Kris Kristofferson brought literary interests and an unusually direct emotional vocabulary to Nashville songwriting. He had studied literature at Oxford and served as an Army helicopter pilot before pursuing music...
View background statusKris Kristofferson
2 catalog entries, grouped by year.
About Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson brought literary interests and an unusually direct emotional vocabulary to Nashville songwriting. He had studied literature at Oxford and served as an Army helicopter pilot before pursuing music professionally. His songs reached listeners through other performers: Roger Miller recorded Me and Bobby McGee, Ray Price recorded For the Good Times, and Sammi Smith recorded Help Me Make It Through the Night. Those recordings helped widen the expressive possibilities associated with mainstream country songwriting.
Artist background sources
Kris Kristofferson - Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Read literature/military background, Nashville writing development, literary approach and named songs recorded by Miller, Price and Smith. Helicopter-pitch anecdote, rankings and quotations are omitted. | Retrieved 2026-10-19
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-19. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
No annual list year
1973
Reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart Based on Kristofferson's personal spiritual experience
View background statusBrowse by year
1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.