He Can Help You Make It Through The Night ~~
Or through the day, or the afternoon, or whenever you need to hear really good singing. I love Kris Kristofferson's voice - I have for a long time. And his movies? Yep, I love them too. Is is just because I'm a country girl at heart? I don't think so - do you have any idea how many films he has been in? Or, that Kris Kristofferson is a Rhodes Scholar? Yes, he is. Read on for more great information...
Kris Kristofferson's History At A Glance
A Brief Biography of Kris Kristofferson From Wikipedia
Kris Kristofferson was born in Brownsville, Texas on June 22, 1936. Like most military brats he moved around much as a youth; he finally settled down in San Mateo, California, where he graduated from San Mateo High School. Kristofferson's father was an AirForce general who pushed his son toward a military career. Kristofferson got his first dose of fame when he appeared in Sports Illustrated's "Faces
In The Crowd" for his achievements in rugby union, football, and track and field. An aspiring writer, Kristofferson earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University (Merton College, Oxford) after previously attending Pomona College. While in England, Kristofferson began writing songs and working with his manager Larry Parnes; he recorded for Top Rank Records under the name Kris Carson, but was unsuccessful.
In 1960, he graduated with a master's degree in English literature and married an old girlfriend, Fran Beer. Kristofferson ultimately joined the U.S. Army and achieved the rank of captain. He became a helicopter pilot after receiving flight training at Fort Rucker in southeastern Alabama. During the early 1960s, he was stationed in West Germany and returned to music and formed a band. In 1965, he resigned his commission to pursue songwriting. He had just been assigned to become an English Literature professor at West Point. Kristofferson sent some of his compositions to a friend's relative, Marijohn Wilkin, a successful Nashville, Tennessee, songwriter.
(...from Wikipedia)
In The Crowd" for his achievements in rugby union, football, and track and field. An aspiring writer, Kristofferson earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University (Merton College, Oxford) after previously attending Pomona College. While in England, Kristofferson began writing songs and working with his manager Larry Parnes; he recorded for Top Rank Records under the name Kris Carson, but was unsuccessful.In 1960, he graduated with a master's degree in English literature and married an old girlfriend, Fran Beer. Kristofferson ultimately joined the U.S. Army and achieved the rank of captain. He became a helicopter pilot after receiving flight training at Fort Rucker in southeastern Alabama. During the early 1960s, he was stationed in West Germany and returned to music and formed a band. In 1965, he resigned his commission to pursue songwriting. He had just been assigned to become an English Literature professor at West Point. Kristofferson sent some of his compositions to a friend's relative, Marijohn Wilkin, a successful Nashville, Tennessee, songwriter.
(...from Wikipedia)
Three Reasons I Love Kris Kristofferson
- Help Me Make It Through The Night
- Blade
- Me And Bobby Mcgee
Kris Kristofferson Filmography
You were very likely aware that Kris Kristofferson was in "A Star Is Born" -- but did you know he's done more than fifty other films also? (And, that's not counting his television and documentary work.)
- The Last Movie (1971)
- Cisco Pike (1972)
- Gospel Road: A Story of Jesus (1973)
- Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973)
- Blume in Love (1973)
- Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
- Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
- The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (1976)
- Vigilante Force (1976)
- A Star Is Born (1976)
- Semi-Tough (1977)
- Convoy (1978)
- Heaven's Gate (1980)
- Rollover (1981)
- Songwriter (1984)
- Flashpoint (1984)
- Trouble in Mind (1985)
- The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James (1986)
- Big Top Pee-wee (1988)
- Millennium (1989)
- Welcome Home (1989)
- Sandino (1990)
- Night of the Cyclone (1990)
- Original Intent (1992)
- Paper Hearts (1993)
- No Place to Hide (1993)
- Knights (1993)
- Pharaoh's Army (1995)
- Lone Star (1996)
- Blue Rodeo (1996) (TV)
- Fire Down Below (1997)
- Girls' Night (1998)
- Blade (1998)
- Dance with Me (1998)
- A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998)
- The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock (1998) (voice)
- Payback (1999)
- Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999)
- Limbo (1999)
- The Joyriders (1999)
- Outlaw Justice/The Long Kill (1999)
- Comanche (2000)
- Planet of the Apes (2001)
- Chelsea Walls (2001)
- Wooly Boys (2001)
- D-Tox (aka Eye See You) (2002)
- Blade II (2002)
- Where the Red Fern Grows (2003)
- Silver City (2004)
- Blade: Trinity (2004)
- The Jacket (2005)
- The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico (2005)
- The Wendell Baker Story (2005)
- Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story (2005)
- Disappearances (2006)
- Fast Food Nation (2006)
- Powder Blue (2008)
- He's Just Not That Into You (2008)
Kris Kristofferson Movies For Your Very Own!!
