100-489: Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a more raw, introspective style. During the 1970s, he also embarked on a successful career as a Hollywood actor. Kristofferson released his debut album Kristofferson in 1970. Among his songwriting credits are " Me and Bobby McGee ", " For
200-425: A BMI Icon at the 57th annual BMI Country Awards. Throughout his career, Kristofferson's songwriting garnered 48 BMI Country and Pop Awards. He later remarked, "The great thing about being a songwriter is you can hear your baby interpreted by so many people that have creative talents vocally that I don't have." Kristofferson had always denied having a good voice, and had said that as he had aged, any quality it once had
300-513: A Hochschule , which is the generic term in Germany for all institutions awarding academic degrees. Fachhochschule is often translated as "University of Applied Sciences". Universitäten place greater emphasis on fundamental science and background in theory, while Fachhochschulen are generally designed with a focus on teaching professional skills. Degrees earned at Universitäten and Fachhochschulen are legally equivalent. In Germany,
400-583: A dredging contractor on Wake Island in the western Pacific Ocean. He called it "the hardest job I ever had". Kristofferson attended Pomona College and experienced his first national exposure in 1958, appearing in the March 31 issue of Sports Illustrated for his achievements in collegiate rugby union , American football , and track and field. He and his classmates revived the Claremont Colleges Rugby Club in 1958, and it remains
500-545: A "dove with claws" and remained proud of his military service in spite of his anti-imperialist views. In a 1991 interview on New Zealand TV, he condemned media support for the Gulf War, saying "The lapdog media cranks out propaganda that would make a Nazi blush." Kristofferson was a supporter of the United Farm Workers and appeared at several rallies and benefits for them, campaigning with Cesar Chavez for
600-456: A BA or BSc degree. However, some older or ancient universities , such as Oxford , Cambridge , and Trinity College Dublin traditionally award BAs to undergraduates having completed the final examinations, e.g., Part II Tripos (Cambridge), Final Honour Schools (Oxford), Moderator-ship (Dublin), in most subjects including the sciences. Some new plate glass universities established in the 1960s, such as York and Lancaster , originally followed
700-541: A Capricorn , initially had slow sales, but the third single, " Why Me ", was a success and significantly increased album sales. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA on November 8, 1973. In 1972, Kristofferson appeared with Rita Coolidge on British TV on BBC's The Old Grey Whistle Test , performing "Help Me Make It Through the Night". Also in 1972, Al Green released his version of " For
800-541: A Southern California rugby institution. Kristofferson graduated in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude , in literature . He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa his junior year. In a 2004 interview with Pomona College Magazine , Kristofferson mentioned philosophy professor Frederick Sontag as an important influence in his life. In 1973, Kristofferson received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Pomona College during Alumni Weekend, accompanied by fellow performers Johnny Cash and Rita Coolidge . His award
900-464: A beard to hide the scars, which he has maintained ever since. He also began collaborating with the other outlaws, beginning with his album Hank Williams Jr. and Friends released shortly before he was injured. At the same time as Nelson was reinventing himself, other influential musicians were writing songs and playing in Austin and Lubbock. Butch Hancock , Joe Ely , and Jimmie Dale Gilmore formed
1000-470: A considerable lack of work as a result." At a Bob Dylan anniversary concert shortly after Sinead O'Connor's protest on Saturday Night Live , he showed solidarity with her when she was booed by the crowd. In 1961, Kristofferson married his longtime girlfriend Frances "Fran" Mavia Beer, but they divorced in 1969. Kristofferson briefly dated Janis Joplin before her death in October 1970. His second marriage
1100-577: A double album consisting of remastered and updated performances of recordings the four artists had made for the Monument label during the mid-1960s; the album reached the top ten on the U.S. country album charts. He married again, to Lisa Meyers, and concentrated on films for a time, appearing in the 1984 releases The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck , Flashpoint , and Songwriter . Nelson and Kristofferson both appeared in Songwriter , and Kristofferson
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#17327912385151200-516: A job sweeping floors at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville. He met June Carter there and asked her to give Johnny Cash a tape of his. She did, but Cash put it on a large pile with others. He also worked as a commercial helicopter pilot for south Louisiana firm Petroleum Helicopters International (PHI), based in Lafayette, Louisiana . Kristofferson recalled of his days as a pilot, "That
1300-416: A longer time period. This is due to factors such as the student's ability, motivation, and access to financial assistance to earn the degree. Just like other baccalaureate degrees, a Bachelor of Arts is historically offered only at public and private universities and colleges. A Bachelor of Arts, just like other bachelor's degrees, is an admission requirement for graduate and professional school. Beginning in
