On this day (November 11) in 1973, Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart with Full Moon. The pair tied the knot months before the album hit shelves. It was their first collaborative project, introducing them as a possible country music power couple. Interestingly, Full Moon knocked Kristofferson’s sole No. 1 solo album, Jesus Was a Capricorn, out of the top spot.
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According to People, Kristofferson and Coolidge met in 1971 on a flight from Los Angeles, California, to Memphis, Tennessee. They felt an instant connection and talked throughout the flight. Kristofferson was on his way to Nashville. However, when the plane landed in Memphis, he chose to stay in town with Coolidge. “Before we went to sleep that night, we’d already picked out a name for our first child,” she told the outlet. “There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to be together.”
She was right, the pair said “I do” in August 1973. They released Full Moon the next month. The album quickly climbed to the top of the chart, giving them their only joint No. 1.
Kris Kristofferson Loses the Top Spot to His Rita Coolidge Collaboration
A week before Full Moon peaked, Kris Kristofferson scored his sole solo No. 1 with Jesus Was a Capricorn. However, unlike his solo album, their collaboration didn’t produce any hit singles.
Jesus Was a Capricorn spawned “Why Me,” Kristofferson’s only No. 1 single as a solo artist. He and Coolidge never achieved success on the country chart or the Hot 100. “Rain” from their 1974 album Breakaway was their highest-charting country single, peaking at No. 87. “A Song I’d Like to Sing,” the lead single from Full Moon, was their best showing on the Hot 100. IT peaked at No. 49. The single performed better on the Adult Contemporary Chart, on which it reached No. 12.
Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge released three albums together between 1973 and 1978. Their marriage ended in divorce in June 1980.
Featured Image by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images
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