Kris Kristofferson

Morgan StewartMusic 1040 Section 008

Early Life• Born June 22, 1936 in Brownsville, Texas

• Attended Pamona College – played football

• “Well, Kris really isn’t very tall. And he isn’t really very strong. And really, he’s not very fast. Kris is a football player by the will of Kris Kristofferson, not by the will of God.” –Coach Jesse Cone

– Majored in Creative Literature– Joined ROTC

• Receive Rhodes Scholarship • Attended Oxford University

The Prelude to a Career

• Joined Military• Left teaching position at West Point Military

Academy• Plays guitar, piano, and harmonica.• Married High-School Sweetheart Fran Beer

1961-1973• Met Johnny Cash as a custodian in Nashville.

Prelude to a Career

• Began writing songs that many artists recorded.

• “Vietnam Blues” Dave Dudley– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjz0aYPChEM

• “Your Time’s Comin’” Faron Young– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0wvnAPv73k

Career

• Inspirations: Romantic poets, folksingers and poets of NY Greenwich Village, and Mickey Newbury.

• Songs embodied the alienation many felt in the changing era.

• More than 500 recording artists have covered songs he has written or co-written.

• “Sunday Morning Coming Down”– Drug reference– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RLiuPRMJy8

‘…Kristofferson landed a helicopter on the singer’s lawn to offer him a song. As Cash later recounted it, Kristofferson emerged from the helicopter with a cigarette and a tape in one hand, and a beer in the other.

“Even friends can get creative with their memories,” Kristofferson says with a laugh. “I’ve done a lot of drinking in my days, but never in a helicopter. I told John, it takes two hands just to fly a helicopter, and your feet too.”’

• Married to Rita Coolidge 1973-80• Made Several Duet Albums• Won 2 Grammy Awards ‘73 and ‘75 for Best

Country Vocal Performance by a Duo.

Activist

• Military Impact:– Firm beliefs in right and wrong– Didn’t really agree with U.S.’s involvement in

places like Nicaragua and El Salvador• Pegged as Communist • Johnny Cash-enduring friend and mentor

• Started Acting in 1971

Pat Garrett and Billy The KidAlice Doesn’t Live Here AnymoreSongwriterLone StarJoyful NoiseBlade, Blade II, and Blade: TrinityPlanet of the ApesDolphin Tale

Acting Career

• Married Lisa Meyers in 1983• Receive Oscar nomination for Original Song

Score for Songwriter (1984)• Inducted into songwriters Hall of Fame, the

Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame, and the Country Hall of Fame.

Today• Still acts, writes songs,

records, and makes occasional tours. Has 28 Albums so far.

• Activist for social justice and Human Rights Issues

• Named Veteran of the Year in 2002

• When his hectic and famous lifestyles gets to be too much he retreats to his home in Hawaii and works on his Autobiography.

Sources• Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum:

http://countrymusichalloffame.org/full-list-of-inductees/view/kris-kristofferson

• Songwriters Hall Of Fame: http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibits/C296

• Dusting off the Vinyl: http://www.ithp.org/articles/vinyl%20articles/bobbymc1.html

• Toast To Freedom: http://toasttofreedom.org/artists/kris-kristofferson-2/

• Pomona College Magazine: http://pomona.edu/Magazine/PCMWin04/FSkristofferson.shtml

• Project Muse: http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/steinbeck_studies/v015/15.2krim.html