1400-583: A lot of hard times." In July 2007, Kristofferson was featured on CMT 's Studio 330 Sessions where he played many of his hits. On June 13, 2008, Kristofferson performed an acoustic in-the-round set with Patty Griffin and Randy Owen ( Alabama ) for a special taping of a PBS songwriters series aired in December. Each performer played five songs. Kristofferson's set included "The Best of All Possible Worlds", "Darby's Castle", "Casey's Last Ride", "Me and Bobby McGee", and "Here Comes that Rainbow Again". Taping
1500-729: A master's degree. Along with the Bachelor of Science (B.S.), the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) is the most commonly granted degree in the US. A B.A. degree is earned after the completion of four years of undergraduate college level study. The Bachelor of Science is abbreviated with periods i.e., B.S., and the Bachelor of Arts is abbreviated as B.A. Most US colleges and universities offer undergraduate programs. In colleges and universities in Australia, Nepal, New Zealand, India and South Africa,
1600-607: A new album of original songs called Feeling Mortal . A live album titled An Evening With Kris Kristofferson was released in September 2014. Kristofferson voiced the character Chief Hanlon of the NCR Rangers in the hit 2010 video game Fallout: New Vegas . In an interview for Las Vegas magazine Q&A by Matt Kelemen on October 23, 2015, he revealed that a new album, The Cedar Creek Sessions , recorded in Austin, would include some old and some new songs. In December 2016,
1700-593: A rejection of everything they stood for, although Kristofferson says he is proud of his time in the military and received the Veteran of the Year Award at the 2003 American Veterans Awards ceremony. After leaving the army in 1965, Kristofferson moved to Nashville . Struggling for success in music, he worked at odd jobs in the meantime while burdened with medical expenses resulting from his son's defective esophagus . He and his wife divorced in 1968. Kristofferson got
1800-692: A role in the film Blade , alongside Wesley Snipes , as Blade 's mentor Abraham Whistler . He reprised the role in Blade II (2002) and again in Blade: Trinity (2004). In 1998 he starred in Dance with Me along with Vanessa Williams and Chayanne . In 1999, he co-starred with Mel Gibson in Payback . He played rancher Rudolph Meyer in Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999). He
1900-722: A single, "Golden Idol/Killing Time," but the song was not successful. Within the next few years, more Kristofferson originals hit the charts, performed by Roy Drusky ("Jody and the Kid"); Billy Walker & the Tennessee Walkers ("From the Bottle to the Bottom"); Ray Stevens (" Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down "); Jerry Lee Lewis ("Once More with Feeling"); Faron Young ("Your Time's Comin'"); and Roger Miller ("Me and Bobby McGee", "Best of all Possible Worlds", and "Darby's Castle"). He
2000-483: A slightly harder-edged variant of progressive country . The outlaw sound has its roots in blues music , honky tonk music of the 1940s and 1950s, rockabilly of the 1950s, and the evolving genre of rock and roll . Early outlaws were particularly influenced by predecessors like Bob Wills , Hank Williams , Elvis Presley , and Buddy Holly . A greater transition occurred after Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson were able to secure their own recording rights, and began
2100-512: A somewhat ragged (especially in later years), all-black outfit that inspired Cash's nickname, the "Man in Black". Kristofferson, in turn, brought in connections to the Chicago folk scene such as John Prine and Steve Goodman . Prine, in particular, became a close associate of Kristofferson's over the years. The outlaw movement's heyday was in the mid- to late 1970s; although the core artists of
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#17327912385152200-444: A songwriter in Nashville peaked in the late 1960s. As a songwriter, he had written a number of major pop-crossover hits, including " Crazy " for Patsy Cline and " Hello Walls " for Faron Young , but as a singer, he was getting nowhere. He left Nashville in 1971 to return to Texas. The musicians he met in Austin had been developing the folk and rock influenced country music that grew into the outlaw genre. Performing and associating with
2300-757: A strong influence on the outlaw country movement, and that sound and style of recording was centered in Muscle Shoals, Alabama . In the Western United States, the Bakersfield sound was providing a counterpoint to the traditional Nashville sound, and the counterculture was also giving rise to the fusion genre of country rock , with groups such as the Flying Burrito Brothers and The First National Band (whose lead singer Michael Nesmith had similar creative rebellion against
2400-400: A third class honours degree (for example, BA with distinction, merit or pass). A Bachelor of Arts is entitled to the post-nominal letters BA for an ordinary or pass degree and BA (Hons) for an honours degree. (However, graduates entitled to use the "Hons" post-nominal very rarely do so in practice.) The academic dress worn by honours and non-honours graduates is identical. An honours degree
2500-794: A time. The single from the album, also entitled " Highwayman ", written by Jimmy Webb (and originally recorded by him in 1977), was awarded the ACM's single of the year in 1985. In 1985, Kristofferson starred in Trouble in Mind and released Repossessed , a politically aware album that was a country success, particularly "They Killed Him" (also performed by Bob Dylan ), a tribute to his heroes, including Martin Luther King Jr. , Jesus, and Mahatma Gandhi . Kristofferson also appeared in Amerika at about
