Kris Kristofferson, Country Music Legend and 'A Star Is Born' Leading Man, Dies at 88

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An amazing individual.


Appeared in Sports Illustrated for his collegiate sports exploits.

Rhodes scholar

US Army Captain as a helicopter pilot, who also completed Ranger school. He was stationed in Germany and when thst tour ended, he was assigned to teach English lit at West Point; he resigned instead to pursue his music career, which caused his family to disown him, as his dad was a Major General in the Air Force.

Award winning musician and accomplished actor.

Saw an interview with him, one time and he told of how he broke into the music industry in Nashville -
Kristofferson got a job sweeping floors at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville. He met June Carter there and asked her to give Johnny Cash a tape of his. She did, but Cash put it on a large pile with others.


Wrote these classics-
"Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night",

In both the Country Music & Songwriters HOFs.

Truly a modern day Renasainve Man.
His bio is worth a read, he’s an icon and one of my idols.

en.m.wikipedia.org

Kris Kristofferson - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org en.m.wikipedia.org
 



My dad still plays the hell out of his The Highwaymen CDs. To me as a kid, Kristopherson was an actor that also was a musician but it was actually the other way around.
 

RIP to one of the greatest songwriters of all time.

I took myself down to the Tally Ho Tavern
To buy me a bottle of beer
And I sat me down by a tender young maiden
Who's eyes were as dark as her hair
And as I was searching from bottle to bottle
For something un-foolish to say
That silver tongued devil just slipped from the shadows
And smilingly stole her away

I said: "Hey, little girl, don't you know he's the devil
He's everything that I ain't
Hiding intentions of evil
Under the smile of a saint
All he's good for is getting in trouble
And shiftin' his share of the blame
And some people swear he's my double:
And some even say we're the same"
But the silver-tongued devil's got nothing to lose
I'll only live 'til I die
We take our own chances and pay our own dues
The silver tongued devil and I

Like all the fair maidens who've laid down beside him
She knew in her heart that he'd lied
Nothin' that I could have said could have saved her
No matter how hard that she tried
'Cos she'll offer her charms to the darkness and danger
Of somethin' that she's never known
And open her arms at the smile of a stranger
Who'll love her and leave her alone

And you know, he's the devil
He's everything that I ain't
Hiding intentions of evil
Under the smile of a saint
All he's good for is getting in trouble
And shiftin' his share of the blame
And some people swear he's my double:
And some even say we're the same
But the silver-tongued devil's got nothing to lose
I'll only live 'til I die
We take our own chances and pay our own dues
Ah ha ha ha

The silver tongued devil and I
 

I don't remember who said it or the exact quote but it was something to the effect that Kris didn't invent any words, he just found ways to arrange them that nobody else could.
 




swede2 said:
I don't remember who said it or the exact quote but it was something to the effect that Kris didn't invent any words, he just found ways to arrange them that nobody else could.
Click to expand...
Wasn't that the exact line in "A Star is Born"?
 












Gopher_In_NYC said:
He dated Janis Joplin and wrote it specifically for her
Click to expand...
He wasn't dating her. Bobby Mc Kee was Billy Sherill's secretary and Billy liked the sound of her name and asked Kris to write a song using the name. Kris apparently couldn't read Billy's handwriting and it became Bobby McGee.
 

swede2 said:
He wasn't dating her. Bobby Mc Kee was Billy Sherill's secretary and Billy liked the sound of her name and asked Kris to write a song using the name. Kris apparently couldn't read Billy's handwriting and it became Bobby McGee.
Click to expand...

I’m going to trust a Taste of Country Website, numerous others ones over a poster named Swede 2; if only you were the original Swedee 🥧 and not a cheap knockoff

tasteofcountry.com

All About Kris Kristofferson's 3 Wives, 8 Kids + Famous Girlfriends

When Kris Kristofferson married wife Lisa Meyers in 1983, he was saying "I do" for the third time.
tasteofcountry.com tasteofcountry.com


www.dailymail.co.uk

Kris Kristofferson and Janis Joplin's tragic, short-lived romance

The duo, who first met in the spring of 1970, were said to have fallen fast for one another while in California - and it was him who urged Janis to record a cover of her posthumous hit, Me and Bobby McGee.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
I’m going to trust a Taste of Country Website, numerous others ones over a poster named Swede 2; if only you were the original Swedee 🥧 and not a cheap knockoff

