Black Country Music Legend Charley Pride dies at 86

BY MICHAEL THOMAS

The country music fraternity lost a true legend when the first black super star of that genre died at 86 a few weeks ago. Charley Pride was an incomparable force to recon with in the country music business from the first time he hit the stage in Nashville.

Pride’s first passion was baseball and he gave it a good try, but fate was against him in that field and eventually he got drafted and went into the U.S. army. That never stopped him from pursuing his second love – country music.

Pride was a perfectionist and he took that passion into country music delivering the songs as only “Charley Pride” could, with feelings and a load of passion every time he performed.

The country legend was born Charl Frank Pride to poor sharecroppers on March 18^th, 1934, in Sledge, Mississippi. Pride came from a family consisting of eleven children, but due to a mistake on his birth certificate, his legal name became Charley Frank Pride.

He taught himself to play the guitar as a teenager. On a trip to Nashville, Pride met Jack Johnson, who promised the musician a management contract. One year later, he returned to that city to record his first demo called “The Snakes Crawl at Night” and “Atlantic Coastal Line.”

As soon as Chet Atkins, who was the head of RCA records, heard the demo, he immediately signed Pride to the label and released Pride’s first single “Snakes Crawl at Night” in January 1966. Pride’s third single, “Just Between You and Me,” was the song responsible for launching Pride to stardom, reaching No. 9 on the U.S. country charts.

Because a black country singer was unheard of at the time, Pride’s early recording was released without his picture on the record, but that never stopped country’s die-hard fans from enjoying this soulful baritone.

“Just Between You and Me” gave him his first Grammy in 1967. Two years later, Pride had his first No.1 hit with “All I Have to Offer” (1969).

Pride quickly became a household name in the country music industry winning almost every accolade there is. Over the next three decades, Pride recorded 36 No.1 hits and watched four of his albums go platinum. He has been listed as country’s music royalty, among the Top 20 best-selling country artists of all time, and is second in record sales only to the great Elvis Presley.

On May 1^st, 1993, Pride was invited to become a member of the prestigious Grand Ole Opry becoming only the second African American inductee of the stage show. The next year, he published his autobiography, Pride: The Charley Pride Story.

Besides having the Pioneer Award by the Academy of Country Music bestowed on him, in July 1999, Pride received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He would go on to receive country music’s highest honor on October 4^th, 2003: induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Just a few days before he died, Pride appeared in person to accept his final award “The Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.” The CMA Country Music Association CEO Sarah Trahern called Pride “The epitome of a trailblazer.” Charley Pride is only the sixth person so far to receive this award.

“Few other artists have grown country music’s rich heritage and led to the advancement of country music around the world like Charley. His distinctive voice has created a timeless legacy that continues to echo through the country community today. We could not be more excited to honour Charley with one of CMA’s highest accolades.” Trahern said.

The millions he touched with his music will miss Charley Pride.