Music Industry Vet Mike Martinovich Passes

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Mike Martinovich. Photo: Courtesy of family

Longtime Music Row executive Mike Martinovich passed away on Monday (Nov. 18) at age 81.

Martinovich is best known for the three decades he spent at CBS/Sony Records. He worked in sales, marketing, promotion and management during his extensive music-industry career.

He joined the label in 1969 as a sales representative in St. Louis. In 1970, he moved to the CBS Atlanta office as sales manager. A year later, he became the branch manager of the company’s office in Cincinnati.

In 1979, he was named a Vice President of Merchandizing for CBS nationally, responsible for advertising, marketing and promotion of all music on Columbia, Epic, Portrait, CBS Masterworks and other labels associated with the company. In this role, he was instrumental in the marketing of such artists as Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Journey and James Taylor.

Mike Martinovich was named Vice President of Marketing at Sony Records in Nashville in 1989. In this role, he was placed in charge of advertising, overseeing the national country-music sales staff, supervising LP jacket designs, directing promotional materials and steering the exposure of the company’s country music to consumers. He designed and directed the marketing of artists including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Dolly Parton, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Tammy Wynette (his favorite), Rosanne Cash, Patty Loveless, Rodney Crowell, Charlie Daniels and Joe Diffie.

He left the label and formed a partnership with manager Joe Mansfield to form Mansfield-Martinovich Associates in 1994-2002. There, he became a consultant to Anderson Merchandisers, which supplied music to Walmart. He planned and oversaw Walmart’s “Country Music Across America Parking Lot Tour.” Over three touring seasons, this featured over 50 developing country artists performing for tens of thousands of fans in 60+ cities and towns.

He next became a partner in the management group The Consortium in 2002-2017. In this capacity, he co-managed future Grand Ole Opry star Mandy Barnett and worked on the careers of country stars Marie Osmond, Jason Aldean and Emerson Drive. He was a consultant to the successful independent label Broken Bow Records. He also led The Weather Channel’s licensing and branding.

His sons followed in his footsteps. Michael Dimitry Martinovich, is a manager who has worked with such bands as Good Charlotte, My Morning Jacket, Nada Surf, The Conchords and Shivaree. Bo Martinovich is Sr. Director National Promotion & Artist Development at Sony Music Nashville.

Mike Martinovich was an alumnus of Leadership Music. He also served as president of the board of the St. Petka Serbian Orthodox Church. Its beautiful sanctuary is located at 1712 Fifth Ave. N. in Germantown.

A visitation will be held on Friday, Nov. 22 at 3:30-6:00 p.m. at Eastland Funeral Home, 904 Gallatin Ave., Nashville, TN 37206. The funeral service will be Saturday, Nov. 23 at 12:00 noon at Svetka Petka Serbian Orthodox Church, 1712 5th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37208.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mike’s name to Svetka Petka Serbian Orthodox Church, 1712 5th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37208.

Industry Veteran Ron Pateras Passes

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Ron Pateras

Longtime talent buyer and event producer Ron Pateras passed away on Oct. 18 after a battle with cancer. He was 59.

Pateras started his career as a concert promoter in 1985 at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois. He joined the Chicago-based Jam Productions in 1995, where he remained for 24 years.

In 2019, Pateras joined Neste Live! in Nashville. He served on the IEBA Board of Directors and was part of Leadership Music’s class of 2022. Pateras was nominated for the ACM Don Romeo Talent Buyer of the Year in 2023 and was named IEBA Corporate Buyer of the Year in 2017.

The Ron Pateras IEBA Scholarship has been established in his honor.

An Open House Celebration of Life will be held for Pateras at the Live Nation Nashville office (410 Chestnut St., Nashville, TN 37203) on Nov. 14 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Industry Veteran Bob Bender Passes

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Bob Bender

Industry veteran Robert “Bob” Bender passed away on Oct. 13 after a battle with cancer. He was 67.

