Kristofferson, Uma Thurman, Rosario Dawson, and Robert Sean Leonard among others, with original score by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. The story takes place in the historic Chelsea...
, Payback,
The JacketThe Jacket is a 2005 psychological thriller film directed by John Maybury that is partly based on the Jack London novel of the same name, released in the US as The Star Rover. Massy Tadjedin wrote the screenplay based on a story by Tom Bleecker and Marc Rocco...
and
Fast Food NationFast Food Nation is a 2006 American/British drama film directed by Richard Linklater. The screenplay was written by Linklater and Eric Schlosser, loosely based on the latter's bestselling 2001 non-fiction book of the same name...
.
The
Songwriters Hall of FameThe Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
inducted Kristofferson in 1985, as had the
Nashville Songwriters Hall of FameThe Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is uniquely associated with music community in the city of...
in 1977. 1999 saw the release of
The Austin SessionsThe Austin Sessions is an album by Kris Kristofferson, released on Atlantic Records in 1999 . It features stripped-down versions of Kristofferson's most famous material, including "Me and Bobby McGee", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
, an album on which Kristofferson reworked some of his favorite songs with the help of befriended artists such as
Mark KnopflerMark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
,
Steve EarleStephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
and
Jackson BrowneJackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
. In 2003,
Broken Freedom SongBroken Freedom Song: Live from San Francisco is a live album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 2003 on the Oh Boy record label. Recorded in San Francisco on July 19, 2002, the album features few of Kristofferson's most well-known songs, one of the sole exceptions being the title track...
was released, a live album recorded in San Francisco].
In 2004, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2006, he received the Johnny Mercer Award from the
Songwriters Hall of FameThe Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
and released his first album full of new material in 11 years;
This Old RoadThis Old Road is an album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 2006 on New West Records. The underlying theme of the record is a retrospective and reflective look at what Kristofferson deems to have been important elements of his life....
. On April 21, 2007, Kristofferson won
CMT'sCountry Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
Johnny Cash Visionary Award.
Rosanne CashRosanne Cash is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of the late country music singer Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Liberto Cash Distin....
, Cash's daughter, presented the honor during the April 16 awards show in
NashvilleNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Previous recipients include Cash,
Hank Williams, Jr.Randall Hank Williams , better known as Hank Williams, Jr. and Bocephus, is an American country singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of Southern rock, blues, and traditional country...
,
Loretta LynnLoretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
,
Reba McEntireReba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
and the
Dixie ChicksThe Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
. "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."
In July 2007, Kristofferson was featured on
CMT'sCountry Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
"Studio 330 Sessions" where he played many of his hits.
On June 13, 2008, Kristofferson performed an acoustic in the round set with
Patty GriffinPatty Griffin, born Patricia Jean Griffin, March 16, 1964, is an American Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. She is especially known for her down-home crafting of songs and her connection to musicians including Emmylou Harris, Ellis Paul, and the Dixie Chicks, who have played with...
and
Randy OwenRandy Owen is an American country music artist. He is known primarily for his role as the lead singer of Alabama, a country rock band which saw considerable mainstream success throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Although Alabama only records new albums on occasion, Owen himself has maintained a career...
(Alabama) for a special taping of a
PBSThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
songwriters series to be aired in December. Each performer played 5 songs. Kristofferson's included "The Best of All Possible World's," "Darby's Castle," "Casey's Last Ride," "Me and Bobby McGee," and "Here Comes that Rainbow Again." Taping was done in Nashville.
Kristofferson released a new album of original songs entitled
Closer to the BoneCloser to the Bone is the twentieth studio album by Kris Kristofferson. The album was released on September 29, 2009 on the New West record label. Kristofferson has said: Closer to the Bone is a reflective album...
on September 29, 2009. It is produced by
Don WasDon Was is an American musician, bassist and record producer.-Life and career:Was was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year...
on the New West label. Previous to 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."
