Editing Kris Kristofferson (section)

=== 1965–1972: early music and film career ===

In June 1965, while on a two-week leave from West Point, Kristofferson contacted Wilkin in Nashville, Tennessee, and decided to become a country music songwriter. He resigned from the Army and relocated his family to Nashville that year, exacerbating his relationship with his parents.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Cheryl McCall |url=http://people.com/archive/cover-story-cant-keep-kris-down-vol-16-no-10/ |title=Can't Keep Kris Down |magazine=People |access-date=November 8, 2016 |archive-date=February 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228010350/https://people.com/archive/cover-story-cant-keep-kris-down-vol-16-no-10/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/people/kris-kristofferson-177860#synopsis |title=Kris Kristofferson |publisher=Biography.com |access-date=November 8, 2016 |archive-date=November 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107172400/http://www.biography.com/people/kris-kristofferson-177860#synopsis |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Schrodt |first=Paul |url=http://www.esquire.com/features/what-ive-learned/learned-kris-kristofferson-0599 |title=Kris Kristofferson Interview – Quotes about his Kids, Sex, and Rock and Roll |journal=Esquire |date=January 29, 2007 |access-date=August 26, 2015 |archive-date=January 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113082747/http://www.esquire.com/features/what-ive-learned/learned-kris-kristofferson-0599 |url-status=live }}</ref> Wilkin signed Kristofferson to her publishing house Buckhorn Music and pitched his song "Talkin' Vietnam Blues" to singer [[Dave Dudley]]. Concurrently, Kristofferson held various jobs including as a bartender, a construction worker, and a railroad worker. He later worked as a janitor for [[Columbia Records]], which afforded him the possibility of talking directly with the artists and a presence during recording sessions.{{sfn|Hurd, Mary|2015|pp=22-23}} He released his debut single containing his songs "Golden Idol" and "Killing Time" in 1967 on [[Epic Records]].<ref name="AllMusicBio"/>

After his second child was born with esophagus issues in 1968, Kristofferson worked at [[Petroleum Helicopters International]] (PHI) in [[Lafayette, Louisiana]]. While flying workers to and from oil rigs in the [[Gulf of Mexico]], he would often write new songs. At weekends, he returned to Nashville, and for the following week he would pitch the songs around town before returning to Louisiana.{{sfn|Thibodeaux, Ron|2006}} The trips exhausted Kristofferson; his children were living with Fran in California and he felt his career as a songwriter was failing. PHI also admonished him for his increased alcohol consumption. Upon returning to Nashville the same week,{{sfn|Hurd, Mary|2015|p=23}} Kristofferson learned three of his songs had been recorded: "Jody and the Kid" by [[Roy Drusky]], "[[Help Me Make It Through the Night]]" by [[Jerry Lee Lewis]] and "[[Me and Bobby McGee]]" by [[Roger Miller]].{{sfn|Larkin, Colin|2006|p=28}}

Through [[June Carter]], Kristofferson first attempted to pitch material to her husband [[Johnny Cash]]. Carter took the demos, which were eventually lost in a pile of other material Cash had received.{{sfn|Edmondson, Jacqueline|2013|p=631}} At the time, Kristofferson worked on the weekends for the [[Tennessee Military Department|Tennessee National Guard]]. To attract Cash's attention, Kristofferson landed a helicopter in Cash's property.{{sfn|Hurd, Mary|2015|p=26}} Cash eventually invited Kristofferson to a "guitar pull" party in his house. Cash was impressed and invited Kristofferson to perform with him at the 1969 [[Newport Folk Festival]].{{sfn|Hurd, Mary|2015|p=27}} Unsatisfied by Buckhorn Music, Kristofferson decided to change labels. [[Monument Records]] director [[Bob Beckham]] invited Kristofferson to play songs for him and label owner [[Fred Foster]].{{sfn|Hurd, Mary|2015|p=27}} Kristofferson performed "To Beat the Devil", "Jody and the Kid", "The Best of All Possible Worlds" and "Duvalier's Dream"; Foster was impressed and signed Kristofferson to Monument as a recording artist and [[Combine Music]] as a songwriter. The ten-year contract required Kristofferson to submit ten records containing songs he had written.{{sfn|Hurd, Mary|2015|p=28}} Kristofferson was surprised he had been signed as a singer; he told Foster at the time: "I can't sing, I sound like a frog!"{{sfn|Hurd, Mary|2015|p=28}} Kristofferson later said Buckhorn Music had not allowed him to record demos of his compositions.{{sfn|Thomson, Graeme|2016}}