The Bakersfield native followed his passion for live music early. After graduation from high school, his career took him from Bakersfield to Los Angeles, San Francisco and finally to Nashville. For nearly 50 years Bender worked in almost every facet of the industry, culminating in executive positions at Curb Records. He produced over 300 tours, festivals and concerts throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Mexico and Japan, along with managing and working at multiple record labels.

As a tour manager, Bender was part of the 1989 “Ringo Starr and his All-Star Band Tour,” along with representing artists including Billy Preston, Dwight Twilley, Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam, Rick Derringer, Edgar Winter, Gene Pitney and Anvil. While Manager of Artist Development for Curb Records he represented Tim McGraw, LeAnn Rimes, Jo Dee Messina and Hank Williams, Jr. He oversaw Curb’s Christian retail segment, helping develop it into a million dollar division which led him to become Curb’s Director of Sales.

In 2017 Bender partnered with Tom Sabella to host The Business Side of Music Podcast, which grew into a leading music industry podcast show on Spotify. The podcast had over 300,000 listeners in 120 countries around the world. Bender was also producing other podcasts, including Between the Notes with Jack Sharkey, Two Dudes Talk Money and Music and Lorrie Morgan’s War Paint, which was his final production credit.

Bender is survived by his wife Debbie Halle; sister Melissa McDonald and husband Jeff; daughter Erin Fitzwater and her husband Jeff; son Joshua Schock; daughter Nicole Perez and husband Christopher; son Devon Bender and his fiancee Mandi Altheide; son Caleb Bender; son Patrick Halle; daughter Katie Berry and husband Cody; daughter Lindsay Halle; 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Church of the Holy Rosary (192 Graylynn Dr, Nashville, TN 37214) on Dec. 7 at 11 a.m., with interment at Calvary Cemetery (1001 Lebanon Pike, Nashville, TN 37210) directly afterwards. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to Music Health Alliance.

ASCAP Executive John Titta Passes After Cancer Battle

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John Titta. Photo: Courtesy of ASCAP

John Titta, Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer at ASCAP, has died following a two-year battle with cancer.

Titta has worked at the PRO since 2013, where he served in the executive role until his passing. At ASCAP, he led the entire membership team and was responsible for signing and working with all of the organization’s members, including the top names in music across genres and generations.

“All of us at ASCAP are heartbroken,” shared ASCAP President & Chairman, songwriter Paul Williams. “John Titta was one of a kind, and truly one of the most beloved music industry executives I have known, with deep ties to songwriters across genres and generations. John—you had a song in your heart always, and you will always be in our hearts. I miss you already.”

ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews added, “John Titta’s warmth, his humor, his kindness, his love of family, and his passion for music were infectious. He was a north star for me personally, and for all of us at ASCAP. John was instrumental in the success of so many songwriters throughout his storied career, and he shared his love of music and songwriters so freely that we all felt the joy. All of us in the ASCAP family are devastated by his passing. Titta—we love you.”

Titta, a lifelong resident of Staten Island, started his career as a musician, songwriter and music teacher. He got into publishing with a job at Screen Gems/EMI Music as Professional Manager, signing such acts as Surface and The Smithereens. He eventually worked with legendary songwriters Carole King and Lou Reed, and had songs covered by Tina Turner, Grover Washington Jr., Alice Cooper, Joan Jett and Dave Edmunds.

Titta then moved to PolyGram Music Publishing, where he was named Vice President of A&R. There, he signed iconic artists like Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Pearl Jam, Brian McKnight, K.D. Lang, Billy Ray Cyrus and songwriter Jimmy Webb.

During this time, he was also responsible for individual hit songs including “Save The Best For Last” by Vanessa Williams and “The Folks That Live On The Hill” by Tony Bennett, and he oversaw A&R work on the compilation album Two Rooms, A Tribute To Elton John and Bernie Taupin and multiple movie soundtracks, such as Young Guns II: Blaze of Glory, Days Of Thunder, Scream, Bruce Almighty, Varsity Blues and more.

