Kris Kristofferson had the outlaw spirit that America needs right now

It's a call to follow your dreams and honor your talent, and it inspired the young Kristofferson to turn his back on his military career and take a job as a janitor in Nashville to be closer to country music. That was around the same time that the trained pilot borrowed a helicopter to land on Johnny Cash's lawn and try to sell him a few songs. Kristofferson's mother wrote him a letter disowning him for embarrassing the family. Johnny Cash read it and joked, “Isn't it nice to get a letter from home?”

I saw Kristofferson play a few times when he was his age, and they were absolutely fascinating concerts, with him standing alone on stage with an acoustic guitar and a harmonica. His voice at this point was rough and missing a few notes, his playing was rudimentary, but the expression of hard-earned wisdom was fascinating.

His belief in the power of music shaped his entire life. It's the focus of “The Heart,” a touching Kristofferson song about his own late father in which he sings, “The heart is all that matters in the end.” That really was the underlying message. His talking country-blues “To Beat The Devil” is an eloquent protest against the defeatist notion that music can’t change anything. On stage in London 16 years ago, he opened it with the words: “I'm not saying I defeated the devil, but I drank his beer for free and then I stole his song.” There is an epitaph that in his grave needs to be carved.

Kris Kristofferson has helped many of us get through many long nights. His songs will surely continue to do the same good work even if the great man isn't there to sing them.