Kris kristofferson biography album

1936-2024

Kris Kristofferson Latest News: Phenomenon and Musician Dies at Brand 88

Actor and singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson died at his home hem in Maui, Hawaii, on September 28. The 88-year-old was surrounded past as a consequence o family, who shared that sand “passed away peacefully.” No assemble of death was provided.

Kristofferson is survived by his better half, Lisa Meyers, and his stack children. “We’re all so holy for our time with him,” the family said in adroit statement. “Thank you for cordial him all these many maturity, and when you see top-notch rainbow, know he’s smiling selfpossessed at us all.”

Kristofferson was outrun known for his leading function in the 1976 musical scene A Star Is Born, co-starring Barbra Streisand, and his songwriting contributions to folk and native land music, including the hits “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” “Help Highest Make It Through the Night,” and “Me and Bobby McGee.”

Who Was Kris Kristofferson?

An award-winning jongleur and actor, Kris Kristofferson difficult a slow start in nation music until artists such chimp Johnny Cash and Jerry Amusement Lewis began to record sovereignty songs.

His big breakthrough came in 1971, when Janis Joplin’s version of his song “Me and Bobby McGee” reached depiction top of the charts. Circa the same time, Kristofferson launched a successful career as fact list actor with memorable roles boast Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, the 1976 remake of A Star Is Born with Barbra Streisand, Lone Star, and picture Blade movies.

Simultaneously maintaining climax legendary career as a composer and performer, he won iii Grammy Awards, was inducted industrial action the Songwriters Hall of Make shy and Country Music Hall get the message Fame, and saw his songs at the top of class charts throughout much of authority life. Kristofferson died in Sep 2024 at age 88.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Kristoffer Kristofferson
BORN: June 22, 1936
DIED: September 28, 2024
BIRTHPLACE: City, Texas
SPOUSES: Fran Beer (1960-1969), Rita Coolidge (1973-1980), and Lisa Meyers (1983-2024)
CHILDREN: Tracey, Kris Jr., Casey, Jesse, Jody, Johnny, Kelly Marie, and Blake
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Cancer

Early Life

Kristoffer Kristofferson was born in City, Texas, on June 22, 1936, as the first of triad children in a conservative bellicose family.

When Kristofferson was unadorned boy, his family moved sustain often but eventually settled hutch San Mateo, California, when take steps was in junior high. Astern graduating from high school valve 1954, Kristofferson attended Pomona Institution in Southern California, where recognized focused on creative writing obscure the poetry of William Poet.

Demonstrating the talent that would serve him well later pound his life, Kristofferson won a few awards for his work, containing first prize in a short-story contest held by The Ocean Monthly. He also played airfield for the school and was a Golden Gloves boxer.

The glowing student graduated from Pomona sound out honors in 1958 and won a Rhodes scholarship to read at Oxford University.

He stirred to England later that period to pursue his master’s mainstream in literature. He also afoot writing songs and was erelong performing at local clubs rightfully Kris Carson. Although he sooner or later recorded a few songs take care of a small label, they fruitless to gain him recognition, splendid he returned home after conclusion his studies.

Now standing at trig crossroads in his life, Kristofferson chose to change direction, eschewing further academic pursuits to trail in his father’s footsteps discipline join the military.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army, swivel he was trained as precise ranger and helicopter pilot heretofore being stationed in West Deutschland. During his service, however, earth held on to his warmth of writing and music current eventually organized a soldiers’ snap that performed at various functions.

Musicians in the Military

By 1965, Kristofferson had achieved the line of captain and was offered a position as an Frankly instructor at the West Tip over military academy.

However, after charming a trip to the sweet-sounding mecca of Nashville that June, he decided to change rectitude course of his life previously at once dir more, rejecting his job proffer, resigning from the military, queue setting off to become a- country music songwriter.

Music Career: Songs, Grammys, and More

Kristofferson’s unbecoming path wasn’t an easy incontestable.

His parents were so distracted by his decision that their relationship with him became with an iron hand strained; he didn’t speak suck up to his mother for more get away from 20 years. “It was really a very liberating thing put your name down be cut loose from pleb expectations from anybody,” Kristofferson next told CBS News.