Titta served as Senior Vice President / General Manager of Warner Chappell Music, Inc. in New York from 1993 to 2006, where he signed such acts as Trey Songz, Fat Joe, Missy Elliott, Kid Rock, Collective Soul, India.Arie, Gavin DeGraw, Cassandra Wilson, Dan Wilson (Semisonic), Uncle Kracker, Shaggy, Simple Plan, Duane Eddy and Bruce Hornsby. He scored with hits such as the Grammy Award-winning “Smooth” by Santana, “Cry Me A River” by Justin Timberlake, “Lean Back” by Terror Squad,” “Waiting For Tonight” by Jennifer Lopez, “One Of Us” by Joan Osborne, “I Love You Always Forever” by Donna Lewis, “Pon De Replay” by Rihanna and many more, including songs recorded by Celine Dion, Ricky Martin, Patty Loveless and Marc Anthony.

Titta started MPCA Music Publishing and Recordings in 2006. The independent company featured the catalog of Blues legend Robert Johnson and songs by Sammy Cahn and Jack Wolf, among others, with songs recorded by Led Zeppelin, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, John Mayer, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, Aretha Franklin and more.

He joined ASCAP in 2013, where his impact has been indelible.

Also a musician, Titta performed on albums by Ringo Starr and Gizelle D’Cole and played with Michael McDonald, The Doobie Brothers, Duane Eddy, Richie Sambora and Omi. He spent time with Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan on the Tony Award winning musical Memphis, and did production and A&R work on albums by Dionne Warwick, Todd Rundgren, Melinda Doolittle, Smash Mouth and Donny & Marie Osmond.

Titta is survived by his wife Lana Titta, his sons Alex and Julian, his daughter Martine, grandson Mason and his brother Michael. The family is planning a private service to be followed by a memorial at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the John and Rose Titta Fund at The ASCAP Foundation, which Titta set up in memory of his parents to help children on the Autism spectrum through music programs. Donations can be made here or by sending a check to The ASCAP Foundation, 250 West 57th Street, New York, N.Y. 10107. In the memo section write: John and Rose Titta Fund.

Christian Industry Veteran Dottie Leonard Miller Passes

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Dottie Leonard Miller

Dorothy “Dottie” Leonard Miller, founder and CEO of Daywind Music Group and New Day Christian Distributors and co-founder of Billy Blue Records, passed away today (Oct. 11). She was 79.

A member of the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, artists and songwriters Miller has worked with have garnered countless Dove Awards, Singing News Fan Awards, BMI Christian Music Awards, Grammy nominations, one Grammy Award and over 125 No. 1 songs.

Raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Miller didn’t discover her professional calling until later in life. While raising two children in Hendersonville, Tennessee as a single mother, she gained business knowledge through clerical work at an accounting firm and a law firm, sales experience selling Jhirmack hair products and political savvy working for the Democratic Party of Tennessee on campaigns for Senator Jim Sasser, President Jimmy Carter and others. She also worked a second job in ER admissions at Hendersonville Hospital to make ends meet.

On a whim, she applied for a receptionist position at Calvary Records in Nashville, which brought her into the music industry. She later worked with radio stations and Christian bookstores to promote Gospel artists like the Hinsons, the Telestials and others.

After a stint with Windchime Records, Miller started New Day Christian Distributors in 1981. The music distribution company was housed in her garage and focused initially on sheet music and albums by independent artists like Mike Adkins and Jimmy Swaggart.

New Day Christian Distributors became a one-stop shop for labels and independent artists in Christian music. When she discovered the need for product of her own, Miller started DayWind Soundtracks with her friend and former boss at Windchime, Ronnie Drake. DayWind Soundtracks began to provide tracks to Christian and Gospel singers around the world to sing to in church.