On November 10, 2009, Kristofferson was honored as a
BMIBroadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
Icon at the 57th annual BMI Country Awards. Throughout his career, Kristofferson's songwriting has garnered 48 BMI Country and Pop Awards. He later remarked that "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."
In December 2009, it was announced that Kristofferson would be portraying Joe in the upcoming album
Ghost Brothers of Darkland County-Album release:The plan is to release a three-CD/book package featuring major artists performing Mellencamp's songs, and the book will contain the play's dialogue. According to Rolling Stone, two of those artists will be Elvis Costello and Neko Case. It was later announced that Kris Kristofferson,...
, a collaboration between rock singer
John MellencampJohn Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
and novelist
Stephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
.
On May 11, 2010,
Light in the Attic RecordsLight In The Attic Records is an independent record label established in 2002 in Seattle, Washington by Matt Sullivan, known for its roster of reissue projects, and for its distribution catalog. . As reissue label, Light In The Attic has re-released works by artists such as Betty Davis, Serge...
is releasing demos that were recorded during Kristofferson's janitorial stint at Columbia. "
Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends: The Publishing DemosPlease Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends: The Publishing Demos is the first release of the recording demos done by Kris Kristofferson between 1968 and 1972 while working as a janitor at Columbia Records...
" is the first time these recordings have been released and includes 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"Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, originally performed by Roger Miller. Others performed the song later, including Kristofferson himself, and Janis Joplin who topped the U.S. singles chart with the song in 1971 after her death, making the song the second...
".
Personal life
Kristofferson has been married three times and has eight children. In 1960, Kristofferson married his high-school sweetheart Frances (Fran) Beer. They had two children, a daughter, Tracy, and a son, Kris, before divorcing in 1969. Afterwards, Kristofferson dated
Janis JoplinJanis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
, not long before her death, before dating
Barbra StreisandBarbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
.
Joan BaezJoan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
admitted in a 1983
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
interview that she and Kristofferson had had a brief fling somewhere around 1970–71. In 1973, he married singer
Rita CoolidgeRita Coolidge is a multiple Grammy Award-winning American vocalist. During the 1970s and 1980s, she charted hits on Billboard's Pop, Country, Adult Contemporary and Jazz charts.-Career:...
and together they had one child, Casey Kristofferson. They divorced in 1980. In 1983, he married Lisa Meyers and together they have five children—son Jesse Turner, son Jody Ray, son Johnny Robert, daughter Kelly Marie and son Blake Cameron. Jody is a professional wrestler, who made an appearance on the August 13, 2010 edition of WWE SmackDown, losing to The Big Show in a 3 on 1 handicap match. WWE commentator Matt Striker made reference to him after a move by saying "There goes the Highway man." Jody also wrestled
Brodus ClayGeorge Murdoch is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Brodus Clay. He is signed to WWE, where he wrestles on its Raw brand and its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling...
on August 9, 2011 in a tryout match.
He has said that he would like the first three lines of Leonard Cohen's "
Bird on the Wire"Bird on the Wire" is one of Leonard Cohen's signature songs. It was recorded 26 September 1968 in Nashville and included on his 1969 album Songs from a Room. A May 1968 recording produced by David Crosby, entitled "Like a Bird", was added to the 2007 remastered CD...
" on his tombstone:
- Like a bird on a wire
- Like a drunk in a midnight choir
- I have tried in my way to be free.
Filmography
- The Last Movie
The Last Movie is a 1971 drama film from Universal Pictures. It was written and directed by Dennis Hopper, who also played a horse wrangler named after the state of Kansas. It also starred Peter Fonda, Henry Jaglom and Michelle Phillips...
(1971)
- Cisco Pike
Cisco Pike is a 1972 drama written and directed by Bill L. Norton. It stars Kris Kristofferson as a musician fallen on hard luck who turned to dealing marijuana as a means of income. The film also stars Karen Black, Harry Dean Stanton, Antonio Fargas, Gene Hackman, Viva, and Texas musician Doug Sahm...