In 1969, Kristofferson divorced Beer and left Nashville to join the production of his first motion picture, [[Dennis Hopper]]'s ''[[The Last Movie]]'', in Peru. In his absence, Cash continued promoting Kristofferson's original songs with other singers. Upon returning to Nashville, Kristofferson learned of his new popularity and started to work on his debut album for Monument, ''[[Kristofferson (album)|Kristofferson]]''.{{sfn|Hurst, Jack|1970|p=3-5}} As his manager and producer, Foster had decided to keep some of Kristofferson's original material from being passed to other artists. The new material, as well as his songs that had already been recorded by other artists, were included in the recording sessions, which were held at [[Fred Foster Sound Studio|Monument Recording Studio]].{{sfn|Miller, Stephen|2009|p=129}}

Monument released ''Kristofferson'' in June 1970. Kristofferson wrote or co-wrote every song on the album. He collaborated with Marijohn's son, [[John Buck Wilkin]], on "Blame it on the Stones". Though ''Kristofferson'' was not a commercial success, it received positive reviews from critics. According to [[Robert Hilburn]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', the album "is able to combine lyric sophistication with country music's traditional interest in everyday problems".<ref>{{cite news|author=Hilburn, Robert|date=June 15, 1970|title=A Rhodes Scholar Finds Song Niche|work=Los Angeles Times|volume=89|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73300686/|via=Newspapers.com|page=19|access-date=December 31, 2024}} {{open access}}</ref> The commercial success of "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" led to the first of several industry awards nominations for the singer. Johnny Cash's rendition of the single earned Kristofferson his first [[Country Music Association]] award for [[Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]] that November.<ref>{{cite news|author=Shipley, Nancy|date=November 23, 1970|title=Texas Singer Makes good|agency=Associated Press|publisher=The Shreveport Journal|volume=76|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73301268/|page=B5|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 31, 2024}} {{open access}}</ref>

Also in 1970, he made his debut performance as a singer at the Los Angeles nightclub [[Troubadour (West Hollywood, California)|The Troubadour]]. [[Fred Roos]], the casting director of [[Bob Rafelson]]'s ''[[Five Easy Pieces]]'', invited him to audition for his film debut for a leading role on ''[[Two-Lane Blacktop]]''. Kristofferson, who was signed to [[Columbia Records]], arrived to the appointment intoxicated and left. Kristofferson was next offered [[Bill L. Norton]]'s script for ''[[Cisco Pike]]'' by Columbia. His peers encouraged him to reject the role and to take acting lessons instead, but he accepted the part, and later said; "I read the script and I could identify with this cat" and that acting is "understanding a character, and then being just as honest as you can possibly be".{{sfn|Burke|1974}}

Kristofferson began an 18-month tour, during which he suffered a bout of [[Atypical pneumonia|walking pneumonia]], which was worsened by his alcohol consumption. While performing, he would not face the audience and mumbled the words to his songs. Eventually, he was hospitalized.{{sfn|Hurd, Mary|p=42|2015}} During the tour, Kristofferson performed on ''[[The Johnny Cash Show (TV series)|The Johnny Cash Show]]''. While in California, Kristofferson befriended singer [[Janis Joplin]].{{sfn|Streissguth, Michael|2013|p=87}} Upon returning to Nashville in early 1971, he received with his mail at Combine Music Joplin's posthumous album ''[[Pearl (Janis Joplin album)|Pearl]]'', which at the time was still unreleased. Joplin's album included a cover of his original composition "[[Me and Bobby McGee]]". The following morning, he returned to the studio and recorded his second Monument album, ''[[The Silver Tongued Devil and I]]'', which was released that July.{{sfn|Streissguth, Michael|2013|pp=88, 89}} He wrote nine of the album's 10 songs, including the single "[[Lovin' Her Was Easier (than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)]]". He collaborated with songwriter [[Shel Silverstein]] on "The Taker" and keyboardist [[Donnie Fritts]] on "Epitaph (Black and Blue)". Also included on the album was a cover of [[Bobby Bare]]'s "Good Christian Soldier". "Lovin' Her Was Easier (than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" reached number 46 on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]] and number 4 on [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Adult Contemporary]]. These songs would later be used on the soundtrack for ''Cisco Pike'', which was released on January 14, 1972.

[[File:Kris Kristofferson Rita Coolidge.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Kristofferson with Rita Coolidge at the 1972 [[Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic#Dripping Springs Reunion|Dripping Springs Reunion]]]]

That February, Monument 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 fourth album, ''[[Jesus Was a Capricorn]]'', initially had slow sales, but the third single, "[[Why Me (Kris Kristofferson song)|Why Me]]", was a success and significantly increased album sales. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a [[Music recording certification|gold disc]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]] on November 8, 1973.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book| first= Joseph| last= Murrells| year= 1978| title= The Book of Golden Discs| edition= 2nd| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd| location= London| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/330 330]| isbn= 0-214-20512-6| url-access= registration| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/330}}</ref> Kristofferson appeared with Rita Coolidge on the BBC television series ''[[The Old Grey Whistle Test]]'', performing "Help Me Make It Through the Night". [[Al Green]] later released his version of "[[For the Good Times (song)|For the Good Times]]" on the album ''[[I'm Still in Love with You (Al Green album)|I'm Still in Love with You]]''.