On this day (November 11) in 1973, Kris Kristofferson’s week-long run atop the U.S. country albums chart with Jesus Was a Capricorn came to an end. However, this, too, was cause for celebration, as Full Moon — the first of three duet albums with then-wife Rita Coolidge — took its place at No. 1.
Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge Were Still Newlyweds
Full Moon hit shelves in September 1973, just weeks after Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge tied the knot in Malibu, California.
Kristofferson undoubtedly had more name recognition at the time, fresh off his No. 1 country hit “Why Me”. Still, Coolidge brought some bona fide musical credentials to the table herself, having backed up artists including Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, and more.
She had also released three albums of her own, with her most recent offering — 1972’s The Lady’s Not for Sale — reaching the top 50 on the U.S. pop albums chart.
Moreover, Full Moon wasn’t the newlyweds’ first time collaborating, either. Coolidge had sung backing vocals on Kristofferson’s previous two solo projects, including “Give It Time to Be Tender” and “It Sure Was (Love)” on Jesus Was a Capricorn.
In a 2016 interview with Uncut magazine, Kristofferson said that the album was likely his idea.
“I grew up with the Everly Brothers, harmony was always something I loved, and Rita sang backup with people all the time,” he said. “Harmony came easily for both of us, it was very natural.”
It Marked a Departure From Kristofferson’s Previous Sound
In many ways, Kris Kristofferson’s first duets album with Rita Coolidge bore little resemblance to the work that established him as one of the industry’s premier singer-songwriters.
For one thing, the couple recorded Full Moon at Los Angeles’ Sunset Studios instead of Nashville. Breezy meditations about love and relationships — particularly the Caribbean-inspired single “A Song I’d Like To Sing” — replaced Kristofferson’s more typical, somber fare about social issues and the human condition. The album also featured several covers.
In his 2009 biography Kristofferson: The Wild American, author Stephen Miller wrote of the lyrical “dumbing down” on Full Moon as opposed to Kristofferson’s previous work. He also noted the vocal incongruities between the two singers.
“Kristofferson croons along, attempting, though not succeeding, to soften his gruff style,” wrote Miller. “It was like a musical mismatch of beauty and the beast.”
Still, Full Moon clearly struck a chord with listeners, climbing to No. 1 and yielding a Top 40 pop hit in “A Song I’d Like to Sing”.
At the following year’s Grammy Awards, Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge took home Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group honors for “From the Bottle to the Bottom”.
The couple would release two additional duet albums — Breakaway in 1974 and Natural Act in 1978 — before divorcing in 1980.
Featured image by NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images
The post 53 Years Ago Today, Kris Kristofferson Knocked Himself Off the Top of the Charts With His First Album Alongside Wife Rita Coolidge appeared first on American Songwriter.