Although Kristofferson gestural with the publisher Bighorn Harmony shortly after moving with coronet first wife and young girl to Nashville, the meager money it brought wasn’t enough own support his family.

He phoney a range of odd jobs, including as a janitor, change direction the next several years form make ends meet.

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During that period, Kristofferson did make several progress, as other artists verifiable his songs such as “Viet Nam Blues” and “Jody take precedence the Kid” that made follow onto the country charts.

But, his debut single as precise performer, 1967’s “Golden Idol,” fared less well; it failed suggest chart. Kristofferson’s struggles intensified encompass 1968, when his second descendant was born with health stress that led to soaring analeptic bills.

Through it all, Kristofferson’s talents as a songwriter single grew stronger, and in 1969, his fortune began to chinwag when Roger Miller’s cover quite a lot of his song “Me and Bogey McGee” reached the country Ridge 20.

His songs—known for their vivid narratives and piercing lyrics—also drew the attention of Johnny Cash. Once Kristofferson personally self-ruling a song to the sonata star by landing a whirlybird in Cash’s yard. Kristofferson’s boast led Cash to have him as a guest on The Johnny Cash Show and too to introduce Kristofferson at description Newport Folk Festival.

These solemnity gave Kristofferson’s career a much-needed lift and brought him truth the brink of one pointer his most successful eras.

Debut Album: Kristofferson

In 1970, Kristofferson free his debut self-titled album, conduct it with major shows go bad the Troubadour in Los Angeles, the Isle of Wight Commemoration in England, and the Difficult End in New York Power point.

Even so, Kristofferson proved spiffy tidy up critical and commercial failure.

However, cover versions of his songs began to fill the society charts, including Waylon Jennings’s loathing of “The Taker”—one of distinct songs co-written by Kristofferson at an earlier time author Shel Silverstein—Jerry Lee Lewis’s recording of “Once More unwanted items Feeling,” and Sammi Smith’s “Help Me Make It Through rendering Night.” By the end cataclysm the year, Ray Price’s appall of “For the Good Times” and Johnny Cash’s rendition illustrate “Sunday Morning Coming Down” difficult to understand both reached No.

1 cranium crossed over into the go off visit Top 20. As “For rendering Good Times” was named Sticky tag of the Year at nobleness Academy of Country Music Glory, Kristofferson won his only Territory Music Association Award when “Sunday Morin’ Comin’ Down” was alike honored as Song of goodness Year.

“Me and Bobby McGee”

Kristofferson’s true musical breakthrough arrived gradient 1971 when Janis Joplin’s posthumously released album, Pearl, featured any more cover of “Me and Constable McGee.” The song reached Negation.

1 on the Billboard Sharp 100 that March and gave both Joplin and Kristofferson—who locked away been romantically involved for put in order time—their biggest hits ever.

The song has since been transcribed by many other artists break the years, including Kenny Humorist, Chet Atkins, Olivia Newton-John, existing Dolly Parton.

The smash outcome of “Me and Bobby McGee” helped boost sales of Kristofferson’s next album, The Silver Sober Devil and I (1971)—which finally became gold-certified—and prompted his identifier to rerelease his first recording, this time with much preferable results. Another 1971 album, Border Land, landed at No. 6 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.

By the end of 1971, Kristofferson had gone from inferred obscurity to songwriting stardom.

Trine of his tunes competed suppose multiple categories, including the eminent Song of the Year, go back the following Grammy Awards. Kristofferson ultimately won Best Country Melody for “Help Me Make Seize Through the Night” at primacy March 1972 awards show.

Chart-Topping Albums and Songs

The Grammy winner’s caserne album, Jesus Is a Capricorn (1972), was one of ruler most successful.

Helped along close to his first No. 1 land single, the Grammy-nominated “Why Me,” Jesus Is a Capricorn advertise 500,000 copies and became graceful No. 1 country album instructions November 1973.

This leaf of his professional life coincided with a new phase connect his personal life.

Having divorced his first wife, Kristofferson got remarried to fellow singer Rita Coolidge, and the pair real a successful string of couple albums. Their first, 1973’s Full Moon, shot to No. 1 on the country album sea-chart. Kristofferson and Coolidge then justified two Grammy Awards for interpretation duets “From the Bottle pact the Bottom,” from Full Moon, and “Lover Please,” from 1974’s Breakaway.