tasteofcountry.com

All About Kris Kristofferson's 3 Wives, 8 Kids + Famous Girlfriends

When Kris Kristofferson married wife Lisa Meyers in 1983, he was saying "I do" for the third time.
tasteofcountry.com tasteofcountry.com


www.dailymail.co.uk

Kris Kristofferson and Janis Joplin's tragic, short-lived romance

The duo, who first met in the spring of 1970, were said to have fallen fast for one another while in California - and it was him who urged Janis to record a cover of her posthumous hit, Me and Bobby McGee.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk
Click to expand...
Then you have poor judgment in your sources or at least don't have very good comprehension skills. The song was written in 1969, based in name alone, not in fact, on a pretty young secretary working for Billy Sherrills, before KK and JJ were an item. It was recorded in 1969 first by Roger Miller and then Kenny Rogers and Gorden Lightfoot in 1970. While it's true that Kris encouraged Janice to record it during their short affair in 1970, it was not written for her and in fact was written for a male voice. She recorded it later and it was not released until she dies.

You'll note nowhere in your source does it say the song was written for Janice. But while it was not Kris' intention at the time of writing, it was certainly the intention of Providence, as of course it was JJ'S version that would gain purchase with the listening public, and not Roger's or Kenny's or Gordan's.
 

swede2 said:
Then you have poor judgment in your sources or at least don't have very good comprehension skills. The song was written in 1969, based in name alone, not in fact, on a pretty young secretary working for Billy Sherrills, before KK and JJ were an item. It was recorded in 1969 first by Roger Miller and then Kenny Rogers and Gorden Lightfoot in 1970. While it's true that Kris encouraged Janice to record it during their short affair in 1970, it was not written for her and in fact was written for a male voice. She recorded it later and it was not released until she dies.

You'll note nowhere in your source does it say the song was written for Janice. But while it was not Kris' intention at the time of writing, it was certainly the intention of Providence, as of course it was JJ'S version that would gain purchase with the listening public, and not Roger's or Kenny's or Gordan's.
Click to expand...
I said he dated her and wrote the song specifically for her.

He did date her; you said he wasn’t dating her. I was right and you were incorrect regarding this point.

I conflated Kris encouraging Janis to record the song, with writing it specifically for her. This part of my assertion was incorrect. I have no problem admitting when I was wrong, do you?
Those were two separate points contained in one sentence.

Also, I provided third party attestation regarding them dating; where’s your proof regarding the origin of the song? Funny that you make a cute quip, when you fail to provide external sources.

I’m not saying you’re pulling this out of your backside, but I was enough of a gentleman to provide proof of their fling, so why wouldn’t you reciprocate 🤷‍♂️ ?
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
I said he dated her and wrote the song specifically for her.

He did date her; you said he wasn’t dating her. I was right and you were incorrect regarding this point.

I conflated Kris encouraging Janis to record the song, with writing it specifically for her. This part of my assertion was incorrect. I have no problem admitting when I was wrong, do you?
Those were two separate points contained in one sentence.

Also, I provided third party attestation regarding them dating; where’s your proof regarding the origin of the song? Funny that you make a cute quip, when you fail to provide external sources.

I’m not saying you’re pulling this out of your backside, but I was enough of a gentleman to provide proof of their fling, so why wouldn’t you reciprocate 🤷‍♂️ ?
Click to expand...
I never denied he dated her. Your assertion was that he was dating her and wrote the song for Janis. I replied that he wasn't "dating her" (my exact words, present tense, as in when he wrote the song. Compare and contrast to "He didn't date her" as an absolute statement and which I did not use). I suppose I erred in assuming you meant that he wrote the song while dating her when your meaning could have meant that he wrote the song for JJ after their affair ended. But neither case is true.

As for proof, I suppose you could have fact checked my assertion. You did so in the first instance, took the first bit that didn't prove your point and were frankly a dick about it, and then took umbrage when you got a dickhead response. I apologize for getting down in the mire with you.