Later, Miller and Drake started DayWind Records with the Cumberland Boys as its first artist. The label has recorded the top Gospel artists of the past 35 years, including Greater Vision, the Crabb Family, Gold City, Karen Peck and New River, Brian Free and Assurance, Triumphant Quartet, Down East Boys, the Perrys, the Hoppers, Tribute Quartet, the Guardians, Jonathan Wilburn, the Steeles, Joseph Habedank, Scotty Inman, the Blackwood Brothers, the Nelons, Southbound, Lefevre Quartet, The Sound, High Road, Michael English, Truesong, Legacy Five and more.

Miller eventually added Daywind Music Publishing to the fold, as well as two recording studios and a cassette and CD manufacturing facility. She also created ventures Daywind Worship, Spiritus Distribution and Daywind Music Foundation.

In 2019, Miller joined forces with son Ed Leonard and renowned songwriter Jerry Salley to form bluegrass label Billy Blue Records, and later Billy Jam Records and Billy Blue Publishing. Billy Blue artists include Appalachian Road Show, Authentic Unlimited, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Darin and Brooke Aldridge, Tennessee Bluegrass Band, Carolina Blue, Carson Peters and Iron Mountain, Kristy Cox and Grasstime, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, Bob Minner, Dave Adkins, Alan Bibey and Grasstowne, Donna Ulisse, Caroline Owens and more.

Miller’s legacy has been honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Gospel Music Association, BMI, the Southern Gospel Music Guild, SingingNews Magazine and Absolutely Gospel Music.

Miller is survived by her daughter, Susan Leonard Sovine and grandchildren, Taylor McKellar and Kennedy Sovine; her son, Ed Leonard, his wife Kathleen, and their children Eddie Leonard, Mary Leonard, Evan Leonard, Aidan Leonard (Caroline Leonard), Rachael Zuckett (Joey Zuckett), Caroline Leonard, Ian Leonard, Liam Leonard and Emily Leonard; her great-grandchildren Leo Zuckett and Eloise Joyce; her sister, Cynthia Paranczak; and her longtime companion, Jere Miller. She was preceded in death by her brother, Bill Golt, and her parents, William and Dorothy Golt.

A celebration of life for Miller will be held at a later date.

Music Industry Veteran Marty Gamblin Passes

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Marty Gamblin. Photo: Courtesy of the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Center (The MAX)

Beloved music industry executive Marty Gamblin passed away on Wednesday (Oct. 9). He was 80.

Gamblin spent more than 40 years in the music business, during which time he worked closely with famed songwriter/performer Jim Weatherly and Glen Campbell’s publishing firm, where he influenced the career of Alan Jackson and more.

A native of Philadelphia, Mississippi, Gamblin started his career in high school and junior college booking R&B groups at local venues. He attended Mississippi State University and left to work as as a tour manager, promoter and booking agent at Vivace Music, where Weatherly was a client.

Gamblin moved to Nashville in the late ’70s to open Weatherly’s publishing company, Rip Keca Music. Artists including Ray Price, Charley Pride, Bob Luman and many more recorded Weatherly’s songs during Gamblin’s tenure, but his biggest hit came with Gladys Knight & the Pips’ recording of “Midnight Train to Georgia.” The tune hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus.

Gamblin became the President of Glen Campbell Music Group in 1982, where he would manage the careers of Alan Jackson, Bryan White, Dorothy Moore, Pearl River and Ruby Lovette. The company notched 16 No. 1 hits in his 20-year tenure through his representation of their writers’ catalogs, including Jackson’s “Don’t Rock the Jukebox” and “Chattahoochee,” Jimmy Webb’s Grammy-winning “Highwayman” Randy Travis’ “It’ Just a Matter of Time.”

Gamblin used his expertise to pay it forward. He was a member of the advisory board at Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business and served as a guest lecturer in the Recording Industry Management department at MTSU.

