Not only a singer-songwriter (actually that should be reversed), but he was also an actor, activist, and musical pioneer as a Country Outlaw. In addition to impressive music, his songs contained outstanding, poetic lyrics, a rare combination.
His life had glaring opposites. Born into a military family, he became an Army helicopter pilot after being a Rhodes scholar at Oxford but wished to be a novelist. When he turned down an opportunity to teach English at West Point and left the Army, his family strongly disapproved.
Heading to Nashville, he wrote songs and worked as a janirot for Columbia Records, being in the studio as Dylan recorded Blonde on Blonde.
One can read the rest of his biography in many other places. Here I want to highlight Kristofferson's literary background and the importance of reading no matter what someone does in life. Obviously, he was uniquely gifted in more than one form of art. Most of us are not; we are fortunate to have ability in one form.
His love of literature served as a springboard for the rest of his life. I cannot stress the importance of reading good things when one is young. It saddens me to see English curricula that spurn the Classics (and not all are worth reading, but only a few) and introduce things that are "easier" to read but will not stand the test of time.
Who out there will rise to be like Kristofferson and J.D. Souther, the subject of a reason blog post?
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Links to my books:
https://www.amazon.com/Books-Arthur-Turfa/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AArthur+Turfa
https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county
I didn't even know he wrote. I'll have to go look him up now. Thanks for the thoughtful post.
ReplyDeleteHe was very multi-talented.
ReplyDelete