Kristofferson

About

“If it sounds country, man, that’s what it i. It’s a country song.” One of the more iconic openings to one of the 20th century’s more iconic song, Kris Kristofferson’s eye-roll is nearly audible in the first seconds of “Me and Bobby McGee.” His song, after all, traveled far beyond the narrow confines of Nashville. “Me and Bobby McGee” would shortly become fellow Texan Janis Joplin’s posthumous signature, and this album’s three other canonical entries—the stunning ballads “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “For the Good Time,” and “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”—were brought to the charts by artists as diverse as Gladys Knight, Perry Como, and Johnny Cash. A fitting introduction, then, for perhaps the most idiosyncratic of the outlaws: having already proven himself as a Rhodes Scholar, boxer, soldier, and helicopter pilot (among other occupations), Kristofferson had turned to songwriting, selling most of these songs to other artists before he finally got his own record deal. That deal came courtesy of Cash, who invited Kristofferson onstage during his set at the 1969 Newport Folk Festival; stardom as a singer and actor followed soon after. This album was not a hit, but its songs are seminal and the release endures as a pivotal entry in the songwriter-first, singer-second catalog that forced Music Row to slowly turn its head towards the outlaw. .

via Apple Music

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