(1972)
- The Gospel Road: A Story of Jesus
The Gospel Road is a double album and the fourth gospel album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1973 . It is the soundtrack to the film of the same name released by Twentieth Century Fox. The movie and the soundtrack tell the story of the life of Jesus. It...
(1973)
- Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is a 1973 Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson. Co-star Bob Dylan composed multiple songs for the movie's score and the album Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid was released the same year.The film was noted for...
(1973)–(Nominated–BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer-Best British Director, Producer or Writer in the First Film:*2006 - Red Road - Andrea Arnold**Black Sun – Gary Tarn**Pierrepoint – Christine Langan**London to Brighton – Paul Andrew Williams...
)
- Blume in Love
Blume in Love is a 1973 film written and directed by Paul Mazursky. It starred George Segal and Susan Anspach. Also in the cast were Kris Kristofferson, Marsha Mason and Shelley Winters.-Plot:...
(1973)
- Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is a 1974 American action film directed by Sam Peckinpah and featuring Warren Oates....
(1974)
- Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is a 1974 American drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Robert Getchell. It stars Ellen Burstyn as a widow who travels with her preteen son across the American Southwest in search of a better life, along with Alfred Lutter as her son and Kris...
(1974)
- The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (1976)
- Vigilante Force
Vigilante Force is a 1976 American action film concerning a Vietnam War veteran and his buddies, who are hired by his brother and others in a small California town for protection from rowdy oil-field workers....
(1976)
- A Star Is Born
A Star Is Born is a 1976 American rock music musical film telling the story of a young woman, played by Barbra Streisand who enters show business, and meets and falls in love with an established male star, played by Kris Kristofferson, only to find her career ascending while his goes into decline...
(1976)–(Won–Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyThe Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951...
)
- Semi-Tough
Semi-Tough is a 1977 film directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson, Jill Clayburgh, Lotte Lenya, Bert Convy, and Brian Dennehy. The plot involves a love triangle between the characters portrayed by Reynolds, Kristofferson and Clayburgh...
(1977)
- Convoy (1978)
- Heaven's Gate
Heaven's Gate is a 1980 American epic Western film based on the Johnson County War, a dispute between land barons and European immigrants in Wyoming in the 1890s...
(1980)
- Rollover
Rollover is a 1981 political and financial thriller directed by Alan J. Pakula and starring Jane Fonda and Kris Kristofferson.-Plot summary:...
(1981)
- Songwriter
Songwriter is a 1984 film, directed by Alan Rudolph.The film concerns Doc Jenkins, , a country and western composer and the devious tricks he employs to extricate himself from his legal entanglement with a Nashville gangster entrepreneur who takes all the profits from his songs...
(1984)–(Nominated–Academy Award for Original Music ScoreThe Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
)
- Flashpoint
Flashpoint is a film starring Kris Kristofferson and Treat Williams. Rip Torn, Jean Smart, Kurtwood Smith, and Tess Harper also co-star. The movie was directed by William Tannen and based on a novel by George La Fountaine...
(1984)
- Trouble in Mind
Trouble in Mind is a 1985 neo-noir film which follows an ex-cop just released from jail after serving time for a murder sentence as he returns to the mean streets of the fictional "Rain City"....
(1985)
- The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James (1986)
- Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
(1986)
- Blood & Orchids
Blood & Orchids is a 1986 made-for-TV crime-drama film. Written for the screen by Norman Katkov, it was an adaptation of Katkov's own novel which, in turn, was inspired by the 1932 Massie Trial in Honolulu, Hawaii...
(1986) (TVA television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
)
- Amerika
Amerika – suggesting a Russified name for the United States – is an American television miniseries that was broadcast in 1987 on ABC. It starred Kris Kristofferson, Mariel Hemingway, Sam Neill, Robert Urich, and a 17-year-old Lara Flynn Boyle in her first major role. Amerika was about life in the...
