Croatian songwriter Peter Renwood pays heartfelt tribute to legendary outlaw country icon Kris Kristofferson with “Goodbye Kris,” a cross-continental collaboration honoring timeless songwriting, analog tradition, and the enduring spirit of classic country.
1. What inspired you to write this song, and what does Kristofferson’s legacy mean to you personally and musically?
As I wrote in the song itself, Kris Kristofferson was much more than just a singer and musician. He was an actor, a highly educated Rhodes Scholar, an athlete, and a true Renaissance man. Yet, despite all those achievements, he remained incredibly humble—leaving behind a stable, promising career just to become a janitor in a Nashville recording studio, all so he could be close to the music. That kind of devotion is rare.
Musically, I’ve been listening to the legends of country music since I was a kid, especially The Highwaymen and all of their individual members. Kristofferson’s brilliance, his simplicity, and his clear vision of what he wanted to say have always inspired me. When he passed away in 2024, I wrote the lyrics for this tribute almost immediately. But I didn’t have the right opportunity or the right musicians to bring it to life, so the song waited in a drawer for almost two years. Now, at the end of 2025, the stars aligned. With the support of these top-tier session musicians, my vision for this song has finally been realized, and it’s finally seeing the light of day.
2. The track brings together musicians from different parts of the world, bridging Croatia and Nashville. How did this international collaboration come together, and what did each contributor bring to the emotional tone of the song?
The vision for the musicians playing on ‘Goodbye Kris’ was entirely guided by Kris’s life and the things he loved during his musical and film career.
The choice of the singer was very logical to me. Both as an actor and as a person, Kris loved Mexico and Mexican culture. He was practically born on the border in Texas, and through his films like Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, which was shot in Mexico, he lived that culture. Joe Romero had that emotion, that soul, and he brought that melancholic color to the vocal that perfectly expressed the sorrow of losing such a legend.
For the rest of the musicians, I was looking for the absolute best people to bring this project to life. As an independent, amateur country enthusiast from Croatia, I couldn’t let a tribute to such a legend be recorded poorly. So, I spent a lot of time finding the right guys. I found our drummer Esteban Rotunno from Argentina, and the legendary Nashville pedal steel player John Heinrich. I also hired the very talented multi-instrumentalist Dante Sesin, who played bass and did an excellent job producing and mixing the track.
Finally, to make sure the song retained that authentic Outlaw sound from before the 2000s, I reached out to Andrija Tokić, a top-tier expert in analog sound. I’m incredibly proud that ‘Goodbye Kris’ has that traditional Nashville seal—with John on the steel guitar and Andrija on the analog master. They did an amazing job, and I hope people will listen to it and love it.”
3. The recording features the pedal steel work of Nashville veteran John Heinrich and the powerful vocals of Joe Romero. What made them the right choices to help bring “Goodbye Kris” to life?
As for Joe Romero, his selection felt incredibly natural for this song. Kris Kristofferson was practically born on the Texas border, and through his life and films like Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, he was deeply connected to Mexico and its culture. Joe is from Mexico, and he sings with that genuine emotion, grit, and soul—what they call ‘corazón’. His melancholic voice was exactly what I needed to convey the sorrow of this tribute.
When it comes to John Heinrich, he doesn’t need much introduction; he is a living legend of the Nashville scene who played with Ronnie Milsap and many other giants. Since I’m an independent artist from Croatia, I just reached out to him online, sent the demo, and asked if he’d be willing to play. To my surprise and honor, he liked the song and agreed. ‘Goodbye Kris’ is actually the third song we’ve worked on together—he played his signature pedal steel on two of them, and dobro on one. Having someone with his pedigree repeatedly play on my songs is the ultimate confirmation that this project is on the right track.
4. The song was mastered using vintage analog gear by Andrija Tokić at Bomb Shelter Studio. Why was it important for you to keep the production raw and traditional rather than polished and modern?
I am a traditionalist at heart. I grew up listening to the absolute giants of country music—Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and of course, Kris Kristofferson. I wanted the production itself to be an homage to those legends. To me, that raw, unpolished, 70s-style analog production does something very important: it puts the story and the lyrics right in the foreground. It brings us back to the very core of what country music is supposed to be—three chords and the truth.
Today, mainstream country is heavily computerized, polished to the absolute maximum, and blended with pop. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing for the evolution of the genre, but as someone who loves Outlaw Country, I want to stay true to the original path. I strongly believe there is still an audience out there that craves that real, analog warmth.
To achieve that, I knew the mastering had to be done in Nashville, by people who naturally understand how this music should sound. Everything just clicked when I found Bomb Shelter Studio. As it turns out, the stars aligned perfectly—the owner and analog wizard, Andrija Tokić, actually has Croatian roots! We connected very quickly. Having a professional of his caliber master this song gives me a massive confidence boost, because someone like him wouldn’t put his name on a track he didn’t believe in. I’m incredibly proud that ‘Goodbye Kris’ carries that authentic Nashville seal, and I truly hope the listeners will feel that vintage soul.”
5. Your project is unique because you don’t sing but instead act as the musical architect through your harmonica work. How does this approach shape the songwriting and collaboration process within Peter Renwood & Crazy Wild Horses?
Since childhood, I’ve loved country music, but I always tried to imitate those legends and approach that genre more through a cinematic lens—Westerns and classic outlaw movies. That’s why I started playing the harmonica very early on. I was always drawn to that cowboy melody, that simple note and small instrument that can touch the heart and soul so deeply.
When I write songs, it happens very spontaneously. I write the lyrics to tell the story I want, and then I use the harmonica to try and play a melody to see how it sounds and if it makes sense for a wider audience. Since I don’t sing, the harmonica acts as my voice on every track. It’s my signature. I’m very particular about the harmonicas I use—I play Hohner harmonicas exclusively, and I have a large collection in different keys to match the emotion of each specific song.
I look at my role almost like a film director. I write the script, set the scene with the harmonica, and then I bring in the best possible musicians to play the parts. Sometimes my friends help me out with chords since I don’t play guitar, but the core vision is always set.
6. With releases like “Picture On The Table” and now “Goodbye Kris,” you’re building a borderless vision of traditional country and Americana. What direction do you see the project taking next, and are there more collaborations or stories waiting to be told?
From the very beginning, my primary goal was never to become a huge, mainstream country star. My wish was simply to hear how my songs would sound when played by top-tier musicians, and to see if those songs could find their way to the listeners. I’m doing this out of pure love. If I had one big wish, it would be that someone more famous and popular—someone who loves this traditional Outlaw Americana genre as much as I do—hears my song, likes it, and decides to sing it. That would be the ultimate compliment to my songwriting.
As for the immediate future, the plan is to continue this way. The collaboration with these brilliant musicians has been fantastic, and I hope we can keep working together on future releases. The ultimate goal is to gather enough material, and enough funding, to record a full album. Since I don’t have a record label or financial backing, and I’m funding everything myself, it’s a challenging road. But I have the material, I have the world-class musicians, I have the energy… now we just have to see if the finances align to make that album a reality.
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