Remember that grizzly old actor who played Whistler the vampire hunter alongside Wesley Snipes in the Blade trilogy? Well, in case you didn't know, he's a singer-songwriter too. Starting out his recording career in Nashville working as a janitor at Columbia's Music Row Studios in 1966, Kris Kristofferson was cleaning the floors and emptying ashtrays while Bob Dylan sat hunched over a piano, chain-smoking and recording Blonde on Blonde. A prolific songwriter, Kristofferson relentlessly handed out copies of his lyrics. And with recordings of his songs in hand, he even went to recording artists' homes uninvited. He eked out a few small hits, but it wasn't until Johnny Cash's somber rendition of Kris' stoner-epic "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" that the former janitor's troubadour status was cemented. During his 40-year career as a singer-songwriter and country music outlaw, The Grateful Dead, Frank Sinatra, Janis Joplin and 400 other artists have covered his songs. Thursday at 8 p.m., hear the 72-year-old Country Hall of Famer perform at Bass Performance Hall, Fourth and Calhoun streets in Fort Worth. Tickets range from $30 to $100. Visit basshall.com.
Thu., May 15, 8 p.m., 2008