Kristofferson had already spent several modestly successful years in Music City’s song mills by the time he broke through as the author of such No. 1 country hits as “For the Good Times” (Ray Price, 1970), “Sunday Morning Coming Down” (Johnny Cash, 1970) and “Help Me Make It Through the Night” (Sammi Smith, 1971). His song “Me and Bobby McGee” became a posthumous No. 1 pop hit for his former paramour Janis Joplin in 1971.
His first four albums for Monument Records, which showcased his rough, unmannered singing and poetically crafted, proto-outlaw country songs, all reached the country top 10, and 1972’s “Jesus Was a Capricorn,” which contained his No. 1 country hit “Why Me,” topped the country LP chart. He won three Grammys: for best country song (“Help Me Make It Through the Night”) and a pair of duets with Rita Coolidge, to whom he was married from 1973-80.
Bill C. Malone noted in “Country Music, U.S.A.,” the standard history of the genre, “Kristofferson’s lyrics spoke often of loneliness, alienation and pain, but they also celebrated freedom and honest relationships, and in intimate, sensuous language that had been rare to country music.”
Kristofferson could be the first to knock his own voice. “I don’t think I’m that good a singer,” he said in a 2016 Rolling Stone interview. “I can’t think of a song that I’ve written that I don’t like the way somebody else sings it better.” But with many of his signature songs, fans would not have wanted them channeled through any other voice, least of all one that smoothed out their raw sentiments.
CONTINUE READING ON THE NEXT PAGE Advertisement:
The Recipe That Saved Me 17 Years Ago: How I Overcame Liver and Colon Tumors
Traditional Irish Colcannon
BOSTON BEER CHILI
Blood Sugar Lowering Recipe: Red Onions and Eggs
Lemon Removes Varicose Veins! Just Do This Every Day…
Garlic and Okra Weight Loss Drink: A Remedy to Lower High Blood Pressure Immediately
Toilet vinegar solves an annoying and very common problem: try it now
Transform Your Bathroom: 8 Easy Ways to Banish Bad Odors
BREAKING NEW : Impacting thousands of locations