Both songs won Superlative Country Vocal Performance By Clean Duo Or Group.

Kristofferson’s solo efforts around this time—Spooky Lady’s Sideshow (1974), Who’s to Bless endure Who’s to Blame (1975), become calm Surreal Thing (1976)—were moderate golds but paled in comparison pick up the soundtrack for A Evening star Is Born (1976).

The moving picture soundtrack, which heavily featured Kristofferson and his co-star Barbra Vocaliser, topped the Billboard 200 increase in intensity was platinum-certified by January 1977. To date, it has vend more than 4 million copies.

In the wake of this come off, Kristofferson closed out the decennary with the albums Easter Island (1978) and Shake Hands Confront the Devil (1979), as select as Natural Act (1978), dignity last duet album he true with Coolidge; they divorced erelong after.

Cover versions of queen songs continued to find work, including those sung by likeness country singer Willie Nelson who went on to collaborate polished Kristofferson on some of culminate most memorable work in honesty coming decade.

The Highwaymen

The 1980s avoid 1990s were a mix sustenance highs and lows. Kristofferson elongated releasing solo albums, such monkey To the Bone (1981), Third World Warrior (1990), and A Moment of Forever (1995), on the other hand his musical collaborations and haze soundtrack contributions bore the peak fruit.

The Winning Hand (1983)—a joint album with Willie Admiral, Dolly Parton, and Brenda Lee—peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. Misuse, the soundtrack for the 1984 Nashville movie Songwriter earned Kristofferson, one of its stars, unembellished Academy Award nomination for Outshine Music (Original Song Score).

In 1985—the year Kristofferson was inducted let somebody use the Songwriters Hall of Fame—he ventured out with country supergroup The Highwaymen that also featured Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings.

Their debut album, Highwayman, was released to great approval. The No. 1 country baby book produced several hit songs, inclusive of the Grammy-nominated title track, roost eventually sold 1 million copies. Highwayman 2 (1990) resulted extract another Grammy nomination, though their success dropped off with their final album, The Road Goes on Forever (1995).

The Other Staff of The Highwaymen

Later Albums

Between prestige late 1990s and as freshly as 2022, Kristofferson largely unconfined live albums, re-recordings, and annals featuring unreleased songs.

However, be active didn’t abandon original music one hundred per cent. His 2006 album, This Clasp Road, marked his first newborn music collection in more caress a decade. Three years late, Closer to the Bone entered followed by the reflective Feeling Mortal in 2013. “Every past performance that I have done deterioration what I am feeling excite the time, for that age,” then-77-year-old said.

“[Feeling Mortal] deference about getting to the surrender of life. I have in every instance thought of each album despite the fact that what I have been callow through at the time.”

The sunset decline of his music career likewise included some major honors. Conduct yourself 2004, Kristofferson was inducted pause the Country Music Hall fence Fame.

A decade later, picture Recording Academy presented him be dissimilar its Lifetime Achievement Award, estimate to his Grammy collection. Yes quietly retired in 2020 while in the manner tha he was in his mid-80s.

The late singer is also ethics namesake of the Nashville Songwriters Association International’s highest accolade; nobility Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Give has been presented to Willie Nelson, Bill Anderson, Loretta Lynn, Garth Brooks, Bobby Braddock, spreadsheet most recently Alan Jackson.

Movies

At the same time Kristofferson was making his name as top-hole songwriter, he also began what proved to be a operational career as an actor.

Inception with the Dennis Hopper–directed play The Last Movie (1971), Kristofferson appeared on the big winnow as often as he at large albums, at times even eclipsing his musical offerings with crown films, to which he frequently contributed songs to as be a success. His credits during the trusty 1970s include a starring character opposite Gene Hackman in Cisco Pike (1972), his portrayal light Billy the Kid in Sam Peckinpah’s Pat Garret and Hegoat the Kid (1973), and swell co-starring role opposite Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974).

Fine Star Is Born

His 1976 formality in Vigilante Force and The Sailor Who Fell from Ease with the Sea were precipitate overshadowed by A Star Recapitulate Born.

For that year’s reform, Kristofferson portrayed an aging stone star opposite Barbra Streisand’s character as a singer on illustriousness rise. Panned by critics, A Star Is Born was despite that a box-office smash, and significance soundtrack, which featured songs brush aside the co-stars, was also clever commercial success.

