Kris Kristofferson has retired.

What a road he walked in his lifetime.

Hung around Johnny Cash’s studio as the janitor and pitched him multiple songs ((he talks about it here)

Helped to start the songwriting trend in Nashville that brought respectability to Country Music (he talks about it here)

Joined Waylon, Willie, and Johnny to form The Highwaymen.

Leaves behind a really good film career. From A Star is Born to Blade.( (he talks about it here)

Awarded a Rhodes’ Scholarship. Was a helicopter pilot in the Army. ((he talks about it here)

When Kris left the Army to be a songwriter he was disowned by his family.

He leaves behind a wonderful rainbow of songs and memories of Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash, Shooter Jennings, the Cash film I walk the Line, John Prine, Dylan. All of which he talks about here.

This interview took place backstage at the 2006 Calgary Folk Festival.

It was a quickly arranged media press conference and the only other person I knew was Tom Coxworth from CKUA. I tried to include as many questions as I could hear on my recorder.

His greatest accomplishment?  Being a Father to 8 children.

Kris has asked that he would like the first three lines of Leonard Cohen’s Bird on a Wire to be on his tombstone

 

Like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free

 

Cheers to KK.