Willie, Emmylou & Co To Honour Kris Kristofferson
The great singer-songwriter and actor Kris Kristofferson will be celebrated in The Life & Songs of Kris Kristofferson, an all-star concert at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on 16 March, by artists including Willie Nelson, Eric Church, Lady Antebellum, Rosanne Cash and Emmylou Harris.
Kristofferson himself, who will turn 80 in June, is expected to perform at the event, which will also star Dierks Bentley, Ryan Bingham, Jamey Johnson, Darius Rucker and Trisha Yearwood, with further artists to be added to the bill in the coming weeks.
Artist, producer and Blue Note Records president Don Was will be the music director and bandleader for the show. “A major reason for Kris’ enduring popularity is that he’s always been very honest and open about revealing his inner life,” says Was, who produced such Kristofferson albums as 2006’s This Old Road and Closer To The Bone in 2009.
“In doing that,” Was continues, “he has created an incredible body of work that has resonated for decades with millions of listeners. It’s always a deeply moving experience to sing and play his songs.”
“Few musicians have had as profound an impact on music as Kris Kristofferson,” adds the show’s creator and executive producer Keith Wortman. “It’s only fitting that we celebrate his artistry just blocks from where the legend was born with both his friends and contemporaries and those who are continuing his legacy with raw, honest songwriting of their own.”