With his deep, gravelly baritone and his acoustic guitar, Kris Kristofferson has championed causes ranging from promoting tolerance to defending human rights for decades. Often described as an outlaw poet, his journey has taken him from Oxford, England where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, to working as a janitor at Columbia Studios in Nashville in hopes of breaking into the music business.
Since then, Kristofferson has become one of the world’s most respected singer-songwriters, formed the country super-group The Highwaymen with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, penned songs for hundreds of artists including Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Janis Joplin, and has starred in several Hollywood films.
Kris Kristofferson was born June 22, 1936 in Brownsville, Texas. His paternal grandparents were Swedish, and his father was a United States Air Force general who pushed his son to a military career. Kris was a Golden Gloves boxer and went to Pomona College in California. From there, he earned a Rhodes scholarship to study literature at Oxford University. He ultimately joined the United States Army and achieved the rank of captain as a United States Army Rangers and helicopter pilot. He graduated Airborne School, Ranger School, and flight school, served in Germany, and volunteered for Vietnam as a helicopter pilot, but instead was offered a professor of English Literature position at USMA West Point. Disappointed that he was not allowed to fight in Vietnam, he resigned his position in 1965 and pursued songwriting. He got a job sweeping floors in Nashville studios. There he met Johnny Cash, who initially took some of his songs but ignored them. He was also working as a commercial helicopter pilot at the time and had joined the Tennessee National Guard. He got Cash's attention when he landed his helicopter in Cash's yard and gave him some more tapes. Cash then recorded Kristofferson's "Sunday Morning Coming Down", which was voted the 1970 Song of the Year by the Country Music Association. Among his personal heroes are Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesus Christ, and Mohandas Gandhi.
Now, at age 81, he’s as active as ever. He continues to raise funds and awareness for the United Farm Workers (UFW). The UFW was co-founded by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta in 1962, and works to provide farm workers with health and social services and to ensure fair working conditions.
“I’ve been working with the farm workers for over 30 years,” Kristofferson told Music for Good. “I started doing it because I could identify with them and I admired Cesar Chavez. I grew up in the lower Rio Grande Valley in Brownsville, Texas and I was told that I spoke Spanish before I spoke English, so I could identify with the Mexican workers and was glad to do something to bring attention to their needs.”
Kristofferson says that witnessing Chavez’s work defending the rights of immigrant workers first-hand greatly inspired him, and he has supported UFW ever since he and the late civil rights activist became friends several decades ago. “The farm workers are doing work that’s needed everywhere and they need help because people pay them as little as they can get away with,” he explains.
Kristofferson actively supported Barack Obama in his presidential election, and believes it’s his duty as an artist to speak out for the causes he cares about most. “If you can move somebody’s emotions, you can move their brains too,” he says. “If you have the opportunity to affect people’s way of thinking, then it’s your duty to do it. I’m glad that I’ve not antagonized enough people to make them kick me off the stage yet!” he laughs.
Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985. Inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame on March 10, 2006 in Austin, Texas. In recent years, he has made a comeback with his musical and acting careers. He does say that he prefers his music, but says his children are his true legacy.
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