Kris Kristofferson

Kris Kristofferson has led a remarkable life for such a seemingly down-to-earth guy. He first tried his hand at songwriting when he was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford in the ’60s, and then, after a stint in the army, he headed to Nashville, where he sold songs such as “Me And Bobby McGee” and “Viet Nam Blues” to people like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Janis Joplin, and Waylon Jennings, in addition to releasing his own albums and launching a successful acting career. Kristofferson has lately stuck to issuing compilations, reissues, and live recordings, though his most recent studio album, 2006’s This Old Road, is a typically dignified return to gritty form.