How Kris Kristofferson Changed Country Music

As a lifelong cinephile and music enthusiast, I have had the privilege of witnessing the evolution of country music through the prism of Kris Kristofferson‘s exceptional career. Born from the ashes of an era dominated by clean-cut cowboys, Kristofferson was the phoenix that rose to challenge conformity with his raw talent and unapologetic spirit.

In 1970, Kris Kristofferson’s first album was launched amidst country music dominated by Merle Haggard’s “Okie From Muskogee,” a song that expressed strong patriotism and criticized anti-war protesters, drug users, and long hairstyles. This tune epitomized a genre in a time that TIME magazine would later describe as strikingly conservative: characterized by cleanly strummed guitars, lush arrangements, and lyrics praising order and religion.

After that, Kristofferson emerged: a man with long hair, antiwar sentiments, singing about homelessness, alcoholism, depression, drugs, and sex. His songs tackling sensitive topics took many in the country industry by surprise. In Nashville that year, he was referred to as an “odd man out” by the New York Times, while TIME labeled him the following year as the most contentious country songwriter-singer of the day.

However, it was Kristofferson’s unique individualism, defiance, and unyielding genius that not only catapulted him to stardom but also dismantled genre barriers, paving the way for outlaw country and numerous other rebels within both the peripheries and mainstream of country music over the past fifty years. In a genre characterized by uniformity, Kristofferson – who passed away on September 28 at the age of 88 – stood as a testament to an alternative approach.

Kristofferson’s resume is perhaps the strangest of any country star’s. He was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford, where he studied the poetry of William Blake, and a Golden Gloves boxer. He served as an army helicopter pilot in Germany and then as a janitor cleaning up after Bob Dylan’s Nashville sessions while he tried to break into the music business. After a few years of pitching his songs around town, other country stars began cautiously recording them in the late 1960s, despite their depictions of racy scenarios and destitution—including Sammi Smith on “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” about a desperate one-night stand, and Ray Price on “For the Good Times,” which Kacey Musgraves later said “might be the saddest song of all time.”

Kristofferson’s first album, titled “Kristofferson“, explored themes that were daring even for country music fans, who generally leaned conservative. He sang about issues such as police brutality, his own arrest experiences, racial injustice against Black people and the disadvantaged, and he ridiculed the moral outrage directed towards rock stars like the Rolling Stones. The standout track, “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” depicted a drug-addled drifter grappling with an existential crisis: “And there’s nothing nearly as lonely/ As the sound on a sleeping city street/ On Sunday mornin’ comin’ down.” Although it received some favorable critiques, the album was a commercial failure.

The initiative significantly influenced other notable country musicians such as Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, prompting them to venture into their own creative upheavals. This innovative facet of the genre, later known as Outlaw Country, was characterized by a rawer, edgier, and more tumultuous sound compared to its polished predecessor. It dared to traverse moral gray areas, often breaking free from the conventional three-minute song structure; these new artists showcased both vulnerability and mischievousness, reflecting the complexities of a post-Vietnam War, post-1960s America. In 1974, TIME magazine featured a cover story highlighting the genre’s transformations, quoting Kristofferson as stating: “There’s more authenticity and less artifice in today’s music than ever before.

In the early 1970s, as Kris Kristofferson’s career took off, partly due to his acting roles in Hollywood, he provided a major career boost to John Prine, another unconventional country music genius who spoke out against societal norms and blind patriotism. Kristofferson formed a friendship with Muhammad Ali during a time when the boxer faced isolation for his criticisms of the Vietnam War. Furthermore, Kristofferson inspired future generations of songwriters by demonstrating that they didn’t need to confine their creativity within strict genre boundaries: “He showed us it was possible to make a living from writing songs,” Steve Earle, a pioneer in alternative country music, wrote later on. “He was the person I aspired to become when I grew up – a highly educated hillbilly.

In 1985, Kris Kristofferson teamed up with Nelson, Jennings, and Johnny Cash to create the Highwaymen. This group stood as a voice for those who lived on society’s edges. During a 1992 concert, when Sinead O’Connor faced a storm of boos due to her criticism of the Catholic Church, Kristofferson stepped onto the stage to console her and say: “Don’t let the jerks bring you down.

In an industry where celebrities are often cautious about expressing political views due to fear of losing fans, Kris Kristofferson was bold and vocal. On a talk show in 1991, he criticized the Reagan administration severely, stating: “Even a Nazi would blush at the sight of our government, which controls all three branches, and a media that’s churning out pro-administration propaganda.” He was a consistent advocate for the United Farm Workers, performing numerous benefit concerts for them and later receiving the Cesar Chavez Legacy Award from the Cesar Chavez Foundation. His charity shows for Palestinian children reportedly cost him performances in Los Angeles; he responded to this by saying, “If that’s how it has to be, then so be it.” (Quote from a 2009 biography)

Throughout his life, Kristofferson faced numerous personal challenges: He grappled with alcohol dependency and experienced two marital dissolutions. However, he never claimed to be a paragon of virtue, instead choosing to accept the complexities of life and take positions when appropriate. His unconstrained songwriting style and truthful approach resonated deeply, inspiring numerous country artists that followed in his footsteps, such as Travis Tritt, Miranda Lambert, and Brandi Carlile, whose supergroup the Highwomen acknowledged Kristofferson’s impact by paying tribute to his own group. Following his passing, accolades came pouring in from various quarters, including the film industry; Barbra Streisand, who co-starred with him in 1976’s “A Star Is Born,” was among those expressing admiration.

Indeed, there’s no one more apt at describing Kristofferson than Kristofferson himself. This is evident in the 1971 song “The Pilgrim, Chapter 33,” a tribute he penned to his fellow musicians.

“He’s a pilgrim and a preacher and a problem when he’s stoned/ He’s a walking contradiction partly truth and partly fiction/
Taking every wrong direction on his lonely way back home.”

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2024-09-30 21:06