2600-520: A writer. His early writing included prize-winning essays: "The Rock" and "Gone Are the Days" were published in The Atlantic Monthly . These stories touch on the roots of Kristofferson's passions and concerns. "The Rock" is about a geographical feature resembling the form of a woman, while "Gone Are the Days" is about a racial incident. At the age of 17, Kristofferson took a summer job with
2700-502: Is a subgenre of American country music created by a small group of artists active in the 1970s and early 1980s, known collectively as the outlaw movement , who fought for and won their creative freedom outside of the Nashville establishment that dictated the sound of most country music of the era. Willie Nelson , Waylon Jennings , Merle Haggard , Johnny Cash , Kris Kristofferson , Johnny Paycheck , and David Allan Coe were among
2800-431: Is always awarded in one of four classes, depending upon the marks gained in the final assessments and examinations. The top students are awarded a first-class degree, followed by an upper second-class degree (usually referred to as a 2:1), a lower second-class degree (usually referred to as a 2:2), and those who pass with the lowest marks gain a third-class degree. An ordinary, pass or unclassified degree (which does not give
2900-446: Is an undergraduate postsecondary degree that puts a focus on liberal arts and studies. In comparison, a Bachelor of Science (BS) has a greater focus on science, math, and engineering. The Bachelor of Arts degree is a type of baccalaureate degree . A Bachelor of Arts degree is usually completed in four years: that is, it requires four years of full-time coursework during term time. However, just as with other degrees, some may require
3000-545: Is captured on Ernesto Juan Castellanos's documentary Havana Jam '79 . On November 18, 1979, Kristofferson and Coolidge appeared on The Muppet Show , where Kristofferson sang " Help Me Make It Through the Night " with Miss Piggy , Coolidge sang " We're All Alone " with forest animals, and the pair sang " Song I'd Like to Sing " with the Muppet monsters. They divorced in 1980. In 1982, Kristofferson joined Willie Nelson , Dolly Parton , and Brenda Lee on The Winning Hand ,
3100-605: Is featured on the three disc compilation, The First Great Rock Festivals of the Seventies . In 1971, he acted in Cisco Pike , and released his third album, Border Lord . The album was all-new material and sales were sluggish. He also swept the Grammy Awards that year with numerous songs nominated, winning country song of the year for "Help Me Make It Through the Night". Kristofferson's 1972 fourth album, Jesus Was
Kris Kristofferson - Misplaced Pages Continue
3200-631: The Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town album. Kristofferson released his second album— The Silver Tongued Devil and I —in 1971. It included " Lovin' Her Was Easier (than Anything I'll Ever Do Again) ". This success established Kristofferson's career as a recording artist. Soon after, Kristofferson made his acting debut in The Last Movie (directed by Dennis Hopper ), and appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival . A portion of his Isle of Wight performance
3300-450: The Latin baccalaureus artium , baccalaureus in artibus , or artium baccalaureus ) is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts , or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years, depending on the country and institution. The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree
3400-492: The "outlaws" abandoned lush orchestrations, stripped the music to its country core, and added a rock sensibility to the sound. At the same time, outlaw country performers brought back older styles that had fallen into disuse, such as honky tonk songs and "cowboy ballads". As well, Nelson and Jennings incorporated more R&B and soul music into their country music by working with Memphis and Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section musicians. The outlaw country artists aimed to resist
3500-476: The 1970s in favor of their home lives and other pursuits. Jennings had a hit song with " Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out of Hand " in 1978, which likewise attributed the decline to pressures from drug use. Some of the outlaws would have a slight career renaissance in the mid-1980s with the neotraditional country revival, which revived the older styles of both mainstream and "outlaw" country music of years past. The Tulsa sound out of Tulsa, Oklahoma
3600-790: The 1990s, junior colleges started to confer their own baccalaureate degrees. In addition to the standard BA degrees, there are career-specific Bachelor of Arts degrees, including Bachelor of Arts in Functional English , Bachelor of Arts in Administration , Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies , and Regents Bachelor of Arts . The Bachelor of Arts degree has been prominent in academics for centuries. It influenced universities to begin focusing on broad topics such as algebra , psychology , biology , art , history , and philosophy . This aspect of
3700-656: The 75th birthday of Mitchell. In June 2019, Kristofferson was announced as being one of the supporting artists for a Barbra Streisand "exclusive European concert" on July 7 in London's Hyde Park as part of the Barclay's Summertime Concert series. In January 2021, Kristofferson announced his retirement. His final concert was held in Fort Pierce, Florida , at the Sunrise Theatre on February 5, 2020, accompanied by
