Kris Kristofferson did his best to get Johnny Cash to listen to his songs when he was still a struggling artist. At the time, though, Cash was a major star and had grown accustomed to receiving tapes from young musicians. When Kristofferson realized Cash likely hadn’t listened to his tape, he stole a helicopter to make sure his music got to the country star.
Kris Kristofferson took a helicopter in order to get his song to Johnny Cash Kristofferson began sweeping floors at Columbia Records. While working there, he gave one of his tapes to June Carter Cash and requested that she pass it on to her husband . “Kris came right into the control room at Columbia sweeping up and slipped his tape to June, who gave it to me,” Cash said, per Rolling Stone .
“I put it with a big pile of others that had been given to me. I think I was guilty of throwing some of Kris’ songs into Old Hickory Lake.” Kristofferson realized Cash had likely passed on listening to the tape.
He decided to give it to Cash in a way he couldn’t ignore. “I didn’t really listen to them until one afternoon, he was flying a National Guard helicopter and he landed in my yard,” Cash said. “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.” While Kristofferson said the beer was a creative invent.