Sweetwater is deeply saddened to hear that Charley Pride, one of country music’s true legends, passed away on December 12, 2020. If you were a kid or an adult in the early ’70s, there was no missing the rise of Charley Pride. Between 1966 and 1987, Mr. Pride became RCA’s biggest-selling artist since Elvis, racking up an impressive 52 Top 10 country hits on the Billboard charts. Songs like “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'” and “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone” enjoyed constant rotation on radio stations all over the nation and even in parts of Europe.
Born in 1934 in Sledge, Mississippi, Pride initially fell in love with baseball and would go on to play as a pitcher for minor-league teams the Memphis Red Sox and the Birmingham Black Barons. Drafted into the army in 1956, Charley continued to play baseball actively while in the service. Even while he was serving his country and playing ball, Pride continued to sing and play guitar, having first learned when he was 14. His natural talent caught the attention of Red Foley, who encouraged him to move to Nashville and try his hand at making a career out of music. Pride even visited Sun Studio in 1958 and recorded several tracks for Sam Phillips. Still, the tug of his baseball dreams was strong, and Pride ultimately continued on in the minor leagues, hoping for stab at the majors one day.
In the early ’60s, Pride moved to Montana to take a job in construction and eventually joined a local minor-league team. It was on this team that Pride’s distinctively smooth vocal abilities came to the attention of the team manager, who began paying Mr. Pride to sing before games. Pride would later recount that this experience gave him the confidence that he could actually sing for a living and support himself and his growing family.
In 1966, the stars aligned, and none other than Chet Atkins got ahold of one of Pride’s demos. Mr. Atkins heard Charley’s talent and potential right away and got in touch with him to offer him a contract with RCA. Pride was over the moon with the offer and, in short order, was on his way to Nashville to record. His first singles for RCA did not immediately chart, and Pride recalls being concerned he might have made the wrong move. But, just a year later, “Just Between You and Me” was a hit, landing at #9 on the Hot Country charts. All the years of hard work had paid off. He was on his way.
Charley Pride was, indeed, country music’s first Black superstar, but he rarely called attention to that fact and always strove to transcend race in favor of the music. Pressed by his own sister early in his career on why he was singing “their” music, Pride had a both humble and insightful response: “Well, it’s my music, too, if I like it.”
Over a 50-year career, Charley Pride won numerous awards, including Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. His bourbon-smooth baritone was lauded by his contemporaries, and his trailblazing career inspired younger Black artists like Darius Rucker, Rhiannon Giddens, and Mickey Guyton. Inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1993 and into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000, Charley Pride will remain forever a son of country music and an example of the transcendence of artistic expression.
Sweetwater’s Don Carr Remembers Working with Charley Pride
“I got to know Charley working with the Oak Ridge Boys. We did dozens of shows together through the years — festivals, fairs, co-headliners, television — and Charley’s main focus was to entertain the audience. He was a people person on and off stage, always positive and friendly. Along with his smooth, instantly recognizable voice, he was a great communicator and unifier. He famously spoke of not seeing ‘them and us’ or people’s differences, which obviously contributed to his success as an artist. My heart goes out to his entire family, especially his wife Rozene and son Dion, who would travel with him and who I got to know. Charley’s passing is a big loss for country music.”