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When most well-known musicians retire, proper statements, if not goodbye tours or tribute performances, are required. However, when Kris Kristofferson decided to retire, no such fireworks let off.
The general public didn’t find out about it until it was buried deep inside a news statement announcing a management change as if everyone had known or suspected it for a long time. That may reflect Kristofferson’s humble public persona: He didn’t believe his decision to stop appearing on stage and recording was newsworthy.
“It wasn’t a huge statement like, ‘I’m retiring!’ The longtime manager of Kris Kristofferson says, “I’m not doing this anymore! It was an evolution, and it appeared to be extremely natural. There wasn’t much of a change; rather, it was this slow “What should we do next? What comes next?
We are currently in the midst of an epidemic. “Yeah, let’s retire,” was the response. From this side of the fence, it appeared to be a natural, normal change in the way things are. Kris, who is 86, is ageing. To us, it didn’t seem like such major news. Because it was only a slow change of the guard, there was no notification.
Photo Credits – Per Ole Hagen/Redferns/Getty Images
When he performed on what may have been his final performance, the Outlaw Country Cruise, in January 2020, Kristofferson wasn’t aware that he would be retiring. Saviano responds, “Definitely not.” The Luck Reunion in Austin, which takes place yearly on Willie Nelson’s property, “Kris was planned to do in March.”
The idea of starting to tour again at some time in the future seemed less likely and less significant after the epidemic, which “just transformed everything.”
Saviano continues, “Kris’ music isn’t going away, so it doesn’t feel like retirement. There will still be new projects, either archival or memorial in nature. “But he won’t be on the road any longer,”
I won’t say that Kris won’t ever record or perform again because, as soon as I do, he’ll disprove my prediction. Never rule anything out. He may announce in the morning a month from now, “I’m going to go in the studio and create an album,” and he will.
When Morris Higham Management announced that it would be taking over Saviano’s management of Kristofferson’s career, it was clear that the singer-songwriter-actor had no intention of starting a new career because it specifically mentioned handling “the Kris Kristofferson estate.”
Kris’ retirement was an afterthought, according to Saviano, who claims that the announcement focused more on the new management changes. We never announce anything, she quips, so “we didn’t realize” it would be such a huge deal.
Along with another iconic retiree, Barbara Mandrell, and the estate of Roger Miller, Higham manages the careers of today’s top country performers, including Kenny Chesney, Old Dominion, and Brantley Gilbert. John Kristofferson, the singer’s son, was also introduced as the new manager of the household business.
Saviano will continue to play a significant role in the Kristofferson organization and will continue to carry out many of the responsibilities she has been doing for years, such as managing Kristofferson’s independent label, KK Records, and leading numerous initiatives and releases.
The second album by Kris Kristofferson, “The Silver Tongued Devil and I,” which featured the anthems “Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do)” and “The Pilgrim, Chapter 33,” turns 51 this year.
After his career took off, his 1970 debut album “Kristofferson”—which featured the hits “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “For the Good Times,” and “Sunday Morning Comin’ Down”—was released in 1971 under the name “Me and Bobby McGee.”
She says she hopes to release a live CD that was captured at Gilley’s in 1981 and that she calls “a terrific live record.” Additionally, she is looking through his diaries and short stories in an effort to publish some of his writings as books.
Along with recording his song collection, she and John Kristofferson are “also talking about doing some tribute material with younger musicians,” but they are still deciding on the format. “We’re just examining all aspects of his life, including exploring the potential for a movie, even though those are “early chats… I’m going to do everything I can to continue Kris’ legacy.
(Saviano also has a full plate of non-Kristofferson work, including a documentary she directed on Guy Clark, whose release was postponed because of the pandemic but is now anticipated to happen.)
It is not entirely surprising that Kristofferson may not release any new music: “Feeling Mortal,” his most recent album of all-new music, was released in 2013. For his 2016 CD “The Cedar Creek Sessions,” which was nominated for a Grammy for best Americana album, he subsequently re-recorded a selection of his classic songs.
Kristofferson last appeared in a film as an actor in “Blaze”, directed by Ethan Hawke, in 2018. At the Joni Mitchell tribute event “Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration” at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in late 2018, Kristofferson gave one of his final L.A. concerts. His duet with Brandi Carlile was preserved on a DVD and CD.
In addition to the pandemic-related worries that make most musicians of a certain age wary of hitting the road again any time soon, the camp rejects the theory that Kristofferson is being forced to retire due to bad health.
Kris’ body of work will survive, and hopefully, he’ll continue to do so for a very long time, according to Saviano. He is in excellent physical and mental health.