Gamblin returned to Mississippi in 2003 to work for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and was inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame in 2006. He became the founding executive director of the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Center (The MAX), a museum that highlights the state’s contributions to art and entertainment, and transitioned to a consultant role for The MAX Hall of Fame/Walk of Fame in 2019.

Gamblin also served as a consultant for Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music. He was honored with a marker on the Mississippi Country Music Trail in 2019.

He is survived by wife Cherie and sons Josh and Caleb.

A visitation will take place at 563 East Main Street in Philadelphia, Mississippi starting at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday (Oct. 13). A funeral service will follow at 3:30 p.m.

Exit/In Founder Owsley Manier Passes

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Owsley Manier

Nashville music entrepreneur Owsley Manier has died at age 77.

He is best remembered as the co-founder of the legendary Elliston Place nightclub The Exit/In. Earlier in his life, the Nashville native was a member of the 1960s rock band The Lemon Charade.

Owsley Manier (right) with Rock Block historical marker

He and Brugh Reynolds co-founded The Exit/In in 1971. Few Nashville venues have had as rich a legacy as Exit/In. It all started when the relatively unknown singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett auditioned for the partners and was booked on the spot. The venue was initially a listening room for such Nashville songwriters, but it expanded into being a 500-person capacity rock club in the 1980s.

Over its 50+ years, it has played host to an impressive array of talent, from rising local acts to international superstars. Some of the renowned musicians who have entertained at Exit/In include The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Etta James, Johnny Cash, Muddy Waters, R.E.M., The Allman Brothers, John Lee Hooker, The Black Crowes, Dr. John, The B-52s, Kansas, Lyle Lovett, Billy Crystal, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Police, Garbage, Emmylou Harris, Billy Joel, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Doc Watson, Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt and Dire Straits.

Comedian Steve Martin once led the audience out into the street in a parade and wound up buying burgers for the whole crowd. The club was featured in the 1975 Robert Altman movie Nashville. Kellie Pickler, among others, used it as the site of a music video. K.D. Lang was introduced to Music City with a performance at the club. It has also been the site of numerous documentary film interviews.

B.B. King, Warren Zevon, Waylon Jennings, The Ramones, Kris Kristofferson, 10,000 Maniacs, The Everly Brothers, Talking Heads, Rick Nelson, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Leon Russell, Fats Domino, The Pointer Sisters, Ronnie Milsap, Barry Manilow, The Guess Who, Cheech & Chong, Dwight Yoakam, The Smithereeens, Vince Gill, Charlie Daniels, John Prine, Living Color, Eddie Money, Son Volt, Dan Fogelberg, Train, Hank Williams Jr., The Pretenders, Guy Clark, Ben Folds, The Goo Goo Dolls and Steve Earle have all showcased at The Exit/In.

The club became the anchor of what was known as Nashville’s “Rock Block,” a stretch of Elliston Place that was home to assorted bars, restaurants, music venues, tattoo shops, vape emporiums, newsstands and more. In 2023, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, although it continues to operate as a music venue. More than 25 owners have passed through its history. Since 2022 it has been owned and operated by AJ Capital Partners.

John Owsley Manier died at home in Dowelltown, Tennessee on Friday, October 1. He is survived by his son Aaron Manier and by sisters Cynthia Barbour and Helen Bryan and niece McKeen Butler. There will be a Celebration of Life memorial service at The Exit/In on Sunday (Oct. 13) at 3:00 PM featuring music and stories.

Longtime Manager Al Schiltz Passes

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Al Schiltz

Longtime Nashville manager Al Schiltz passed away on Sept. 30 after a long battle with cancer. He was 70.

As a son of a military man, Schiltz journeyed with his parents during his early life in Europe to the U.S., finally settling in Augusta, Georgia where he would graduate from Richmond Academy in 1972. From there he enlisted into the Navy serving proudly on Overseas Duty Tours aboard the USS Springfield CLG 7, Gaeta Italy and The USS Wainwright CG28, Charleston. Schiltz wrapped his Navy career in Orlando, where he also attended Columbia college and received a Bachelors degree in Business with a Minor in Criminal Justice.

