Obituaries: Canadian Musicians Pay Tribute to Kris Kristofferson

Kris Kristofferson, a hit songwriter, popular recording artist, and in-demand Hollywood actor, died on Sept. 28, at age 88.

In its obituary, AssociatedPress termed Kristofferson “a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and A-list Hollywood actor."

Starting in the late 1960s, the Brownsville, Texas, native wrote such classics as “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “For the Good Times,” and “Me and Bobby McGee," made famous by Janis Joplin. Although many of his songs were best known as performed by others, he also scored hits with songs on his own albums.

Considered something of a renaissance man and termed an American hero by many, Kristofferson was a Golden Gloves boxer, rugby star and football player in college, recipent of a master’s degree in English from Merton College at the University of Oxford in England, and a helicopter pilot as a captain in the U.S. Army.

He turned down an appointment to teach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, to pursue songwriting in Nashville. In what is now part of Nasville lore, Kristofferson worked as a part-time janitor at Columbia Records’ Music Row studio in 1966 when Dylan recorded tracks for the Blonde on Blonde double album.

Aside from recording as a solo artist and with former wife Rita Coolidge, Kristofferson joined his close friend Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings to create the country group The Highwaymen, starting in the mid-1980s. The quartet released three hit albums and was hailed as the greatest country music supergroup of all time.

As an actor, Kristofferson found fame starring in such films as 1976 blockbuster hit A Star Is Born, whose co-star Barbra Streisand, upon learning of his death, offered an affectionate tribute to him. Read that here. He earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for this role.

Kristofferson's other films included the critically-lauded Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, the controversial and erotic The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea (1976), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Blume in Love (1973), Convoy (1978), Heaven's Gate (1980), Stagecoach (1986), Lone Star (1996), and the Blade film trilogy (1998–2004).

Kristofferson retired from performing and recording in 2021, making only occasional guest appearances on stage, including a performance with Johnny Cash’s daughter Rosanne at Nelson’s 90th birthday celebration at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in 2023.

Kristofferson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

On social media, many notable Canadian musicians and industry figures saluted Kristofferson in their posts. On Facebook, roots singer/songwriter, author and NDP MP Charlie Angus (L'Etranger, Grievous Angels) noted that "In all the tributes to one of the 20th century's iconic songwriters, people are remembering how he defended the truth teller Sinead O'Connor from the mob. His decency and humanity is indeed something to celebrate in a life well lived."

Blue Rodeo had several encounters with him over the years, beginning in 1986 when the then rather unknown band opened for Kristofferson at a memorable concert at Toronto's Diamond Club. When contacted by Billboard Canada, Blue Rodeo bassist Bazil Donovan offered these reminiscences: "Over the years our paths with Kris crossed several times. The very last encounter is quite a story. We had been on the bill with Kris at Colorado Folk Fest, and The Headley Blast in B.C., and he opened for us at Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto.

"One day, in 2017, our driver Karl Lawson picked me up for a gig in Mattawa with The Jim Cuddy Band and on the way Karl said his neighbour, Ronnie (the Hawk) Hawkins, was going to perform and he would like us to back him up. So we got to the farm and we go into the house and Kris walks out with just a towel on. He was fresh out of the shower and said he would be in the band in 20 minutes for rehearsal . So that day, while the whole Hawkins Clan watched, we performed 'Silver Tongued Devil,' 'Me and Bobby McGee,' 'Help Me Make It Through The Night,' and 'Sunday Morning Comin Down, 'with Kris. What an absolute Joy. I felt like I was part of a very special club. Very proud to be in the presence of such greatness."

Donovan's bandmate in The Jim Cuddy Band, drummer Joel Anderson recounted this encounter on Facebook: "Back in 2003 at the 2nd Americana Awards in Nashville, Kris Kristofferson sang a couple of very heavy anti- Bush / Iraq war songs. In a room of jaded industry people you could hear a pin drop. I got to talk to him after and told him he should play more as he clearly still had it as a performer. As he got near the door to leave, he look backed, saw me, and came back over to tell me he appreciated the kind words and that he was going to get back out there. The coolest guy. I was just some drummer on the show."

On Facebook, noted Canadian singer-songwriter Jill Barber recalled that "I had the honour of opening up for Kris Kristofferson at The Metro Centre in Halifax in 2006. He stood in the wings and watched my set, and when he took to the stage, he announced to the arena-sized crowd: Jill Barber is a real songwriter, a damn fine songwriter,'

"I’ll never forget that. It was an endorsement that came at a point in my early career when things could have gone either way, and I might have given up. He was a gentleman and a champion, of me and many other artists. I wish that I’d had the chance to thank him all these years later for that early career confidence boost. Instead I’ll take it as a reminder that you can never underestimate what a little encouragement can do for those around us. Thank you Kris."

Canadian

Julia Cleveland, a Toronto-based jazz percussionist and composer, was killed in a traffic accident on Sept. 23. She was 46 years of age.

