Born on This Day in 1945, the Grammy-Winning Duet Partner of Kris Kristofferson Who Also Worked With Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan 

On this day (May 1) in 1945, Rita Coolidge was born in Lafayette, Tennessee. She began her career as a backup singer for some of the biggest names in the music business, including Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, Leon Russell, and Jimi Hendrix. In the 1970s, she married and recorded several successful duet albums with Kris Kristofferson.

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After graduating from Florida State University, Coolidge moved to Memphis, where she embarked on a singing career. She spent some time singing jingles before she was discovered by Delaney & Bonnie, a duo whose backing band included the likes of Russell, Clapton, George Harrison, and other notable musicians.

[RELATED: “Who Do You Think You Are?”: How Eric Clapton “Ripped Off” Rita Coolidge With the Hit “Layla”]

Her time with the group opened the doors for her. She joined Joe Cocker on his 1970 Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour. During this time, she also sang backup for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Harry Chapin, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and many others. Later, she dated Derek and the Dominos drummer Jim Gordon. According to The Southern Museum of Music, she wrote the piano part featured in the coda of the classic song “Layla.” Clapton heard the part and wanted to add it to the song. Gordon agreed and was credited for it. Coolidge, however, was not.

Bobby Whitlock, the band’s keyboard player, confirmed this. “Jim took that piano melody from his ex-girlfriend, Rita Coolidge,” he said. He explained that he heard them working on the song “Time,” which was later recorded by Coolidge’s sister Priscilla. The piano part came from that session. “Her boyfriend ripped her off,” Whitlock stated.

Rita Coolidge and Kris Kristofferson

Rita Coolidge and Kris Kristofferson met on a flight to Tennessee in 1970. She was going to Memphis, and Kristofferson was on his way to Nashville. They started talking, and sparks flew. When Coolidge got off the plane in Memphis, Kristofferson went with her.

They got married in 1973. That year, they released their first collaborative album, Full Moon. It topped the country chart and landed at No. 26 on the Billboard 200. The couple released two more albums together. In 1974, their song “From the Bottle to the Bottom” won the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group. Two years later, “Lover Please” took the same award. They divorced in 1980.

Solo Success and More

She had plenty of success as a solo artist as well. She had a string of hits on the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts in the late 1970s. “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher” went to No. 2 on the Hot 100. “We’re All Alone” topped the Adult Contemporary chart. “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “You,” and “I’d Rather Leave While I’m in Love” were all top 10 hits. In 1983, she scored her final No. 1 with “All Time High” from the soundtrack of the James Bond film Octopussy.

Coolidge formed the trio Walela with her sister Priscilla and niece Laura Satterfield in 1997. The group’s music celebrates their Indigenous roots.

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