(1987) (TV 7 night mini-series)
- What I've Learned About US Foreign Policy: The war against the Third World. Secrets of the C.I.A., Documentary (1987)
- Big Top Pee-wee
Big Top Pee-wee is the 1988 American family comedy sequel to the 1985 film, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and stars Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman, Penelope Ann Miller, Valeria Golino, and Kris Kristofferson. The original music score is composed by Danny Elfman. The film is marketed with the tagline...
(1988)
- The Tracker (1988) (TV
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
)
- Millennium
Millennium is a 1989 film directed by Michael Anderson and starring Kris Kristofferson, Cheryl Ladd, Robert Joy, Brent Carver, Al Waxman and Daniel J. Travanti. The original music score was composed by Eric N. Robertson...
(1989)
- Welcome Home (1989)
- Sandino (1990)
- Night of the Cyclone (1990)
- Another Pair of Aces: Three of a Kind (1991)
- Original Intent (1992)
- Miracle in the Wilderness (1992) (TV
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
)
- Paper Hearts
"Paper Hearts" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on December 15, 1996. It was written by Vince Gilligan, directed by Rob Bowman, and featured guest appearances by Tom Noonan, Rebecca...
(1993)
- No Place to Hide (1993)
- Knights
Knights is a 1993 science fiction movie starring kickboxing champion Kathy Long in her debut Hollywood movie.-Plot:A cyborg named Gabriel was created to destroy all the other cyborgs. He later runs into, and saves Nea by killing Simon who is one of the other cyborgs...
(1993)
- Sodbusters (1994)
- Pharaoh's Army
Pharaoh's Army is a 1995 U.S. film directed and written by Robby Henson, and starring Chris Cooper, Patricia Clarkson and Kris Kristofferson...
(1995)
- Lone Star
Lone Star is an American mystery film written and directed by John Sayles and set in a small town in Texas. It features Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Kris Kristofferson and Matthew McConaughey and deals with a sheriff's investigation into who murdered one of his predecessors.-Plot:In this ensemble...
(1996)
- Blue Rodeo (1996) (TV
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
)
- Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival (1997) (documentary)
- Fire Down Below (1997)
- Dead Man's Gun
Dead Man's Gun was a western anthology series which ran on Showtime from 1997 to 1999. The series followed the travels of a gun as it passed to a new character in each episode. The gun would change the life of whomever possessed it....
(narrator) (41 episodes, 1997–1999)
- Girls' Night
Girl's Night is a 1998 British comedy-drama directed by Nick Hurran. Loosely based upon the real experiences of writer Kay Melior, the film stars Julie Walters and Brenda Blethyn as two sisters-in-law, one dying of cancer, who fulfil a lifelong dream of going to Las Vegas, Nevada after an...
(1998)
- Blade
Blade is a 1998 vampire superhero action horror starring Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff, loosely based on the Marvel Comics character Blade. The film was directed by Stephen Norrington and written by David S. Goyer. Blade grossed $70 million at the U.S. box office, and $131.2 million worldwide...
(1998)
- Dance with Me
Dance with Me is a 1998 drama film on love and dance directed by Randa Haines and starring Vanessa L. Williams and Puerto Rican singer Chayanne.-Plot:...
(1998)
- Two for Texas (TV) (1998)
- A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries
A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries is a French/U.S. film directed by James Ivory and written by James Ivory & Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. It stars Leelee Sobieski, Jesse Bradford, Kris Kristofferson, Barbara Hershey and Virginie Ledoyen...
(1998)
- The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock
The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock, is a 1998 and the sixth film in the series of animated adventure films called The Land Before Time about five dinosaurs who live in the Great Valley. This film was originally scheduled to be the last in the series...
(1998) (voice)
- Payback (1999)
- Molokai: The Story of Father Damien
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien is a 1999 biopic of Father Damien, who was a Belgian priest working at the Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement on the Hawaiian island of Molokai...
(1999)
- Limbo
Limbo is a 1999 drama film written, produced, edited, and directed by American independent filmmaker John Sayles. The drama features Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, David Strathairn, Vanessa Martinez and Kris Kristofferson....
