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News Release
| 7/23/07 - Kris Kristofferson a legendary songwriter and his guitar, one night at Strings |
August 3, 2007
Steamboat Springs – Since 1965, Kris Kristofferson has come a long way from sweeping floors at Columbia Studios in Nashville. Back then, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash were recording epic albums while Kristofferson watched as a mere fly on the wall. But it didn’t take long for them, and the rest of the music world, to figure out that this aspiring songwriter, already having been a Rhodes Scholar, an Army helicopter pilot and a West Point English teacher, had just the kind of songs they would covet.
Never mind that he did have to land a helicopter in Cash’s yard to deliver his initial tapes, but both Dylan and Cash, along with Janis Joplin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Stevens, Waylon Jennings and scores of other top notch artists, soon went on to record Kristofferson’s chart-topping hits.
Kristofferson is a living legend. The singer, songwriter and actor has been nominated for an Academy Award and won two Grammy Awards for his songwriting prowess. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame, and in April, he won CMT’s Johnny Cash Visionary Award. As if chart-topping partnerships with the likes of Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson weren’t enough, Kristofferson has appeared in dozens of films throughout the decades, one of the most notable performances having been in A Star is Born with Barbara Streisand, for which he won a Golden Globe Award.
Images of freedom dominate Kristofferson’s music, emphasizing strong political sentiments through the years. He cites among his heroes Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesus and Gandhi. He also names musical superheroes in Jennings, Cash and Nelson, with whom he formed The Highwaymen, a supergroup that found instant #1 success in the mid-1980s. Kristofferson is an activist who continues to speak out on social justice and human rights issues. The American Veteran Awards named him Veteran of the Year in 2002.
“But a poet he is, a songwriter's songwriter comparable to no one less than Bob Dylan or Townes Van Zandt,” says Rolling Stone. “Unlike those two giants, however, Kristofferson deals not in obtuse, double-edged metaphors, but in hard truths laid down with the matter-of-fact directness of Hemingway.”
For Strings, Kristofferson takes the stage alone, with his guitar and harmonica, to deliver a deeply personal performance. In a sage prediction of the show to come, Rolling Stone says, “There's a ragged beauty to his own plainspoken renditions that somehow spells definitive.”
Kris Kristofferson performs at 8 p.m. on Fri., Aug. 3, under the tent at Strings Music Festival Park. Reserved tickets are sold out, but lawn seating may be available by contacting Strings in the Mountains (970-879-5056 x105, www.stringsinthemountains.com or the box office).
American Express generously sponsors the Kris Kristofferson concert and the entire Strings “Different Tempo” series.
Kris Kristofferson is sponsored by One Steamboat Place and Judith Harrington.
Supporting sponsorship provided by Ace at the Curve and Starlett and Ben Hollingsworth.
Steamboat Strings in the Mountains Music Festival is a recognized 501c3 organization with an active 21 member Board of Directors, a Guild of 70 members, and an additional 120+ volunteers working throughout the season.
Strings presents diverse programming of fine music with a focus on chamber music, in a friendly and intimate setting, fostering an appreciation for music and stimulating the cultural, educational and economic environment of the community. In 2007, Steamboat Strings Music Festival celebrates its 20th festival season.
[Editor Please Note: High-resolution images of Kris Kristofferson, Music Festival Park and Strings Park Cafe can be downloaded directly from the Strings website at www.stringsinthemountains.com |
| URL: www.stringsinthemountains.com |
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