Documentaries With Kris Kristofferson
- What I've Learned About US Foreign Policy: The war against the Third World. Secrets of the C.I.A. (1987)
- Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival (1997)
- The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack (2000)
- Immaculate Funk (2000)
- John Ford Goes to War (narrator)(2002)
- Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003)
- Final Cut: The Making and Unmaking of 'Heaven's Gate' (2004)
- Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt (2004)
- Trudell (2005)
- Passion & Poetry: The Ballad of Sam Peckinpah (2005)
Kris Kristofferson's Story - From The Country Music Hall Of Fame
Kris Kristofferson was inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2004. His bio, from their site, reads in part:"In some ways, Kris Kristofferson was an unlikely candidate for a career as a country songwriter and recording artist. Considering his family background and his education, he seemed destined to become a military officer or a college professor. Born in 1936 in Brownsville, Texas, he was the son of an air force major general, and served as an army captain during his own stint in the service. As a Rhodes Scholar, he studied literature at Oxford University after finishing his undergraduate degree at Pomona College in California."
A Little Bit About This Old Road
Kris Kristofferson's Newest Album - In His Words
Kris Kristofferson has always identified himself first and foremost as a writer, and true writers know that what works best is giving a piece of themselves to the listener. With his latest album, This Old Road, Kristofferson lays a chunk of his own soul on every track. This beautifully sparse recording, puts an emphasis on his fine lyrics and distinctive voice by featuring Kristofferson, his guitar, and harmonica. Subtle accompaniment is added by Was (bass, piano, backing vocals), longtime sidekick Stephen Bruton (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals) and Jim Keltner (drums). The album is so intimate it makes the listener feel as if they are sitting in Kristofferson's living room while he picks and sings just for them.
Kristofferson's story is fairly well known: he had a dream-along with the necessary talent and ambition-to become a songwriter. After turning down a teaching position at West Point, the Rhodes Scholar hoped to get his foot in the door of the music business by taking a job as a janitor at Columbia Records. It wasn't long after arriving in Nashville that he was receiving armloads of acclaim and being hailed as one of America's clearest and most important voices, having penned such classics as "Me and Bobby McGee", "Sunday Morning Coming Down", "For the Good Times", and many others.
Now Kristofferson has reached living legend status, but that hasn't changed or hindered his skills. This Old Road contains eleven gems that explore love, gratitude, aging, war, and his ever-present theme of freedom. "If you took freedom out of the songs, you'd have very few Kristofferson songs," he laughs. "If I had to describe it in one word, I'd say it's honest," he says of This Old Road. "It's all pretty close to the bone, about my own personal journey. It's about what sense I've made of my life up to now."
(...for the complete article go to the Kris Kristofferson website)
Kristofferson's story is fairly well known: he had a dream-along with the necessary talent and ambition-to become a songwriter. After turning down a teaching position at West Point, the Rhodes Scholar hoped to get his foot in the door of the music business by taking a job as a janitor at Columbia Records. It wasn't long after arriving in Nashville that he was receiving armloads of acclaim and being hailed as one of America's clearest and most important voices, having penned such classics as "Me and Bobby McGee", "Sunday Morning Coming Down", "For the Good Times", and many others.
Now Kristofferson has reached living legend status, but that hasn't changed or hindered his skills. This Old Road contains eleven gems that explore love, gratitude, aging, war, and his ever-present theme of freedom. "If you took freedom out of the songs, you'd have very few Kristofferson songs," he laughs. "If I had to describe it in one word, I'd say it's honest," he says of This Old Road. "It's all pretty close to the bone, about my own personal journey. It's about what sense I've made of my life up to now."
