50 Years Ago: Kris Kristofferson Famously Rides Motorcycle On Stage

Alright, it wasn’t officially Kris Kristofferson. It was his character John Norman Howard from the 1976 version of the music film A Star Is Born. But it still has gone down in history as one of the more legendary moments in the Kris Kristofferson career, even if it took a little cinematic magic to make it all happen.

The Country Music Hall of Famer, Rhodes Scholar, and Army helicopter pilot had a penchant for taking modes of transportation where they didn’t belong. After all, one of the ways Kristofferson broke through in the music business was by navigating a Army chopper off course, and landing it on the yard of Johnny Cash’s estate in Hendersonville, TN to pitch The Man in Black his songs. That earned him a cut with Cash in the form of “Sunday Morning Coming Down.”

When A Star Is Born Director Frank Pierson needed a way to illustrate the wild, rambunctious side of John Norman Howard to impress Esther Hoffman (played by Barbara Streisand), riding a motorcycle on stage and then burning some brodies seemed like the perfect opportunity. Of course, there was some dramatic embellishment, and perhaps a stunt double involved when the bike catches air on its way to the stage after John Howard sweet talks a fan backstage out of it.

In truth, the stadium audience assembled for the film was not there to see either John Norman Howard or Kris Kristofferson. The scene was filmed on March 20, 1976 at Arizona State University’s Sun Devil Stadium during a concert that featured performances by Santana and Peter Frampton. Kristofferson and A Star Is Born just borrowed the crowd and stage for a bit. It does appear it is Kristofferson himself burning donuts on the stage.

Though Kris Kristofferson was already a star to many in country music when A Star Was Born was released, it was really the moment (and scenes like the motorcycle incident) that raised his profile nationally and internationally, especially since he starred in the film opposite Barbara Streisand. Kristofferson was no longer just a songwriter, he was an American sex symbol, and a significant leading man actor who would go on to star and appear in dozens of more films.

A Star Is Born also played a significant role in Kristofferson’s personal life. As anyone who has seen the film, or the 2018 remake with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, they know the main character’s rambunctious ways end in tragedy. Kristofferson used the moment to help get his own life in order.

Soon, old friend Hank Williams Jr. was singing, “Kris, he is a movie star and he’s moved off to L.A.” in the song “All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down.” To many, Kris Kristofferson is a movie star first, not a country artist, or a songwriter.

But the truth is that no medium could wholly contain the Renaissance man that was Kris Kristofferson. From songwriting, to performance, to film, he was a master of artistic expression who was beloved worldwide and left a legacy of songs, movies, and moments that will always live large in our hearts.

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