In a blog post, Toronto radio station JAZZ.FM noted that "Cleveland was a talented percussionist, composer and advocate for Toronto’s music community. She worked as the Finance Manager for the Toronto Musicians Association and ran her own music school, The Julia Cleveland Music Learning and Exploration School, prior to the pandemic."

Cleveland was also a bandleader who led the Julia Cleveland Quartet, one that performed at club venues and festivals such as the Montreal Jazz Festival. She was reportedly working on some new compositions and was preparing to perform them in October.

Her musical comrades on the Toronto scene paid tribute on social media. Jazz radio host and vocalist Heather Bambrick was classmates with Cleveland while attending the University of Toronto’s music program in the 1990s, and she stated that “Julia was a talented, determined, kind, supportive, and overall wonderful soul. She gave so much to the world around her, whether as a friend or as a musician, and the number of people who are heartbroken after hearing the news of her untimely death speaks to the love and respect she had from her colleagues, peers, and friends.”

Vocalist and artistic director of Jazz in Toronto Ori Dagan termed her a “wonderful talent and a beautiful person who was great to be around and lit up any room she was in.”

Lenny (Leonard) Stoute, a veteran Toronto freelance music journalist, died on Sept. 22, after a long illness. His passing was reported on his Facebook page by his partner, Joanne Powell Pike.

Stoute began writing about the Toronto music scene in the late '70s, and his work first gained exposure nationally (and beyond) in Music Express in the 1980s. That publication was then Canada's largest monthly music magazine, and also enjoyed widespread distribution in the U.S..

During his stint there, Stoute helped create and edited a metal-themed publication, Metallion. His subsequent long freelance career included regular contributions to The Toronto Star in the late '80s and through the '90s, as well as to such other publications as The Globe & Mail, eye, Metro and Cashbox Canada. In recent years, he frequently posted music-themed features and items on his Facebook page.

Stoute's creative flair for writing and oft acerbic wit were also showcased in his fiction. He published three works: This Plague of Love (2014), Getting To Human (2015) and Lockdown, Tales from The Pandemic (2022).

Colleagues paying tribute to Stoute on social media included Toronto jazz impresario and broadcaster Jaymz Bee. On Facebook, he termed Stoute "a warm and witty writer, one of my all time favourite rock journalists. I loved his short stories too! I just brought him lunch two weeks ago and we shared many laughs. We lost a good one."

Fellow music journalist Roman Mitz paid homage to Stoute in Music Express. It reads, in part, "I was truly saddened to learn of the passing of Lenny Stoute earlier this week as he was a larger-than-life presence. I first crossed paths with Lenny when he was a Features Writer for Music Express magazine between 1981 and 1986, while I worked as a freelancer for the publication.

"Lenny was a brilliant writer, and I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with such a wicked sense of humour. He sometimes ruffled feathers, but always got the best out of his subjects. We weren’t family, but Lenny was that kind of quirky cousin that I never had."

In a post on his website, Toronto music publicist Eric Alper termed Stoute "a passionate music writer whose love for the the scenes showed his deep appreciation for artists, whether they were at the beginning of their journey or well-established, always came through his insightful stories and thoughtful interviews. His passion for music was infectious, and he was a vital voice in Toronto celebrating and supporting musicians, often advocating for those who needed it the most – the indie bands and artists."

Stoute's archives are being donated to are being donated to the University of Toronto's Media Commons Archives.

A Celebration of Life is being planned, with details to follow.

International

Benny Golson, a jazz tenor saxophonist and composer of standards such as Killer Joe and Along Came Betty, died on Sept. 21, at age 95.

Over his seven-decade long musical career, Golson worked with such jazz luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton and John Coltrane.

He built much of his reputation not as a performer but from his compositions, which also included I Remember Clifford, written in 1956 after trumpeter Clifford Brown, a friend, died in a car crash at age 25.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Golson began writing and arranging music while attending Howard University in Washington.After stints in Gillespie's big band and in drummer Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Golson co-founded The Jazztet in 1959 with flugelhorn master Art Farmer. After The Jazztet disbanded in 1962, Golson moved on to writing music for movies and for television shows such as Mannix, M*A*S*H and Mission: Impossible.

Golson released dozens of albums as a solo artist and as a member of various ensembles, and received two Grammy nominations (in 1974 and 1998). He also arranged music for singers and musicians including Peggy Lee, Lou Rawls, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dusty Springfield.

After a hiatus of more than a dozen years, Golson resumed playing the saxophone in the mid-1970s and launched a new version of the Jazztet with Farmer in 1982.He continued performing and writing music into his 90s. He appeared as himself in the 2004 Steven Spielberg movie The Terminal, and published Whisper Not: The Autobiography of Benny Golson in 2016. In 2021, Golson received a Trustee Award from the Recording Academy.