My proof otherwise? I'm a fan of country music, KK's era in particular and a fan of history. My proof is my memory from reading, listening and documentaries are my source. My source is certainly impeachable, and easily enough for one to fact check with not much diligence needed at all. Here's one source for instance:

faroutmagazine.co.uk

The real person behind Janis Joplin’s hit ‘Me and Bobby McGee’ - Far Out Magazine

The real person behind Janis Joplin's hit 'Me and Bobby McGee', the song was originally written by Kris Kristofferson and was based on a real person.
faroutmagazine.co.uk faroutmagazine.co.uk

And, as it turns out, my memory isn't quite as impeccable as I'd thought. It wasn't producer Billy Sherrills Bobby McKee worked for but prolific Nashville songwriter Boudleaux Bryant. I believe in Ken Burn's "Country Music" documentary, it is Billy Sherrills who tells the story of the song's origin. In any event, your original assertion is still incorrect. KK did not write "Bobby McGee" for JJ, did not do so while they were copulating or after.
 

swede2 said:
I never denied he dated her. Your assertion was that he was dating her and wrote the song for Janis. I replied that he wasn't "dating her" (my exact words, present tense, as in when he wrote the song. Compare and contrast to "He didn't date her" as an absolute statement and which I did not use). I suppose I erred in assuming you meant that he wrote the song while dating her when your meaning could have meant that he wrote the song for JJ after their affair ended. But neither case is true.

As for proof, I suppose you could have fact checked my assertion. You did so in the first instance, took the first bit that didn't prove your point and were frankly a dick about it, and then took umbrage when you got a dickhead response. I apologize for getting down in the mire with you.

My proof otherwise? I'm a fan of country music, KK's era in particular and a fan of history. My proof is my memory from reading, listening and documentaries are my source. My source is certainly impeachable, and easily enough for one to fact check with not much diligence needed at all. Here's one source for instance:

faroutmagazine.co.uk

The real person behind Janis Joplin’s hit ‘Me and Bobby McGee’ - Far Out Magazine

The real person behind Janis Joplin's hit 'Me and Bobby McGee', the song was originally written by Kris Kristofferson and was based on a real person.
faroutmagazine.co.uk faroutmagazine.co.uk

And, as it turns out, my memory isn't quite as impeccable as I'd thought. It wasn't producer Billy Sherrills Bobby McKee worked for but prolific Nashville songwriter Boudleaux Bryant. I believe in Ken Burn's "Country Music" documentary, it is Billy Sherrills who tells the story of the song's origin. In any event, your original assertion is still incorrect. KK did not write "Bobby McGee" for JJ, did not do so while they were copulating or after.
Click to expand...

Freedom is just another word for nothin' left to lose
 

swede2 said:
I never denied he dated her. Your assertion was that he was dating her and wrote the song for Janis. I replied that he wasn't "dating her" (my exact words, present tense, as in when he wrote the song. Compare and contrast to "He didn't date her" as an absolute statement and which I did not use). I suppose I erred in assuming you meant that he wrote the song while dating her when your meaning could have meant that he wrote the song for JJ after their affair ended. But neither case is true.

As for proof, I suppose you could have fact checked my assertion. You did so in the first instance, took the first bit that didn't prove your point and were frankly a dick about it, and then took umbrage when you got a dickhead response. I apologize for getting down in the mire with you.

My proof otherwise? I'm a fan of country music, KK's era in particular and a fan of history. My proof is my memory from reading, listening and documentaries are my source. My source is certainly impeachable, and easily enough for one to fact check with not much diligence needed at all. Here's one source for instance:

faroutmagazine.co.uk

The real person behind Janis Joplin’s hit ‘Me and Bobby McGee’ - Far Out Magazine

The real person behind Janis Joplin's hit 'Me and Bobby McGee', the song was originally written by Kris Kristofferson and was based on a real person.
faroutmagazine.co.uk faroutmagazine.co.uk

And, as it turns out, my memory isn't quite as impeccable as I'd thought. It wasn't producer Billy Sherrills Bobby McKee worked for but prolific Nashville songwriter Boudleaux Bryant. I believe in Ken Burn's "Country Music" documentary, it is Billy Sherrills who tells the story of the song's origin. In any event, your original assertion is still incorrect. KK did not write "Bobby McGee" for JJ, did not do so while they were copulating or after.
Click to expand...
Appreciate the post and information on the song’s origin, I didn’t feel I needed to research or provide it, as you introduced it and not me yo the discourse. I won’t rehash the other points, as we’ve already covered it.

I apologize for getting a bit pissy, I was hyper competitive when younger and it gets the best of me occasionally.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Appreciate the post and information on the song’s origin, I didn’t feel I needed to research or provide it, as you introduced it and not me yo the discourse. I won’t rehash the other points, as we’ve already covered it.

I apologize for getting a bit pissy, I was hyper competitive when younger and it gets the best of me occasionally.
Click to expand...
Don't allow our natural good looks as Swedes to provide you with a false hope of mental superiority. That would be the Norwegians. 😉
 




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