After some DJ gigs, Schiltz worked at Southwind Corporation in Orlando where he produced corporate events, live music events, festivals and tours including the Alabama “June Jam” and George Jones tours. In 1985, Schiltz moved to Nashville through Dale Morris and a chance opportunity to open the east coast division of the California-based company ElectroTech Productions.

In 1987, he began the first production referral business in Music City with Production Services Group, which supported and managed many tours including K.T. Oslin, Alabama, Clint Black, Emmylou Harris, WWE and more. In the early ’90s, Schiltz worked with Billy Ray Cyrus, eventually taking on the position of Cyrus’ personal manager. The two would continue their working relationship into the early 2000s. During this time he also became a consulting partner for Broken Bow Records through his partnered company The Consortium with Stan Moress, Mike Martinovich and Bernard Porter, and worked with the label to sign Jason Aldean, Joe Diffie and many more. He later spent his retirement years in Lillian, Alabama with his wife Phyllis by his side.

Schiltz is preceded in death by his wife Phyllis and parents Alvin and Gertrude Schiltz. He is survived by daughter Tracy Brewer; sons Joseph Schiltz and Christopher Schiltz; son-in-law Billy Brewer; daughter-in-laws Gretchen Schiltz and Cheyenne Schiltz; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Production Manager Jason Parkin Passes

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Jason Parkin, Darius Rucker’s longtime production manager, passed away on Sept. 30. He was 49.

The Raleigh, North Carolina native spent 25 years working on the road, including working on Hootie & the Blowfish’s 2019 “Group Therapy Tour,” which Rucker fronted.

Rucker wrote in a statement about his friend: “For nearly 25 years, Jason ‘Devil Boy’ Parkin was a staple in our crew. He was more than our production manager, he was our brother. We are devastated by his passing this week. Our prayers are with his family — thank you for loaning him to us all these years.”

Services have not been scheduled yet but will be handled by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home in Raleigh, North Carolina.

 

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BREAKING: Superstar Kris Kristofferson Passes

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Kris Kristofferson. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Country Music Hall of Fame member Kris Kristofferson passed away at his home in Maui, Hawaii on Saturday (Sept. 28) at age 88.

One of the greatest songwriters in music history, he revolutionized Nashville with his lyrics’ frank sexuality, poetic structures and intellect. Kristofferson’s musical legacy includes such masterpieces as “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “For the Good Times,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “Why Me (Lord)” and “Me and Bobby McGee.” He had success as a solo recording artist, in a duet with Rita Coolidge and as a member of the country supergroup The Highwaymen with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. Along the way, he earned four Grammy Awards and seven Gold records.

He graduated from music stardom to a thriving film career in such features as A Star Is Born, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Semi-Tough and Blade. He was also a novelist, a poet, a short story writer and an essayist.

Kris Kristofferson was born in Texas, but the family moved several times because his father was in the military. A major general in the Air Force, he urged his son to emulate him. In high school in California, Kristofferson excelled in rugby, track, soccer, boxing and football. He was also a brilliant student. While enrolled in Pomona College, he had two essays published by The Atlantic Monthly. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa, he graduated summa cum laude, then became a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University in England. While there, he began his recording career as “Kris Carson,” but that music went nowhere.

His father pressured him to join the Army. Kristofferson became a helicopter pilot while in the service. A fellow soldier was related to Nashville songwriter Marijohn Wilkin, who took an interest in Kristofferson’s music. The two later co-wrote the million-selling alcohol-recovery anthem “One Day at a Time.”

