Margo Price on Kris Kristofferson: He ‘Didn’t Play by Anyone Else’s Rules’
Margo Price is honoring Kris Kristofferson with a poignant tribute. On Monday, following news of the country music star’s death at age 88, Price shared a set of photos with the musician over the years as she reminisced about performing with the late songwriter.
“l’m lighting a candle for Kris Kristofferson & remembering every song he ever wrote,” Price wrote. “I’m thinking about of how lucky I was to come into his orbit if even for a short time, because he was one of the best songwriters to ever walk the face of the earth.”
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The singer recalled first meeting Kristofferson in 2016 at Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic when she “chased” him for a photo, and the second, most memorable time when they got to perform together at Newport Folk Festival that same year.
“I was backstage at Newport when my friends in the Texas Gentlemen called me. ‘Do you know the words to ‘Me and Bobby McGee’ they asked in a panic. ‘Like the back of my hand,’ I replied,’” she wrote on Instagram. “They proceeded to tell me that they were backing up Kris, and that Patti Smith was supposed to come sing a Janis inspired vocal at the end but she got stuck in traffic. I immediately rushed to join them.”
“Kris’s memory was starting to go and he looked a little confused as I stepped on stage. I knew he probably didn’t remember me from our brief encounter in Austin, but when I started singing the ‘Call him my lover, call him my friend, la-de-de-da part’ he began to smile from ear to ear,” she continued. “He came closer as I kept singing and pulled me in for a big hug at the end of song.”
Price remembered reconnecting with Kristofferson several times again over the years: at Glastonbury Fest in England, and at both Bridgestone Arena and the Basement East in Nashville.
“I have a sacred memory of the time we spent Thanksgiving at Willie & Annie’s in Maui last year. We also got to visit backstage at Hollywood Bowl at Willie’s 90th,” Price wrote. “His wife, Lisa told me that when they were watching me sing side stage and Kris pointed to me on the stage and then leaned over to her and said, ‘I feel like I know her.’ Lisa whispered back to him, ‘You do.’”
Price ended her post by remembering Kristofferson’s impact on music and his truly legendary songwriting.
“Kris didn’t play by anyone else’s rules. He was country music, but he was also a folkie,” Price wrote. “Kris was politically charged, often outspoken and sometimes misunderstood but navigated his songs and career by the grace of his heart.”
“No matter what collaborations or accolades lie ahead, I can say, one of the greatest honors of my life was getting to share the stage with Kris,” she added.
In the hours following the news of Kristofferson’s death, fellow country artists including Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, George Strait, and Sheryl Crow shared tributes on social media. “What a great loss, what a great writer, what a great actor, what a great friend,” Parton wrote. “I will always love you.”
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