3800-618: The Apes , Chelsea Walls , Payback , The Jacket , and Fast Food Nation . The Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted Kristofferson in 1985, as had the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame earlier, in 1977. In 1999, The Austin Sessions was released, an album on which Kristofferson reworked some of his favorite songs with the help of artists such as Mark Knopfler , Steve Earle , and Jackson Browne . Shortly after
3900-557: The BA course normally lasts between three and three and a half years—six or seven semesters—and the degree is awarded after the student earns between 180 and 210 ECTS . In the Netherlands, the BA and Master of Arts (MA) degrees were introduced in 2002. Until then, a single program led to the doctorandus degree (abbreviated drs.), which comprised the same course load as the bachelor's and master's programs combined. The title doctorandus
4000-399: The BA degree can be taken over three years of full-time study. Students must pursue at least one major area of study and units from that subject are usually studied in each year, though sometimes students may choose to complete upper-level classes in the same year and as a result, can leave space for elective subjects from a different field. At some universities, students may choose to pursue
4100-530: The BA degree has been consistent in its history. The Bachelor of Arts degree was formed out of the study of liberal arts . Liberal art is a term that was applied to the study of many branches of learning such as grammar , logic , rhetoric , arithmetic , geometry , astronomy , and music . The study of liberal arts started during the Middle Ages . During the Renaissance , the term liberal art
Kris Kristofferson - Misplaced Pages Continue
4200-525: The Devil . His next film, the two-part 1979 NBC -TV movie Freedom Road , did not get good ratings. Kristofferson was next cast in the lead role as the enigmatic Sheriff James Averill in Michael Cimino 's bleak and sprawling 1980 anti-Western Heaven's Gate . Despite being a scandalous studio-bankrupting and industry-changing failure at the time (it cost Kristofferson his Hollywood A-list status),
4300-477: The Flatlanders , a group that never sold huge numbers of albums, but continues to perform. The three founders have each made a significant contribution to the development of the outlaw genre. The Lost Gonzo Band and their work in conjunction with Jerry Jeff Walker and Michael Murphey were integral in the birth of Outlaw Country. Other Texans, like Townes Van Zandt , Steve Earle , and Guy Clark , developed
4400-825: The Good Times " on the album I'm Still in Love with You . For the next several years, Kristofferson focused on acting. He appeared in Cisco Pike (1972) with Gene Hackman ; Blume in Love (1973), directed by Paul Mazursky ; three Sam Peckinpah films: Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), and Convoy (1978); and Michael Ritchie 's Semi-Tough (1977) with Burt Reynolds . He continued acting in Martin Scorsese 's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Vigilante Force (1976), The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with
4500-600: The Good Times ", " Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down ", and " Help Me Make It Through the Night ", all of which became hits for other artists. Kristofferson was also a member of the country music supergroup the Highwaymen between 1985 and 1995. He has charted 12 times on the American Billboard Hot Country Songs charts; his highest peaking singles there are "Why Me" and "Highwayman", which reached number one in 1973 and 1985, respectively. He
4600-466: The Night " I wrote sitting on top of an oil platform. I wrote " Bobby McGee " down here, and a lot of them [in south Louisiana]." Weeks after giving Carter his tapes, Kristofferson landed a helicopter in Cash's front yard, gaining his full attention. A story about Kristofferson having a beer in one hand and some songs in the other upon arrival was reputed, but was later refuted, with Kristofferson saying, "It
4700-530: The Night"); Bobby Bare ("Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends"); O. C. Smith ("Help Me Make It Through the Night"); Jerry Lee Lewis ("Me and Bobby McGee"); Patti Page ("I'd Rather Be Sorry"); and Peggy Little ("I've Got to Have You"). Country music performer Kenny Rogers recorded some of Kristofferson's songs, including a version of "Me and Bobby McGee" in 1969 with the First Edition for
4800-500: The Sea (1976), and the romantic drama A Star Is Born (1976) with Barbra Streisand , for which he received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor . At the peak of his box office power, Kristofferson turned down William Friedkin 's Sorcerer (1977) and the romantic war film Hanover Street (1979). Despite his success with Streisand, Kristofferson's solo musical career headed downward with his non-charting ninth album, Shake Hands with
4900-655: The Story Ends: The Publishing Demos was the first time these recordings were released and included material that would later be featured on other Kristofferson recordings and on the recordings of other prominent artists, such as the original recording of "Me and Bobby McGee". On June 4, 2011, Kristofferson performed a solo acoustic show at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center, showcasing both some of his original hits made famous by other artists, and newer songs. In early 2013, Kristofferson released
5000-878: The Strangers . Kristofferson was a vocal opponent of the Gulf War and Iraq War and a critic of a number of United States military interventions and foreign policy positions, including the United States invasion of Panama and U.S. support of the Contras during the Nicaraguan Revolution and of the Apartheid government in South Africa . Kristofferson's debut LP included a pro- Vietnam war song, but he said that he later became an opponent of
