Main pic credits Mary Ellen Mark
The esteemed singer-songwriter behind "Me and Bobby McGee" and dozens of other hits was also memorable on the big screen in 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' and 'A Star Is Born.'
But his influence on country music continues to be felt strongly throughout the genre, especially with the recent rise of stark and detailed songwriting, and the tales of all he did to make it in music (like land a helicopter on Johnny Cash’s lawn to pitch him a song) will forever be shared around the proverbial watercooler by the diehards.
So it makes sense that the country music world at large is completely torn up by the news of his passing.
Tributes continue to pour in online from fans and artists alike, including Charles Wesley Godwin, Travis Tritt, Kolby Cooper, American Aquarium and more.
Rest In Peace Kris Kristofferson pic.twitter.com/QlOmVdN6RH
— Charles Wesley Godwin (@CharlesWesleyG) September 29, 2024
A native of South Texas, Kristofferson starred in football and rugby and won a Golden Gloves boxing tournament while attending Pomona College in California; earned a Rhodes Scholarship to study literature abroad; and piloted helicopters in the U.S. Army.
He threw away a career in the military and moved to Nashville, where he worked as a janitor at Columbia Records and watched as Bob Dylan recorded his seminal 1966 album Blonde on Blonde. It took Kristofferson many months before his music career finally took hold.
His film career continued apace, albeit in smaller roles; he ultimately tallied more than 100 movie and TV acting appearances.
His drifter ballad “Me and Bobby McGee” was initially recorded by Roger Miller in 1969 before Janis Joplin made it a rock classic, her throaty version topping the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971, not too long after she died of a heroin overdose.
Kristofferson also performed “Help Me Make It Through the Night” on his 1970 self-titled album, but it was Sammi Smith’s version that became one of the most enduring singles in the annals of country music, vaulting as high as No. 8 on the Billboard chart. (A couple years ago, Bono told THR‘s Scott Feinberg that he thinks “Help Me Make It Through the Night” is the greatest song of all time.)
Kristofferson said he wrote the song after reading a quote from Frank Sinatra, who, when asked what he believed in, replied, “Booze, broads or a bible … whatever helps me make it through the night.”
During the ‘80s, he slowly regained his career footing. With Willie Nelson – who recorded a bestselling album of Kristofferson’s songs in 1979 – he co-starred in Alan Rudolph’s 1984 feature “Songwriter”; their collaborative song score received an Academy Award nomination.
In 1985, Kristofferson, Nelson, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings convened for the album “Highwayman,” a No. 1 country album that introduced the outlaw country supergroup. Ultimately known as the Highwaymen, the quartet issued two more popular albums in 1990 and 1995.