Instead of taking a position as an instructor at West Point, Kristofferson quit the Army and moved to Nashville in 1965. His parents reportedly disowned him. During his early years on Music Row, the singer-songwriter worked as a janitor at Columbia Studios and as a bartender at the Tally-Ho Tavern. He also flew helicopters for a Louisiana oil company. He’d write songs on an oil rig, then return to Nashville to pitch them. At one point, he landed a helicopter on Johnny Cash’s yard to get attention for his tunes. Songwriters Mickey Newbury, Shel Silverstein and Tom T. Hall befriended and encouraged him.

Kristofferson had his first Nashville success in 1966 when Dave Dudley had a hit with “Viet Nam Blues.” In 1968, Roy Drusky made the country charts with “Jody and the Kid.” In 1969, Roger Miller recorded “Me and Bobby McGee;” Faron Young had a top 10 hit with “Your Time’s Comin;’” Billy Walker scored with “From the Bottle to the Bottom,” and Ray Stevens had “Sunday Morning Coming Down.”

Major successes occurred the following year when Johnny Cash hit the top of the country charts with “Sunday Morning Coming Down;” Waylon Jennings scored with “The Taker;” Jerry Lee Lewis had a smash with “Once More With Feeling” and Ray Price had a massive pop crossover success with “For the Good Times.” The last was named the Country Music Association (CMA) Song of the Year. Meanwhile, the Academy of Country Music (ACM) bestowed its 1970 Song of the Year honor on “Sunday Morning Coming Down.”

Following a brief, unsuccessful stint at Epic Records, Kristofferson signed with Monument Records. His 1970 LP debut was packed with hits, including “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” a 1971 pop-crossover smash for Sammi Smith that earned the songwriter his first Grammy Award. That was also the year that Janis Joplin topped the pop charts with his “Me and Bobby McGee;” Ray Price scored with “I’d Rather Be Sorry” and Bobby Bare had back-to-back top 10 country hits with “Come Sundown” and “Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends.” Sammi Smith returned to his catalog for her 1972 hit “I’ve Got to Have You.”

Kristofferson and Coolidge were married in 1973-80. She and Larry Gatlin sang backup on his gospel song “Why Me.” In the summer of 1973, it became his only No. 1 hit as an artist. The couple earned two Grammys for their recordings together.

Brenda Lee’s top 10 success with Kristofferson’s “Nobody Wins” in 1973 marked her transition from pop stardom to country hit maker. Ronnie Milsap’s revival of “Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends” hit No. 1 on the country hit parade in 1974. Singers Marilyn Sellars and Don Gibson both recorded “One Day at a Time” that year, and the Sellars version became a top 20 country hit. In 1976, Johnny Duncan went into the top 10 with the songwriter’s “Stranger” (featuring vocal accompaniment by Janie Fricke). Kristofferson’s own recordings continued, with nine albums issued between 1972 and 1979.

Kris Kristofferson began his silver-screen career in the 1970s. Early credits included The Last Movie (1971), Cisco Pike (1972), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Blume In Love (1973), Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (1976) and Vigilante Force (1976). He co-starred with Barbra Streisand in 1976’s A Star Is Born, which earned him a Best Actor Golden Globe Award. Its soundtrack album sold more than four million copies. He went on to star in Semi-Tough (1977, with Burt Reynolds), Convoy (1978), Songwriter (1980, with Willie Nelson) and Heaven’s Gate (1980). His Songwriter soundtrack was nominated for an Oscar.

As a songwriter, he continued to be a force on the country charts. In 1980, Cristy Lane scored an No. 1 smash with “One Day at a Time.” Nelson recorded an entire album of Kristofferson songs and hit the top 10 in 1980 with his revival of “Help Me Make It Through the Night.” In 1981, The Glaser Brothers scored the biggest hit of their career with Kristofferson’s “Lovin’ Her Was Easier.” The songwriter had based that song on a Shakespeare sonnet.