5100-536: The Texan in Popular Culture , the term "seems to have sedimented over time rather than exploding in the national consciousness all at once". The term is often attributed to "Ladies Love Outlaws", a song by Lee Clayton and sung by Waylon Jennings on the 1972 album of the same name . Another plausible explanation is the use of the term a year later by publicist Hazel Smith of Glaser Sound Studios to describe
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#17327912385155200-630: The U.S. Country Music chart and certified Platinum in the U.S. In 1979, Kristofferson traveled to Havana , Cuba, to participate in the historic Havana Jam festival that took place on March 2–4, alongside Rita Coolidge, Stephen Stills , the CBS Jazz All-Stars, the Trio of Doom , Fania All-Stars , Billy Swan , Bonnie Bramlett , Mike Finnigan , Weather Report , and Billy Joel , plus an array of Cuban artists such as Irakere , Pacho Alonso , Tata Güines , and Orquesta Aragón . His performance
5300-478: The West Coast music establishment dating to his time with The Monkees ). The movement was named, at various points, "redneck rock", progressive country, or "armadillo country", after the animal which would become the movement's unofficial mascot, before it was termed "outlaw country". The origin of the outlaw label is debated. According to Jason Mellard, author of Progressive Country: How the 1970s Transformed
5400-526: The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album . Kristofferson covered Brandi Carlile 's "Turpentine" on the 2017 album Cover Stories . Kristofferson performed, with assistance from Carlile, the Joni Mitchell composition " A Case of You ", from the 1971 Mitchell album Blue , on November 7, 2018, at the Both Sides Now – Joni 75 A Birthday Celebration to celebrate
5500-625: The album's release, he underwent coronary artery bypass surgery . In 2003, Broken Freedom Song was released, a live album recorded in San Francisco. That year, he received the "Spirit of Americana" free speech award from the Americana Music Association . In 2004, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame . On October 21, 2005, the movie Dreamer was released, in which Kristofferson played
5600-593: The big "machine" of the Nashville establishment, which "codified" norms of sounds, styles, and even appearance and behavior through influential "tastemaker" shows such as Grand Ole Opry . The Grand Ole Opry, which was "staunchly conservative", used its influence over Nashville's Music Row to control who could play and what types of songs they could perform. Jennings described his experience in that city's recording industry as like working on an assembly line , in which records were produced like "clockwork". In 1973 Jennings produced Lonesome, On'ry and Mean . The theme song
5700-643: The early 1960s, he was stationed in West Germany as a member of the 8th Infantry Division . During this time, he resumed his music career and formed a band. In 1965, after his tour in West Germany ended, Kristofferson was given an assignment to teach English literature at West Point . Instead, he decided to leave the Army and pursue songwriting. His family disowned him because of his career decision; sources are unclear on whether they reconciled. They saw it as
5800-408: The film Disappearances about whiskey running from Quebec to the U.S. during the Great Depression . In the course of his singing success during the early 1970s, Kristofferson met singer Rita Coolidge. They married in 1973 and released an album titled Full Moon , another success buoyed by numerous hit singles and Grammy nominations. His fifth album, Spooky Lady's Sideshow , released in 1974,
5900-464: The film gained critical recognition in subsequent years. In 1981, he co-starred with Jane Fonda in Rollover , directed by Alan J. Pakula . In 1986, he starred in The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James with Johnny Cash and Flashpoint with Treat Williams in 1984, directed by William Tannen. This was followed, in 1985, by the neo-noir thriller Trouble In Mind co-starring Keith Carradine and Lori Singer . In 1987, Kristofferson starred in
6000-461: The final secondary school exams in France and Spain (and of the International Baccalaureate ) come from this: le Baccalauréat and el Bachillerato , respectively. The ancient universities of Scotland award a Master of Arts degree to humanities or arts graduates, but a BSc to science graduates. This course takes four years for an honours degree and three for an ordinary. In Scotland, one can opt to take an ordinary degree, which ranks below
6100-476: The first country album to be platinum-certified, reaching sales of one million. As Southern rock flourished, veteran country artists incorporated rock into their music in this genre. Songwriters/guitarists such as Willie Nelson , Waylon Jennings , and Hank Williams, Jr. shed the formulaic Nashville sound, grew long hair, and replaced rhinestone-studded suits with leather jackets. Outlaw country artists spoke openly about smoking marijuana. Fiercely independent,
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#17327912385156200-399: The formation of The Highwaymen ; the four would record and perform as a supergroup in addition to their solo careers through the late 1990s. Cash had also been on good terms with several folk counterculture figures, a fact that irked Nashville and television executives (Cash hosted a variety show from 1969 to 1971). Like the other outlaw singers, he eschewed the polished Nashville look with
