Kris Kristofferson

I knew that the passing of Kris Kristofferson was going to be gut punch.

There is no singer-songwriter I’ve admired more.

Moments ago I read that Willie Nelson once said “Everything he writes is a standard.”

It’s true. He was among the best America has ever produced.

When I was a kid, I would pull off the papers sleeves from my dad’s LPs, which often had the lyrics printed on them, so that I could sing along with Kristofferson on Sunday mornings. (During those times, I also recall being disappointed that Elvis — and others — did not write songs. An epiphany that made me appreciate Kristofferson even more.)

Speaking of Elvis, it was he who Barbra Streisand wanted opposite her in A Star is Born. But Presley’s manager, Colonel Parker, wanted top billing for his star, including an exorbitant salary. The role, as many of us know, went to Kristofferson. The film was a smash, winning four Oscars in the process, and a Golden Globe for Kris.

Just last week I was listening to ”Sunday Morning Coming Down.” A brilliant piece of prose and poetry. It is so good that I’ll share the opening lyrics at the end of this post.

One of my early favorites was a song called “Jody and the Kid,” about an older boy who gradually comes to view a girl romantically. While I didn’t fully understand what the song was about at the time, I knew enough to know that its message was to appreciate time and love.

A few years before my mom’s passing, I was playing some of his songs on my phone during a visit at her house. She said, “You and your dad used to sing those songs together right there,” — pointing to an area in her family room.

Before Kristofferson became a fixture in America’s cultural landscape, he was a student-athlete at Pomona College, and later earned a Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford, where he excelled in boxing and rugby.

His desire to be a novelist was briefly put on hold when he joined the Army. Following his service, and an offer to teach literature at West Point, he decided to devote his time to songwriting.

Kristofferson holds a B. Phil degree in English literature, and an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Pomona College, receiving the latter at an alumni ceremony in 1973.

Some of his biggest hits are performed by others, including “Me and Bobby McGee,” a song made famous by Janis Joplin, whom Kristofferson dated.

Prior to his success, to make ends meet, he worked as a janitor at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, which is where he met June Cash, and with hopes of meeting Johnny.

Legend has it that Kristofferson, having learned to fly helicopters in the service, landed one on Johnny’s property with a beer in his hand. Although the stunt is true, no beer was involved. And Cash wasn’t even home.

While I never saw him perform live, in 2018 I learned that he would be coming to Santa Clara. In my haste to find out where, I learned that his website inadvertently misspelled Santa Clarita.

I’m sad that he’s gone. But I have his music, and with it a lot fond memories.

RIP Kris
1936-2024

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Below is the beginning of “Sunday Morning Coming Down”:

“Well, I woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt. And the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad, so I had one more for dessert.

“Then I fumbled through my closet for my clothes and found my cleanest dirty shirt.

“And I shaved my face and combed my hair, and stumbled down the stairs to meet the day.”