“Flying a National Guard helicopter”: How Kris Kristofferson pitched Johnny Cash a classic
Every successful musician needs to start from somewhere. While some are luckier than others and encounter a taste of the big time not long after first starting out, others must work a little harder to ensure their material gets heard. Despite sweeping floors at Columbia Records while Johnny Cash was already a global star, Kris Kristofferson felt determined to get through to the singer.
Kristofferson’s floor-sweeping gig at the label likely followed the usual self-deprecating patterns. Kristofferson knew he had what it took to make it, but getting anybody to give him the time of day was a significant part of the challenge. One day, he decided he didn’t want to wait and observe anymore and gave one of his demo tapes to June Carter Cash.
Although June later passed on the tape to Johnny, he wasn’t all that interested. In fact, because people gave him their tapes all the time, he had no reason to believe that Kristofferson’s music would be any different to the rest and tossed it aside without a second thought.
“I put it with a big pile of others that had been given to me,” he later told Rolling Stone. “I think I was guilty of throwing some of Kris’ songs into Old Hickory Lake.”
However, steadfast in his self-belief, he decided he would get through to Cash, no matter what it took. Despite struggling to gain any momentum as an artist, he took a risk few would even entertain the thought of: He stole a helicopter to give his music to Cash in person. According to Cash, Kristofferson landed a “National Guard helicopter” in his yard one afternoon uninvited and unprompted and handed him a copy of ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down’.
“I didn’t really listen to [the tapes he gave me] until one afternoon, [Kristofferson] was flying a National Guard helicopter and he landed in my yard,” the musician recalled. “I was taking a nap and June said, ‘Some fool has landed a helicopter in our yard. They used to come from the road. Now they’re coming from the sky!’ And I look up, and here comes Kris out of a helicopter with a beer in one hand and a tape in the other.”
Cash might have embellished the beer part for comedic effect, but the basic premise of the story remains the same; in fact, Kristofferson later confirmed that the entire story is true and that he did fly a helicopter to Cash’s residence to hand him a copy of one of his songs. Only this time, Cash actually did listen to the tape and loved what he heard.
“I liked his songs so much that I would take them off and not let anybody else hear them,” he said.
Although Kristofferson’s music would likely have eventually been heard and loved by many, Cash’s appreciation for his music ended up catalysing his success, particularly after the country veteran performed a rendition of ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down’ on The Johnny Cash Show in 1970. Cash made subtle changes to the song, which Kristofferson wasn’t initially that happy about, but he trusted the singer’s instincts and let him do whatever he pleased with it.
Afterwards, Kristofferson quickly became lauded as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time. Even after his recent passing, tributes poured in, reflecting his prowess as a poet and accomplished creative—an immaculate achievement for someone who started out as nothing more than an ambitious floor sweeper surrounded by established stars.