6300-405: The graduate the right to add '(Hons)') may be awarded if a student has completed (i) followed a non-honours program, or (b) attempted an honours course but marginally failed to achieve third-class standard. Education in Canada is controlled by the provinces and can be very different depending on the province. While all Canadian universities offer four-year degrees, it is not uncommon, depending on
6400-419: The help of his manager, Larry Parnes , Kristofferson recorded for Top Rank Records under the name Kris Carson. Parnes was working to sell Kristofferson as "a Yank at Oxford" to the British public; Kristofferson was willing to accept that promotional approach if it helped his singing career, which he hoped would enable him to progress toward his goal of becoming a novelist. This early phase of his music career
6500-471: The honor during the April 16 awards show in Nashville. Previous recipients include Cash, Hank Williams Jr. , Loretta Lynn , Reba McEntire , and the Dixie Chicks . "John was my hero before he was my friend, and anything with his name on it is really an honor in my eyes," Kristofferson said during a phone interview. "I was thinking back to when I first met him, and if I ever thought that I'd be getting an award with his name on it, it would have carried me through
6600-466: The latter, he earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy . He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score for the film Songwriter (1984). His acting career waned somewhat following his role in the box office bomb Heaven's Gate (1980), but he continued to act in films such as Stagecoach (1986), Lone Star (1996), and the Blade film trilogy (1998–2004). Kristoffer Kristofferson
6700-422: The likes of Jerry Jeff Walker , Michael Martin Murphey , and Billy Joe Shaver helped shape his future career. Williams Jr. had long spent much of his early career in the shadow of his father Hank Williams Sr. , who died when Williams Jr. was three years old. In 1975, Williams was severely injured in an avalanche while mountain climbing, disfiguring him to the point where he no longer resembled his father; he grew
6800-484: The master's degree (post-nominal letters) in accordance with the new standard. When attaining a master level/graduate degree, it is still customary to use either drs. pre-nominally or MA/MSc post-nominally at the discretion of the holder. In the United Kingdom (excluding Scotland) and Ireland, the first degree course normally lasts three years, but nomenclature varies: 19th-century and later universities usually distinguish between arts and sciences subjects by awarding either
6900-420: The movement continued to record for many years afterward (Nelson, in particular, was recording hits well into the following decade while Hank Williams, Jr. achieved his greatest success during the 1980s), the outlaw movement as a fad was already declining by 1978. By 1980 mainstream country music was practically dominated by country pop artists and crossover acts. The movement was furthermore falling victim to
7000-490: The movement's most commercially successful members. The music has its roots in earlier subgenres like Western , honky tonk , rockabilly , and progressive country , and is characterized by a blend of rock and folk rhythms, country instrumentation, and introspective lyrics. The movement began as a reaction to the slick production and limiting structures of the Nashville sound developed by Chet Atkins and other record producers. Some country fans consider outlaw country
7100-478: The music of Jennings and Tompall Glaser . Art critic Dave Hickey, who wrote a 1974 profile in Country Music magazine, also used the term to describe artists who opposed the commercial control of the Nashville recording industry. In 1976, the outlaw movement solidified the term with the release of Wanted! The Outlaws , a compilation album featuring songs sung by Waylon Jennings , Willie Nelson , Jessi Colter , and Tompall Glaser . Wanted! The Outlaws became
7200-552: The outlaw ethos through their songwriting and ways of living. Although Johnny Cash spent most of his time in Arkansas and Tennessee, he experienced a revival of his career with the outlaw movement, especially after his live albums At Folsom Prison and At San Quentin , both of which were recorded in prisons. Cash had working relationships with Nelson, Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson (who considered Cash one of his most influential mentors) in his later career, culminating in
7300-521: The passage of Proposition 14. He continued to play at benefits for the UFW through the 2010s. In 1987, he played at a benefit concert for Leonard Peltier with Jackson Browne , Willie Nelson and Joni Mitchell . In 1995, he dedicated a song to Mumia Abu-Jamal at a concert in Philadelphia, and was booed by the crowd. He performed in benefit concerts for Palestinian children, and said that he "found
7400-446: The practice of Oxford and Cambridge by awarding BAs in all subjects, but have since changed to awarding BSc degrees in science subjects. At Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin the degree of MA can be claimed, usually twenty-one terms after matriculation , without any further study. For many centuries, the bachelor's degree was an intermediate step and was awarded for much of the work carried out in later times at secondary schools. The names of
7500-404: The province and the university for a three-year general degree to also be offered as an option. In many universities and colleges, Bachelor of Arts degrees are differentiated either as BA or as honours BA degrees. Honours programs require more education than non-honours programs, typically a specialization beyond the requirements of a BA, and can often be used as a gateway to a PhD program, bypassing
