In October 1970, Kris Kristofferson walked into a Los Angeles producer’s office and heard a recording that would stay with Kris Kristofferson for the rest of his life.
The voice belonged to Janis Joplin. The song was “Me and Bobby McGee,” which Kris Kristofferson had written with producer Fred Foster.
Janis Joplin had recorded the song shortly before dying on October 4, 1970. Although Kris Kristofferson and Janis Joplin had become close friends, Kris Kristofferson had never heard the finished recording.
What happened after that first listening became one of the most personal stories Kris Kristofferson ever shared about the music business.
A Song That Found Its Way to Janis Joplin
“Me and Bobby McGee” had already been recorded before Janis Joplin entered the picture. Roger Miller released the first version in 1969, turning the song into a country hit.
According to Kris Kristofferson, musician Bobby Neuwirth introduced Janis Joplin to the song, possibly after hearing Roger Miller’s recording.
Bobby Neuwirth later introduced Kris Kristofferson and Janis Joplin personally. The two musicians became close, and Kris Kristofferson spent time living at Janis Joplin’s home.
Kris Kristofferson knew Janis Joplin had performed the song, but never heard Janis Joplin sing it in person. The studio recording remained unheard by the songwriter until after Janis Joplin’s death.
The Recording Paul Rothchild Wanted Kris Kristofferson to Hear
Shortly after Janis Joplin died, producer Paul Rothchild invited Kris Kristofferson to an office in Los Angeles.
Paul Rothchild had been producing Janis Joplin’s final studio album, Pearl, with the Full Tilt Boogie Band. The sessions included Janis Joplin’s interpretation of “Me and Bobby McGee,” featuring Janis Joplin on vocals and acoustic guitar.
When Paul Rothchild played the recording, Kris Kristofferson heard a version of the familiar song unlike anything Kris Kristofferson had previously experienced.
The emotional impact was immediate.
In a later interview with Performing Songwriter, Kris Kristofferson remembered leaving Paul Rothchild’s office and walking around Los Angeles in tears.
Hearing Janis Joplin’s voice so soon after the loss was almost unbearable. Kris Kristofferson explained that listening to the song without becoming emotional was extremely difficult.
A Late Night at Combine Publishing in Nashville
When Kris Kristofferson returned to Nashville, the recording was still on Kris Kristofferson’s mind.
One night, Kris Kristofferson went into the Combine Publishing building and began playing Janis Joplin’s recording repeatedly.
There was a specific reason for doing it. Kris Kristofferson wanted to become accustomed to hearing the performance without breaking down.
Friend and fellow songwriter Donnie Fritts eventually joined Kris Kristofferson and listened to the recording.
That same night, Kris Kristofferson and Donnie Fritts wrote a song about Janis Joplin called “Epitaph.”
The composition, also known as “Epitaph (Black and Blue),” later appeared on Kris Kristofferson’s 1971 album The Silver Tongued Devil and I.
It was a remarkable response to a recording. Kris Kristofferson had written a song that Janis Joplin made her own, and hearing that interpretation led Kris Kristofferson to write another song in Janis Joplin’s memory.
The Recording That Became a No. 1 Hit
Janis Joplin’s final studio album, Pearl, was released posthumously on January 11, 1971.
“Me and Bobby McGee” became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 that year, introducing millions of listeners to Janis Joplin’s interpretation of the country songwriter’s work.
The recording also took on a life of its own. Decades later, previously unreleased material from the Pearl sessions revealed alternate performances and additional glimpses of Janis Joplin’s studio work.
For Kris Kristofferson, however, the song’s success could never be separated from that first listening in Los Angeles and the late night spent replaying it in Nashville.
In the Performing Songwriter interview, Kris Kristofferson described “Me and Bobby McGee” as a song that made an enormous difference in Kris Kristofferson’s career.
But the lasting personal connection was expressed in one simple sentence:
“Every time I sing it, I still think of Janis.”
Years after the recording became a classic, Kris Kristofferson still remembered the friend whose voice had changed the way the songwriter heard one of the most famous songs Kris Kristofferson ever wrote.