Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, & His Son Lukas Once Brought Muhammad Ali To Tears Singing “Help Me Make It Through The Night”

Kris Kristofferson , Willie Nelson and Lukas Nelson might be the only three men on earth who could make Muhammad Ali cry. Sadly, Kris passed away at the age of 88 years old this weekend, at his home in Maui, Hawaii. Of course, he will be greatly missed, and his contributions to not only he country genre, the music world in general, cannot be overstated. Tributes and stories from fellow country artists, and fans, have been pouring in, and it’s hard to believe he’s really gone. Kris’ timeless impact on country music will live forever, and his legacy goes well beyond music. And in the wake of this huge loss, I was reminded of a great story Lukas told about Kris that says all you need to know about the power of his music. In an interview with SiriusXM back in 2017, Lukas recalled Kris bringing Muhammad Ali to the Nelson house in Maui for a visit. Naturally, it didn't take long for Lukas to break out a guitar, where he played some of Kris' hit "Help Me Make It Through the Night," and Kris and Willie jumped in too: "He brought Muhammad Ali to the house one time... into Maui. He brought him in there, sat him down, I grabbed a guitar. I sang, and dad was there, and I sang 'Help Me Make It Through the Night,' which is one of Kris' songs. And then Kris and dad fell in with the harmony, so we got to sing 'Help Me Make It Through the Night' for Muhammad Ali." And Ali was so moved, that Lukas said he teared up: "You could see him tearing up a little bit, it was special." To have been a fly on the wall for that... I can only imagine. Of course, Ali and Kristofferson were friends ands tarred in the 1979 historical drama mini-series Freedom Road together. "Help Me Make It Through the Night" is one of Kristofferson's greatest, and a personal favorite of mine, which was a solo write by Kris, the track was included on his 1970 album Kristofferson. It has been covered by countless other artists since then like Willie Nelson, Gladys Knight & the Pips and Tyler Childers and Morgan Wade . The track peaked at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1971, and of course, remains one of the all-time great country songs to this day. Funny enough, Kris first got the inspiration from the song after reading an old Esquire interview with the late Frank Sinatra, where he was asked what he believed in and replied: “Booze, broads, or a bible… whatever helps me make it through the night.” And one of the greatest country songs of that decade, and possibly of all-time, was born… quite a story. I just love that line. Lukas has covered the song at his live shows before, and he has actually noted several times over the years that Kris was the reason he really decide to pursue a career in music. After Kris heard a song Lukas, son of the great Willie Nelson, wrote when he was a young teenager and told him he was a songwriter and had no other choice but to write songs and follow in his dad’s footsteps. He shared a sweet tribute to Kris on Instagram earlier, which features a sweet photo of the two of them when Lukas was a baby: https://www.instagram.com/p/DAhYQ4vMs1v/ This will bring the chills: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS2T7OtYHyk "Help Me Make It Through the Night" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-O0pu_Gu7U