7600-671: The role of "Pop", a retired thoroughbred horse trainer. The movie was inspired by the true story of the mare Mariah's Storm which won the Turfway Breeders Cup Classic. In 2006, he received the Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and released his first album full of new material in 11 years; This Old Road . On April 21, 2007, Kristofferson won CMT 's Johnny Cash Visionary Award. Rosanne Cash , Cash's daughter, presented
7700-422: The same pigeonholing and commercialization as mainstream country music; Mickey Newbury , a prominent influence on many outlaw artists, rejected the "outlaw" label, stating "I quit playing cowboys when I grew up." Williams also noted in his song " All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down) " that many of the core "outlaws" were growing up and abandoning the drugs and hard partying that had driven much of their lives in
7800-649: The same time, a miniseries that attempted to depict life in America under Soviet control. In spite of the success of Highwayman 2 in 1990, Kristofferson's solo recording career slipped significantly in the early 1990s, though he continued to record successfully with the Highwaymen. Lone Star (1996 film by John Sayles ) reinvigorated Kristofferson's acting career, and he soon appeared in Blade , Blade II , Blade: Trinity , A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries , Fire Down Below , Tim Burton 's remake of Planet of
7900-514: The seven-episode TV series Amerika with Robert Urich and Christine Lahti . In 1989, he was the male lead in the film Millennium with Cheryl Ladd . In 1996, he earned a supporting role as Charlie Wade, a corrupt South Texas sheriff in John Sayles ' Lone Star , a film nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay . In 1997, he co-starred in the film Fire Down Below with Steven Seagal . In 1998, Kristofferson took
8000-481: The traditional role of the recording artist. They wrote their own material, had creative input in their albums, and refused to conform to what society required of its youth. One author states that the Beatnik movement, from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s, was a precursor to outlaw country, as participants in both movements emphasized that they felt "out of place" in mainstream society. At the same time, country music
8100-539: The trend of bucking the " Nashville sound ". According to Michael Streissguth, author of Outlaw: Waylon, Willie, Kris, and the Renegades of Nashville , Jennings and Nelson became outlaws when they "won the right" to record with the producers and studio musicians they preferred. The 1960s was a decade of enormous change, a change reflected in the music of the time. The Beatles , Brian Wilson , Bob Dylan , The Rolling Stones , and many who followed in their wake cast off
8200-410: The war after speaking with returning soldiers who had seen combat. Speaking about a soldier who had told him that he had witnessed other soldiers throwing people out of helicopters during interrogation, Kristofferson said, "The notion that you could make a young person do something so inhumane to another soldier—or even worse, a civilian—convinced me that we were in the wrong." Kristofferson called himself
8300-467: Was a commercial failure, setting the trend for most of the rest of his musical career. Artists such as Ronnie Milsap and Johnny Duncan continued to record Kristofferson's material with success, but his distinctively rough voice and anti-pop sound kept his own audience to a minimum. Meanwhile, more artists took his songs to the top of the charts, including Willie Nelson , whose 1979 LP release of (Willie Nelson) Sings Kristofferson reached number five on
8400-411: Was about the last three years before I started performing, before people started cutting my songs. I would work a week down here [in south Louisiana] for PHI, sitting on an oil platform and flying helicopters. Then I'd go back to Nashville at the end of the week and spend a week up there trying to pitch the songs, then come back down and write songs for another week. I can remember " Help Me Make It Through
8500-472: Was beginning to decay. In December 2009, it was announced that Kristofferson would be portraying Joe on the upcoming album Ghost Brothers of Darkland County , a collaboration between rock singer John Mellencamp and novelist Stephen King . On May 11, 2010, Light in the Attic Records released demos that were recorded during Kristofferson's janitorial stint at Columbia. Please Don't Tell Me How
8600-622: Was born in Brownsville, Texas , to Mary Ann (née Ashbrook) and Lars Henry Kristofferson, a U.S. Army Air Corps officer (later a U.S. Air Force major general ). During Kristofferson's childhood, his father encouraged him to pursue a military career. Kristofferson moved around frequently as a youth because of his father's military service, and the family settled in San Mateo, California . After graduating from San Mateo High School in 1954, he enrolled at Pomona College , hoping to become
8700-479: Was closely related to outlaw country; " Tulsa Time " became a hit for Don Williams in 1978, and for Eric Clapton (who, though English, was closely associated with the Tulsa sound in the late 1970s and early 1980s ) in 1980. The Tulsa sound, in turn, influenced Red Dirt , a genre that arose out of Stillwater, Oklahoma . Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A. , BA , A.B. or AB ; from