(...for the complete article go to the Kris Kristofferson website)
Kris Kristofferson's Music
- 1970 ~~ Kristofferson (re-released in 1971 as "Me & Bobby MeGee")
- 1971 ~~ The Silver Tongued Devil and I
- 1972 ~~ Border Lord & Jesus Was a Capricorn
- 1973 ~~ Full Moon (with Rita Coolidge)
- 1974 ~~ Spooky Lady's Sideshow & Breakaway (with Rita Coolidge)
- 1975 ~~ Who's to Bless and Who's to Blame
- 1976 ~~ Surreal Thing
- 1978 ~~ Easter Island & Natural Act (with Rita Coolidge)
- 1979 ~~ Shake Hands with the Devil
- 1981 ~~ To the Bone
- 1982 ~~ The Winning Hand (with Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson & Brenda Lee)
- 1984 ~~ Music from Songwriter (with Willie Nelson)
- 1986 ~~ Repossessed
- 1990 ~~ Third World Warrior
- 1992 ~~ Live at the Philharmonic
- 1995 ~~ A Moment of Forever
- 1999 ~~ The Austin Sessions
- 2003 ~~ Broken Freedom Song: Live from San Francisco
- 2005 ~~ Comin' to Your City (Introduction to "8th of November")
- 2006 ~~ This Old Road
Me & Bobby McGee Lyrics
The lyrics as Kris Kristofferson wrote and sang them.
Busted flat in Baton Rouge, headin' for the trains,
feelin' nearly faded as my jeans.
Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained,
took us all the way to New Orleans.
Took my harpoon out of my dirty red bandana,
and was blowin' sad while Bobby sang the blues.
With them windshield wipers slappin' time and Bobby clappin' hands,
we finally sang up every song that driver knew.
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose,
and nothin' ain't worth nothin' but its free.
Feelin' good was easy, Lord, when Bobby sang the blues,
and buddy, that was good enough for me.
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee.
From the coal mines of Kentucky to the California sun,
Bobby shared the secrets of my soul.
Standin' right beside me through everythin' I done,
and every night she kept me from the cold.
Then somewhere near Salinas, Lord, I let her slip away,
she was lookin' for the love I hope she'll find.
Well I'd trade all my tomorrows for a single yesterday,
holdin Bobby's body close to mine.
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose,
and nothin' left was all she left to me.
Feelin' good was easy, Lord, when Bobby sang the blues,
and buddy, that was good enough for me.
Good enough for me and Bobby McGee.
feelin' nearly faded as my jeans.
Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained,
took us all the way to New Orleans.
Took my harpoon out of my dirty red bandana,
and was blowin' sad while Bobby sang the blues.
With them windshield wipers slappin' time and Bobby clappin' hands,
we finally sang up every song that driver knew.
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose,
and nothin' ain't worth nothin' but its free.
Feelin' good was easy, Lord, when Bobby sang the blues,
and buddy, that was good enough for me.
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee.
From the coal mines of Kentucky to the California sun,
Bobby shared the secrets of my soul.
Standin' right beside me through everythin' I done,
and every night she kept me from the cold.
Then somewhere near Salinas, Lord, I let her slip away,
she was lookin' for the love I hope she'll find.
Well I'd trade all my tomorrows for a single yesterday,
holdin Bobby's body close to mine.
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose,
and nothin' left was all she left to me.
Feelin' good was easy, Lord, when Bobby sang the blues,
and buddy, that was good enough for me.
Good enough for me and Bobby McGee.
Own Your Own Kris Kristofferson Music
...or, add to your collection
Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity
As an undergraduate, Kristofferson was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. A few other famous members of that fraternity over the years are:- From News, Arts, & Entertainment: Tim McGraw - Country Music Superstar; Ted Koppel - TV personality; Bud Shank - Jazz Musician (saxophone & flute); William Sanderson - actor; Deadwood HBO Series
- From Business: Stephen Covey - CEO FranklinCovey Co., author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People; Paul Orfalea - Founder, Former President and CEO, Kinko's; Harland David Sanders (aka Colonel Sanders) - Founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken; Jeff Taylor - Founder/CEO of Monster.com.
