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I tell Kristofferson that I remember my exact location in the Houston Summit when I saw him-Section 122. Just the sound of those names made me want to know: Who were these people? The first song I memorized was “The Silver Tongued Devil and I.” Then came “The Pilgrim Chapter 33,” which begins with Kristofferson talking about the people who inspired it, among them songwriters Chris Gantry, Bobby Neuwirth, Jerry Jeff Walker, Funky Donnie Fritts, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. (Only later would I appreciate the heat he added to the genre-as another songwriter put it, Kristofferson was the first to bring country music into the bedroom.) Even at that age I could feel all the heartache and see all the bar stools. His lyrics painted vivid pictures in my mind. But hearing Kristofferson, I was fascinated. That same year I went to my first concert: Kristofferson and then-wife Rita Coolidge.Īlthough I grew up in Texas, country music wasn’t what my family listened to, and I thought the pop country on the radio then was crap (still do). His 1977 compilation Songs of Kristofferson was the first record album I bought with my own money. To be a true fan, she said, I needed to check out the songs he had actually written. But my junior high choir teacher set me straight: Its soundtrack wasn’t Kris’s music.

#Who wrote me and bobby mcgee movie

I saw A Star Is Born, the movie that made him a sex symbol, nine times in 1977. I was only two years older than that when I became a Kristofferson fan. There’s a hidden bonus track, which Kristofferson introduces on the CD by saying, “Here’s the first whole song I ever wrote. In “From Here to Forever” he tells his kids (he has eight of them): “And darlin’ if we’re not together / There’s one thing I want you to know / I’ll love you from here to forever / And be there wherever you go.” In a song about Johnny Cash, “Good Morning John,” Kristofferson praises his late friend for overcoming addiction. Both were produced by Don Was and feature poignantly reflective songs. Closer to the Bone explores further the territory he laid out in 2006 in This Old Road.

Instead of being unemployed, all of a sudden I was getting away with murder!”ĭamn handsome at 73, Kristofferson has a new album, released in late September.

“If you were gonna play here,” he says, “it was really important. He is wearing a short-sleeved black shirt and black jeans, and as he talks he seems to relax, enjoying the midday calm in a place that’s usually packed.

#Who wrote me and bobby mcgee full

It was really jumping into the deep water,” says Kristofferson, running a hand through his full head of gray hair. His guitar player, Dennis Linde, was so nervous that he stared at the back wall the entire night. His bass player, he recalls, nodding toward the spot on the stage where Billy Swan had stood, was still learning his instrument. “Looking back on it, I can’t believe I had the audacity to do it,” he tells me now, turning his head to take it all in: the dark wood bar, the balcony, the flight of stairs that lead to the dressing room.