kris kristofferson

Kristofferson at the 2006 South by Southwest Festival Background information Birth name Kristoffer Kristian Kristofferson Born June 22, 1936 (1936-06-22) (age 72) Origin Brownsville, Texas, USA Genre(s) Country, Folk. Rock, Outlaw country Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, Actor Instrument(s) Guitar, Piano, Harmonica, Vocals Years active 1966 - present Label(s) Monument, Mercury, Warner Bros., New West Associated acts The Highwaymen Website kriskristofferson.com

Kristoffer Kristian Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is an American writer, singer-songwriter, actor, and musician. He is best known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night". Kristofferson is the sole writer of most of his songs, but he has collaborated with various other figures of the Nashville scene such as Shel Silverstein and Fred Rumfelt. Contents [hide] 1 Early life 1.1 Music career 1.2 Film career 1.3 Mid-career 1.4 Later career 1.5 Personal life 2 Discography 3 Filmography 4 Further reading 5 References 6 External links //

Early life

Kristofferson was born in Broville, Texas, to parents Mary Ann (née Ashbrook) and Lars Henry Kristofferson, a U.S. Air Force major general.[1] When Kris was a child, his father pushed his son toward a military career (Kristofferson's paternal grandfather was an officer in the Swedish Army).[2] Like most military brats, he moved around frequently as a youth, finally settling down in San Mateo, California, where he graduated from San Mateo High School. An aspiring writer, Kristofferson enrolled in Pomona College in 1954. He experienced his first dose of fame when he appeared in Sports Illustrated's "Faces In The Crowd" for his achievements in collegiate rugby union, football, and track and field. He and fellow classmates revived the Claremont Colleges Rugby Club in 1958, which has remained a Southern California rugby dynasty. Kristofferson became a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society at Pomona College, and graduated in 1958 with a BA in Literature.

Kristofferson earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, where his college was Merton. While at Oxford he was awarded his blue for boxing and began writing songs. With the help of his manager, Larry Parnes, he recorded for Top Rank Records under the name Kris Carson. This early phase of his music career was unsuccessful.[3]

In 1960, Kristofferson graduated with a MA in English literature and married an old girlfriend, Fran Beer. Kristofferson ultimately joined the U.S. Army and achieved the rank of captain. He became a helicopter pilot after receiving flight training at Fort Rucker, Alabama. He also completed Ranger School. During the early 1960s, he was deployed to West Germany as a member of the 8th Infantry Division[4]. It was during this time that he resumed his music career and formed a band. In 1965,