Grammy-winning country star Kris Kristofferson announced his retirement after more than five decades in the entertainment industry.
Although Kristofferson officially retired last year, the public was unaware of the polymath’s decision until it was mentioned in a press release on Wednesday (January 27), released to announce a change in the management of Kristofferson’s property.
Morris Higham Management – who also manages the properties of Kenny Chesney, Old Dominion and Roger Miller – took control of the Kristofferson property, replacing his longtime manager, Tamara Saviano.
It was also stated that Kristofferson’s son, John, intervened to oversee his father’s business, including his record label, KK Records.
“In addition, after his father’s retirement in 2020,” said the statement, “John, Kristofferson’s son, now oversees all of the family’s business.”
According Variety, Saviano said Kristofferson’s decision to retire “was not a big bet on the ground”.
“[Not] like ‘I’m retiring! I’m not doing this anymore! ‘, It was an evolution, and it seemed very organic.
“Kris is getting older; Kris is 84 years old. It didn’t seem like much news to us. That’s why there was no announcement: it was just a kind of slow changing of the guard. “
The country music poet remained active, on solo tours and with members of Merle Haggard’s band, The Strangers, until February last year.
A touring composer, actor and musician, Kristofferson gave his last full show in January 2020 as part of the fifth annual Outlaw Country Cruise, where he was also the subject of an onboard tribute show performed by musicians he influenced, including Steve Earle, Shooter Jennings and Lucinda Williams.
See the performance below:
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Texas-born Oxford scholar’s second album, ‘The Silver Tongued Devil and I’, which features his hits ‘Lovin’ Her Was Easy (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do) ‘and’ The Pilgrim , Chapter 33 ‘.
Kristofferson’s debut album, ‘Kristofferson’, was released in 1970, featuring the classics ‘Help Me Make It Through the Night’ and ‘For the Good Times’.
According to the Kristofferson team, a series of “special projects” are underway to mark the 50th anniversary of the second album, as well as Kristofferson’s 85th birthday in June.
In addition to releasing nearly 20 studio albums, Kristofferson’s composition credits include Janis Joplin’s’ Me and Bobby McGee ‘and Johnny Cash’s’ Sunday Morning’ Comin ‘Down.
Kristofferson was a member of the supergroup The Highwaymen alongside Cash, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, the band becoming a driving force in the outlaw country music movement.
In 2004, Kristofferson was introduced to the Country Music Hall of Fame, and is also a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
A well-known actor, Kristofferson has appeared in several films, including Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Blade, Heaven’s Gate and the 1976 remake of A star is born alongside Barbara Streisand, for which he won a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role as John Norman Howard.
In 2019, Kristofferson and Streisand gave their first live performance of ‘The Love Inside’ in A star is born, about 40 years after the original release of the film.