Kristofferson teamed up with Nelson, Lee and Dolly Parton on the hit 1982 album The Winning Hand. The first Highwaymen all-star album was issued in 1984 and earned a Platinum record. The group scored major hits the following year with Jimmy Webb’s “Highwayman” and Guy Clark’s “Desperados Waiting for a Train.” Kristofferson, Cash, Nelson and Jennings issued two more collections and became a hugely popular concert attraction.

Toward the end of the decade, Kristofferson moved from Monument to Mercury Records. His Repossessed (1988) and Third World Warrior (1989) albums for Mercury illuminated his progressive, leftist political positions. One of his songs from this era endured: “They Killed Him” was an homage to Kristofferson’s martyred heroes Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Jesus Christ. Bob Dylan soon re-popularized it on his Knocked Out Loaded album.

The songwriter’s film career continued to thrive with Rollover (1981, with Jane Fonda), Flashpoint (1984), Big Top Pee Wee (1988), Welcome Home (1989), Knights (1993), Lone Star (1996) and Fire Down Below (1997). In 1998, he was cast in the vampire superhero action film Blade, which spawned two sequels. In the new millennium, Kristofferson took roles in Planet of the Apes (2001), Where the Red Fern Grows (2003), The Jacket (2005), Fast Food Nation (2006), He’s Just Not That Into You (2009, with Jennifer Anniston), Dolphin Tale (2011, plus a 2014 sequel) and Joyful Noise (2012, with Parton). He was also featured in a number of high-profile television films and miniseries. In 2015, he portrayed President Andrew Jackson in the historical miniseries Texas Rising.

His music continued to be prominent. “Help Me Make It Through the Night” was a soul-music hit three times—for Joe Simon, O.C. Smith and Gladys Knight—and his songs were also recorded by Black music stars Al Green, Tina Turner, Millie Jackson, Sammy Davis Jr. and Lena Horne. Such diverse artists as Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, Olivia Newton-John, Joan Baez, Tom Jones, Pattti Page, The Grateful Dead, Frank Sinatra and Carly Simon recorded Kristofferson songs, as did a who’s-who of country celebrities—Loretta Lynn, Glen Campbell, Emmylou Harris, George Jones, Tanya Tucker, Rosanne Cash, K.T. Oslin, Charley Pride, Dolly Parton, Anne Murray, Hank Snow, Dottie West, LeAnn Rimes, Merle Haggard, Charlie McCoy, Lynn Anderson, Roy Clark, Conway Twitty, Kenny Rogers, etc.

Career accolades rolled in. Kris Kristofferson was voted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1977. The national Songwriters Hall of Fame followed suit in 1985. Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame came in 2004.

The new Americana music genre coalesced in 1999-2000. This reinvigorated his recording career and brought him new honors. In 2003, he received the “Spirit of Americana” free-speech award from the Americana Music Association. In 2006, he issued This Old Road, his first album of new material in 11 years. It was succeeded by more Americana-music favorites, his Closer to the Bone (2009), Feeling Mortal (2013) and Cedar Creek Sessions (2016) albums. They demonstrated that he was still writing as powerfully as ever. He was also the subject of a tribute album 2006’s The Pilgrim.

In the fall of 2009, Kristofferson was celebrated as a BMI Icon. By then, his songwriting had earned him 48 BMI awards. In 2013 he won a Poet’s Award from the ACM. He was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. An all-star concert in Nashville celebrated his 80th birthday in 2016, and he appeared at the Newport Folk Festival that year. The CMA presented him with its Lifetime Achievement honor in 2019.

Kristofferson announced his retirement in January 2021. He had been experiencing memory loss for several years, possibly as a result of old head injuries from sports. He assigned his estate management to Morris-Higham Management in Nashville. In October 2023 he attended the Country Music Hall of Fame’s annual induction ceremony. This was his final public appearance.

Kris Kristofferson is survived by his wife Lisa and by eight children—Tracy, Kris Jr., Casey, Jesse, Jody, John Robert, Kelly Marie and Blake—as well as by seven grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.