- From Education: Wayne Morse - Former Dean, University of Oregon. Former US Senator; Michael David McCoy - Head Physician (Viral Pathogens), World Health Organization; Dr. Andrew Sorensen - President, University of South Carolina
- From Government: Jon Kyl - U.S. Senator, State of Arizona; Edward A. Pease - Former U.S. Representative, State of Indiana; General Richard Seitz - General (Ret.) United States Army; Louis H. Wilson - General (Ret.), former commandant of USMC
- From Sports: Lance Alworth - Pro Football Hall of Fame; Horace Grant - NBA player, Chicago Bulls; Hubert Green - professional golfer; Steve Prefontaine - Olympic runner, (University of Oregon)
(...a complete listing of Pi Kappa Alpha Alumni)
Official Pi Kappa Alpha Webiste
Blade - The Movie
The Trailer For the Original Blade Movie - from YouTube
curated content from YouTube
Own The Blade Movies
Get Blade Here
What can I say: I have a fascination with vampire movies (I love to see the good guys win) and I love Kris Kristofferson. For me, this series of movies is a winner!
The HighwayMen On Video
Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson perform "Highwayman" live.
curated content from YouTube
So, What Do You Think Of Kris Kristofferson?
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Kris Kristofferson Guest Book
Do you have a favorite Kris Kristofferson song or movie? What is it? Or, maybe you don't like him at all? Let me know here, or just leave me a note to say you were here. Either way, thanks for visiting.
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Mamaboo
Sep 29, 2011 @ 12:36 pm | delete
- Thank You for this squidoo!!! I never realized most of this!!!
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Anny
May 6, 2011 @ 9:59 pm | delete
- i think Kris should run for president!!! he's one of the last American men that makes any sense!
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jeffwend
Sep 13, 2010 @ 9:12 pm | delete
- Kris is a legend. Here is one of my favorite quotes from him, "If God made anything better than women, I think he kept it for himself."
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Sylvestermouse
Jun 24, 2010 @ 12:53 pm | delete
- What an awesome article! I had no idea he was a military man early on. I am so glad he choose to leave and gift us all with his remarkable talent!
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LoKackl
Jun 23, 2010 @ 7:53 am | delete
- Delightful! I was a big fan of Kris Kristofferson in the 60s and 70s and then let him go out of my radar! Nice to "catch up. squid angel blessed!
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GrowWear
Jun 22, 2010 @ 11:17 pm | delete
- Truly the way a bio lens should be done. Happy birthday to Kris Kristofferson! I remember seeing him in an interview where he talked about his family's reaction to his chosen career. It left me feeling rather cold thinking that his family would want to stifle this man's dreams. Goes to show, though, that a passion that great cannot be extinguished.
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kimmanleyort
Jun 22, 2010 @ 8:45 am | delete
- This is a fabulous page on Kris Kristofferson. He is one talented guy - actor, singer, writer, and smart and sexy too. Amazing!
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sspeavey@aol.com
Feb 16, 2010 @ 6:37 pm | delete
- Kris is a great songwriter/ singer, has a very engaging personality, and has truly lived life to the fullest! Why Me Lord? is one of his greatest gifts to society. He is so personable, one feels as if he is an old friend. Having been a devoted fan of his for almost 40 years, I feel that I have seen his life play out through his songwriting. There is hardly ever a day that I don't listen to his music. He is a good actor also, but songwriting/singing are his greatest talents!
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Bruce
Jan 26, 2010 @ 7:24 pm | delete
- I loved Lone Star
A talented man whom I will never forget.
You can bring my heart to a torn and shattered mess with the songs you write. I know of nobody else that works that magic on me about my relationships with the beautiful women in my life.
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Joyce wrote
Jun 14, 2009 @ 11:00 am | delete
- I have followed Kris for decades. Love his music. I saw him in concert 3 times. Rita and Kris are the best duo singers ever. I have most all of his CD's. God Bless Kris and God Bless America.
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