Kris Kristofferson

From ArticleWorld

Kris Kristofferson is an American country music singer, songwriter, and actor.

Kristofferson was born in Brownsville, Texas on June 22, 1936. He was an avid writer and attended Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship. He began writing songs while in England and began recording under the name Kris Carson. He graduated with a master’s degree in English and then joined the United States Army.

After finishing his tour of duty with the army, Kristofferson began working intently on his song-writing career. He signed with Epic Records in 1967 and released an unsuccessful single, however, other singers, such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Stevens, and Roger Miller, were releasing chart topping records with songs he wrote.

He signed with Monument Records hoping to make it as an artist, but his debut album, Kristofferson, was a flop. The early 1970’s saw more artists record successful versions of his songs, including Ray Price ("For the Good Times"), Waylong Jennings ("The Taker"), and Johnny Cash ("Sunday Morning Coming Down").

Kristofferson tried once again to record a successful album, and released The Silver Tongued Devil and I in 1971. He finally achieved the success he had been chasing for so long, and so began his career as a recording artist. He released his third and fourth albums in 1972, both of which had reasonable sales. Over the next few years he focused on acting and appeared in a few films. He also released his fifth album; it was a commercial failure that foretold the rest of his career.

Kristofferson continued acting in various roles and even starred opposite Barbra Streisand in A Star Is Born. His acting career would not last long however, and after his next two movies, his film career was over.

Kristofferson joined with Waylong Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson, to form The Highwaymen. Their first album was an enormous success and they continued working together for a while. Kristofferson also picked back up his acting career, starring in roles in Blade, Payback, and Tim Burton’s remake of Planet of the Apes.