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African-American country singer Charley Pride, whose number one country hits included All I have to offer you (is me) and Kiss an angel good morning He died at the age of 86 due to complications from Covid-19, according to his website.
Charlie Pride performs at an awards ceremony in Nashville last month.
Photo: AFP
Pride, who died in Dallas, was not the first black artist to make significant contributions to country music, but he was a pioneer who emerged during a time of division and rancor.
Between 1967 and 1987, Pride delivered 52 Top 10 country hits, won three Grammy Awards, and became the best-selling country artist on RCA Records, according to the website.
He released dozens of albums and sold more than 25 million records during his career.
“We are not color blind yet, but we have come a few steps along the way and I like to think that I have contributed something to that process,” Pride wrote in her memoirs.
The Mississippi native picked cotton, served in the United States Army and played baseball before moving to Nashville, becoming the country’s first black star. He joined the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000, Rolling Stone said the magazine.
“I am so heartbroken that one of my oldest and dearest friends, Charley Pride, passed away,” country music star Dolly Parton said on Twitter. “It’s even worse to know that he passed away from Covid-19. What a horrible, horrible virus. Charley, we will always love you.”
Country singer Ronnie Milsap called Pride a “trailblazer” and said that without their support, Milsap could never go to Nashville.
“Hearing this news takes a piece of my heart out of me,” he said in a statement.
Australian country star Keith Urban described Pride as “one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.”
Today we lost a great one. pic.twitter.com/4oeebVsLZU
– Keith Urban (@KeithUrban) December 12, 2020
Pride’s last performance occurred on November 11, 2020, when she sang her hit. Kiss an angel good morning during the Country Music Association Awards Show at Nashville’s Music City Center.
Charley Pride was a pioneer whose remarkable voice and generous spirit broke barriers in country music just as his hero Jackie Robinson did in baseball. Her last performance was her hit, “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin”. Now it is one. @Country music https://t.co/kEjoaTdPOo
– Ken Burns (@KenBurns) December 12, 2020
Pride was born in Sledge, Mississippi, on March 18, 1934 to a sharecropper.
After enlisting in the military, he worked in a Missouri foundry plant. Pride then played for the Memphis Red Sox and Birmingham Black Barons in the Negro League before heading to Nashville in 1963, where he did recording demonstrations.
Charley’s pride
Photo: Ben De Rienzo
Four years later, Pride’s recording of Just between you and me broke into the Top Ten in the country. He went on to win the Country Music Association Artist of the Year award in 1971, his award for best male vocalist in 1971 and 1972, and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.
“Charley Pride will always be a legend in country music. We will truly miss him, but he will always be remembered for his great music, his wonderful personality and his big heart,” country music star Reba McEntire said on Twitter.
Left to right: Charlie Daniels, Charley Pride, Dwight Yoakam, Carrie Underwood, Randy Travis, Brad Paisley and Reba McEntire perform on stage in Nashville in November 2016.
Photo: 2016 Getty Images
He is survived by his wife, Rozene, whom he married in 1956; three children, Kraig, Dion and Angela; and several grandchildren.
– Reuters
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