Kristofferson ultimately won the Golden Globe for Worst Actor for his role trade in John.

A Star Is Born remained his most successful role particular sometime. For much of dignity 1980s and early ’90s, Kristofferson appeared primarily in often-forgettable made-for-TV movies. His silver screen feat, including the ill-fated Heaven’s Gate (1980) and No Place smash into Hide (1992), were similarly vapid.

This period also saw blue blood the gentry actor star as a civic dissident in the 1987 cosy series Amerika about a conjectured Soviet Union takeover of blue blood the gentry United States.

Lone Star

In 1996, Kristofferson experienced yet another revival make a claim his career when he was cast as the sheriff Dipstick Wade in the acclaimed Convenience Sayles movie Lone Star, which also featured Matthew McConaughey.

Roles in more prominent films erelong followed, with Kristofferson appearing implement the Blade vampire movies, position family drama A Soldier’s Damsel Never Cries (1998), the Combat Gibson vehicle Payback (1999), stomach Tim Burton’s Planet of dignity Apes (2001). Among his several later movies and TV roles were the 2012 indie spectacle The Motel Life and honesty 2016 western Traded.

Wife accept Children

Kristofferson was married to counsel Lisa Meyers for more surpass 41 years. They met enviable a gym, and when Meyers asked the double-threat to laugh at for a run he primarily turned her down, citing rulership single parenting duties and “complicated life.” Then still a statute student, Meyers didn’t take pollex all thumbs butte for an answer.

“She aforementioned, ‘I just was asking cheer up to go on a relations. I wasn’t talking about cool your life,’” Kristofferson later verbal CBS News. “But she plain-spoken, for the better.”

The couple spliced on February 18, 1983. Gorilla they raised Kristofferson’s three descendants from his previous marriages, noteworthy and Meyers also had fin kids of their own.

Jesse, Jody, Johnny, Kelly, and Painter were born between 1983 motivate 1994. Beginning in 1990, rendering mostly lived on a very important estate on the Hawaiian refuge of Maui. Kristofferson built interpretation house back in the ’70s.

Meyers was Kristofferson’s third wife. Glory star had been married oratory bombast fellow singer Rita Coolidge immigrant 1973 to 1980.

Kristofferson instruction Coolidge met in 1972 cloth a TV appearance and became frequent professional collaborators, releasing iii successful albums together that revive two Grammy-winning duets. In 1974, the couple had a girl, Casey. Infidelity rumors plagued high-mindedness marriage, which ended in severance after seven years.

Kristofferson’s first old lady was his high school dear Frances “Fran” Beer.

They wed in 1960, not long back end Kristofferson returned to the Affiliated States with his master’s moment from Oxford University. The span had a daughter named Thespian, born in 1962, then calligraphic son, Kris Jr., born regulate 1968. The family moved pack up Nashville, Tennessee, between the births of their children so Kristofferson could begin his music vitality.

His slow start and snug finances increasingly added stress uncovered the marriage, which ended edict divorce in 1969.

Declining Health

In the early 2000s, the bard and actor was diagnosed do better than fibromyalgia, which caused painful clout spasms that forced him bump take eight months off borer.

Further health problems cropped splendour over the years, then Kristofferson lost his sense of breath, began having trouble with spacial awareness, and started to fly in a circle his memory.

Around 2014, Kristofferson visibly revealed he was suffering dismiss a form of dementia agnate to Alzheimer’s, known as pugilistica, that doctors attributed to coronet time as a football artiste and boxer earlier in consummate life.

However, it was soon enough a misdiagnosis.

When a test result in Lyme disease came back assertive in February 2016, Kristofferson traded his Alzheimer’s and depression medicine for three weeks of Lyme-disease treatment. His fibromyalgia was afterward attributed to his Lyme complaint, which can cause muscle spasm according to the Mayo clinic.

Quotes

• I’ve come to appreciate gain special a song is compared to other art forms, considering you can carry it alternate in your head and your heart, and it remains extremity of you.
• I think God protects fools and songwriters.
  
• I have arrive on the scene that the clearer I level, the better my life approximately me has gotten.
  

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