Welcome to Formative Jukebox, a column exploring the personal relationships people have with music. Every week, a writer will tackle a song, album, show, or musical artist and their influence on our ...

Few songwriters have left a mark on country music quite like Kris Kristofferson. Born on June 22, 1936, in Brownsville, Texas, the singer-songwriter, actor and poet would have celebrated his 90th ...

There’s something wistfully romantic about the second verse of “Me And Bobby McGee” that makes it hard not to daydream about an untethered life on the road. “Windshield wipers slappin’ time, I was ...

Janis Joplin’s posthumous 1971 rendition of “Me and Bobby McGee” is arguably the most famous version of the song, but Kris Kristofferson, the writer, ironically never knew Joplin had plans to cut the ...

Over half a century since her sudden death at the age of 27, Janis Joplin's loss remains one of the most tragic in rock history. Particularly heartbreaking is the fact that the iconic singer recorded ...

You have remaining gift available this month. This gift link is valid through . There was an error with your gift link. Please try again.

Marcus King and Brittney Spencer came to the Bayou Music in Houston on Thursday. The pair paid tribute to legendary Texas-born singer-songwriter and actor Kris Kristofferson, who passed away on ...

Janis Joplin began recording a song on Sept. 5, 1970, that would soon become the biggest hit of her career. She just wouldn’t live long enough to see it happen. Joplin entered the studio to record the ...

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in ...

Janis Joplin’s version of “Me and Bobby McGee” was released on Jan. 12, 1971. One day earlier, a Food Stamp Amendment was passed, establishing uniform work requirements for eligibility. “Busted flat,” ...