(1999)
- The Joyriders (1999)
- Outlaw Justice (aka The Long Kill) (1999)
- Perfect Murder, Perfect Town
Perfect Murder, Perfect Town is a 2000 American television miniseries directed by Lawrence Schiller. The teleplay by Tom Topor is based on Schiller's book of the same title....
(2000)
- Comanche (2000)
- The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack (2000) (documentary)
- Immaculate Funk (2000) (documentary)
- Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes is a 2001 American science fiction film, based on Pierre Boulle's novel and a remake of the 1968 film of the same name. Tim Burton directed the film, which stars Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti, and Estella Warren. It tells the...
(2001)
- Chelsea Walls
Chelsea Walls is an American independent film directed by Ethan Hawke and released by Lions Gate Entertainment. It stars Kris Kristofferson, Uma Thurman, Rosario Dawson, and Robert Sean Leonard among others, with original score by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. The story takes place in the historic Chelsea...
(2001)
- Wooly Boys
Wooly Boys is a 2001 comedy film about sheep farmers set in the Badlands of North Dakota.-Plot:Grizzled North Dakota rancher Stoney heads to the big city to see his daughter and winds up bonding with the grandson he never knew in this heartwarming tale. Stoney's city-bred grandson, Charles ,...
(2001)
- John Ford Goes to War (2002) (documentary) (narrator)
- D-Tox
D-Tox is a 2002 film directed by Jim Gillespie and starring Sylvester Stallone. It also stars Tom Berenger, Charles S. Dutton, Robert Patrick, Polly Walker, Jeffrey Wright and Kris Kristofferson. The film was released internationally by United International Pictures...
(aka Eye See You) (2002)
- Blade II
Blade II is a 2002 superhero vampire film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Blade. It is the sequel of the Blade film series. It was written by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the previous film...
(2002)
- Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003) (documentary)
- Where the Red Fern Grows
Where the Red Fern Grows is an American family adventure film, directed by Lyman Dayton and Sam Pillsbury. The film stars Joseph Ashton, Dave Matthews, Ned Beatty and Dabney Coleman...
(2003)
- Silver City (2004)
- Lives of the Saints
Lives of the Saints is a 2004 TV miniseries directed by Jerry Ciccoritti, written by Malcolm MacRury, and based on the 1990 novel, Lives of the Saints, by Nino Ricci...
(2004) (TV)
- Final Cut: The Making and Unmaking of 'Heaven's Gate' (2004) (documentary)
- Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt (2004) (documentary)
- Blade: Trinity
Blade: Trinity is a 2004 American superhero vampire action film, written and directed by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the screenplays to the first two Blade films...
(2004)
- Brats: Our Journey Home (2005) (documentary)
- Trudell
Trudell is a 2005 documentary film about the life of author and American Indian activist John Trudell. The film traces Trudell from his childhood in Omaha, Nebraska, to his role in the American Indian Movement, and finally to his rebirth as a musician and spoken word poet. Heather Rae produced...
(2005) (documentary)
- The Jacket
The Jacket is a 2005 psychological thriller film directed by John Maybury that is partly based on the Jack London novel of the same name, released in the US as The Star Rover. Massy Tadjedin wrote the screenplay based on a story by Tom Bleecker and Marc Rocco...
(2005)
- The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico
The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico is a Canadian mockumentary film, released in 2005. Written and directed by Michael Mabbott, the film stars Matt Murphy, a musician previously associated with the bands The Super Friendz and The Flashing Lights, as Guy Terrifico, a country singer releasing...
(2005)
- The Wendell Baker Story
The Wendell Baker Story is a 2005 American film. It is the first film directed by Luke Wilson and his eldest brother Andrew Wilson, which premiered at the 2005 South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas in March 2005...