8800-404: Was declining into a formulaic genre that appeared to offer the establishment what it wanted with artists such as Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton making the kind of music that was anathema to the growing counterculture. While Nashville continued to be the focus of mainstream country music, cities like Lubbock and Austin became the creative centers of outlaw country. Southern rock also had
8900-525: Was done in Nashville. Kristofferson released a new album of original songs titled Closer to the Bone on September 28, 2009. It is produced by Don Was on the New West Records label. Prior to the release, Kristofferson remarked: "I like the intimacy of the new album. It has a general mood of reflecting on where we all are at this time of life." On November 10, 2009, Kristofferson was honored as
9000-498: Was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. He was a three-time Grammy Award winner, out of 13 total nominations. As an actor, he became known for his roles in Cisco Pike (1972), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Blume in Love (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), and A Star Is Born (1976); for
9100-505: Was meant to describe general studies more broadly. This definition of liberal studies remains to this day. In Japan and the United States, Bachelor of Arts degrees were historically given only by public or private institutions and colleges. In Germany, university-level education usually happens in either a Universität (plural: Universitäten ) or a Fachhochschule (plural: Fachhochschulen ); both can be referred to as
9200-404: Was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score . The album Music from Songwriter , featuring Nelson-Kristofferson duets, was a country success. Nelson and Kristofferson continued their partnership, and added Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash to form the supergroup the Highwaymen . Their first album, Highwayman , was a success, and the supergroup continued working together for
9300-462: Was presented to him by his aforementioned mentor, Professor Sontag. In 1958, Kristofferson was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford , studying at Merton College . While at Oxford, he was awarded a Blue for boxing , played rugby for his college, and began writing songs. At Oxford, he became acquainted with fellow Rhodes scholar, art critic, and poet Michael Fried . With
9400-615: Was still kind of an invasion of privacy that I wouldn't recommend. To be honest, I don't think he was there. John had a pretty creative memory." Upon hearing " Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down ", however, Cash decided to record it, and in 1970 Kristofferson won Song of the Year for the song at the Country Music Association Awards . In 1966, Dave Dudley released a successful Kristofferson single, "Viet Nam Blues." In 1967, Kristofferson signed to Epic Records and released
9500-480: Was successful as a performer following Johnny Cash's introduction of him at the Newport Folk Festival . In 1971, Janis Joplin , who had dated Kristofferson, had a number one hit with "Me and Bobby McGee" from her posthumous album Pearl . It stayed on the number-one spot on the charts for weeks. More hits followed from others: Ray Price ("I'd Rather Be Sorry"); Joe Simon ("Help Me Make It Through
9600-761: Was then in the 2001 Tim Burton version of Planet of the Apes . He also played the title character "Yohan" as an old man in the Norwegian film Yohan: The Child Wanderer . He co-starred in the 2011 film Dolphin Tale and its 2014 sequel, Dolphin Tale 2 . In 2012, Kristofferson was in Joyful Noise with longtime friend Dolly Parton . In 2013, Kristofferson co-starred in The Motel Life , as well as Angels Sing with Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett . In 2006, Kristofferson starred with Geneviève Bujold in
9700-642: Was to singer Rita Coolidge in 1973, ending in divorce in 1980. Kristofferson married Lisa Meyers in 1983. Kristofferson and Meyers owned a home in Las Flores Canyon in Malibu, California , and maintained a residence in Hana, Hawaii , on the island of Maui . Kristofferson had eight children from his three marriages: two from his first marriage, one from his second marriage, and five from his marriage to his third wife. Outlaw country Outlaw country
9800-502: Was unsuccessful. In 1960, Kristofferson graduated with a B.Phil. in English literature . In 1961, he married his longtime girlfriend, Frances "Fran" Mavia Beer. Kristofferson, under pressure from his family, joined the U.S. Army and was commissioned as a second lieutenant , attaining the rank of captain . He became a helicopter pilot after receiving flight training at Fort Rucker , Alabama . He also completed Ranger School . During
9900-437: Was used in almost all fields of study; other titles were used for legal studies ( meester , Dutch for master, abbreviated Mr. ) and engineering ( ingenieur , abbreviated Ir. for academic masters level or ING. for higher vocational bachelor's level). Those who had already started the doctorandus program could, on completing it, opt for the doctorandus degree (entitling them to use "drs." in front of their name) or could use
10000-433: Was written by Steve Young , a songwriter and performer who never made it in the mainstream, but whose songs helped to create the outlaw style. The follow-up album for Jennings was Honky Tonk Heroes and the songwriter hero was Texan Billy Joe Shaver . Like Steve Young, Shaver never made it big, but his 1973 album Old Five and Dimers Like Me is considered a country classic in the outlaw genre. Willie Nelson's career as
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