Singer-songwriter Rita Coolidge was at her peak in the 1970s. Though her marriage to Kris Kristofferson was marred by his boozing, the recent murder of her sister has hurt her most, says Hannah Stephenson.

As she gets ready to play in Ireland, Rita Coolidge tells Ed Power about her marriage to Kris Kristofferson, and how the idealism of the 1960s soon gave way to something more sinister