(2005)
- Passion & Poetry: The Ballad of Sam Peckinpah (2005) (documentary)
- Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story
Dreamer is a 2005 American family drama film starring Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning, inspired by the true story of an injured Thoroughbred racehorse named Mariah's Storm. It marked the directing and screenwriting debut of John Gatins.-Plot:...
(2005)
- GUN (2005) (video game) Voice of Ned
- Disappearances
Disappearances is a 2006 film by director Jay Craven starring Kris Kristofferson....
(2006)
- Fast Food Nation
Fast Food Nation is a 2006 American/British drama film directed by Richard Linklater. The screenplay was written by Linklater and Eric Schlosser, loosely based on the latter's bestselling 2001 non-fiction book of the same name...
(2006)
- I'm Not There
I'm Not There is a 2007 biographical musical film directed by Todd Haynes, inspired by iconic American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Six actors depict different facets of Dylan's life and public persona: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, and Ben Whishaw...
(2007) (narrator)
- The Best of The Johnny Cash Show (2007)
- Snow Buddies
Snow Buddies is a 2008 direct to video in the Air Bud series. It was released on DVD on February 5, 2008. The movie was shot on location in Canada at Mount Seymore and the town of Ladner, British Columbia.-Plot:...
(2008) (voice)
- Lords of the Street
Lords of the Street, also known as Jump Out Boys, is a 2008 action film starring DMX and Kris Kristofferson, written and produced by David and Daniel Garcia, better known as Kane & Abel and directed by Amir Valinia...
(2008)
- Powder Blue
Powder Blue is a 2009 drama film with an ensemble cast featuring several interconnected story arcs. It was written and directed by Timothy Linh Bui based on the 1997 novel Ponto de Partida by brazilian medium Chico Xavier, and features Patrick Swayze's last film appearance before his September 2009...
(2009)
- He's Just Not That into You
He's Just Not That Into You is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Ken Kwapis, based on the self-help book of the same name by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, which in turn was inspired by a line of dialogue in Sex and the City...
(2009)
- For Sale by Owner
For Sale By Owner, or FSBO , is the process of selling real estate without the representation of a real estate broker or real estate agent...
(2009)
- The Last Rites of Ransom Pride
The Last Rites of Ransom Pride is a 2010 action-western film starring Lizzy Caplan and Scott Speedman in the title role.-Plot:Juliette Flowers is on a mission: to find the remains of her outlaw lover, Ransom Pride...
(2009)
- Yohan: The Child Wanderer
Yohan: The Child Wanderer is a 2010 family film directed by Grete Salomonsen. The film is based on true stories about child wanderers in Norway....
(2009)
- Handy Manny's Motorcycle Adventure
Handy Manny and friends are revving their engines just in time to share a joyous family adventure in Handy Manny: Manny's Motorcycle Adventure on DVD...
(2009) (voice)
- Bloodworth (2010)
- Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas is a first person action role-playing video game in the Fallout series developed by Obsidian Entertainment, and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is based in a post-apocalyptic environment in and around Las Vegas, Nevada...
(Voice: Chief Hanlon) (2010)
- Dolphin Tale (2011)
- Blackbird
Blackbird, previously titled Kin, is an upcoming crime drama film directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky, from a screenplay by Zach Dean. It stars Olivia Wilde, Kate Mara, Charlie Hunnam and Eric Bana....
(2012)
Games
- Kristofferson features in the 2010 Bethesda release Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas is a first person action role-playing video game in the Fallout series developed by Obsidian Entertainment, and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is based in a post-apocalyptic environment in and around Las Vegas, Nevada...
as Chief Hanlon, a grizzled old soldier at the end of his career.
- Also provides the voice of Ned, the player character's adoptive father in the Activison-released GUN
Gun is a Revisionist Western-themed video game developed by Neversoft. It was published by Activision for the Xbox, Xbox 360, GameCube, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2. The game was released in North America on November 8, 2005, and in mid-to late November in Europe. Since October 13, 2006, the...
.
Further reading
- Bernhardt, Jack. (1998). "Kris Kristofferson." In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 286–7.
External links