Charley Pride

At 82 years old, Charley Pride has this physical status:

Charley Frank Pride (born March 18, 1934) is an American singer, guitarist, investor, and former professional baseball player.

His best musical success came in the 1970s, when he became the top-selling performer for RCA Records after Elvis Presley.

He had 52 top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart during his career (1966–87), 30 of which made it to number one. Pride is one of the few African-Americans to have enjoyed significant success in the country music industry, and one of only three (along with DeFord Bailey and Darius Rucker) to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

In 2000, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Pride became a special investor and minority owner of the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball team in 2010.

Early life

Pride was born in Sledge, Mississippi, on March 18, 1934, the fourth of eleven children of poor sharecroppers. Charl Frank Pride was intended to be named Charl Frank Pride, but his legal name was Charley Frank Pride, owing to a clerical mistake on his birth certificate. The family had eight boys and three girls. Mack Pride, his elder brother, played Negro league baseball before entering the ministry.

Personal life

Pride met Rozene while playing baseball in Memphis, Tennessee. They married in 1956 when Pride was on Christmas leave from Army basic training, and they had two sons, Kraig and Dion, and Angela's daughter. They also had five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. They lived in Dallas.

Pride had an extramarital affair with an unmarried Dallas flight attendant, and in 1979, she gave birth to Tyler's son, Tyler. The woman filed a lawsuit against Pride in 1990, and Pride responded by contesting the boy's paternity. Pride was in fact the child's father, according to a Texas court, who ordered that the boy's surname be changed to Pride in 1992.

Pride was born with a tumor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 1997. He returned to the site in February 2009 for a routine checkup, and he amazed the Arkansas Senate with an unexpected appearance of five songs. At the premiere, Governor Mike Beebe welcomed him.

Pride was a fan and part owner of the Texas Rangers. At several of the Rangers' games, he also performed the national anthem.

Pride is a distant cousin of blues guitarist and singer Christone "Kingfish" Ingram.

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Career

Pride's mother bought him his first guitar when he was 14 years old, and he taught himself to play. Although he loved music, one of Pride's lifelong aspirations was to become a professional baseball player. In 1952, he pitched for the Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League. In 1953, he signed a deal with the Boise Yankees, the New York Yankees' Class C farm team. He was sent by the Yankees' Class D team in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, after an accident that caused him to lose the "mustard" on his fastball. Pride and Jesse Mitchell, two players with the Louisville Clippers, were swapped to the Birmingham Black Barons later this season. "Jesse and I may be the first players in history to be traded for a used motor vehicle," Pride mused in his 1994 autobiography.

Pride pitched for several other minor league franchises, with the hopes of making it to the big leagues that are still alive, but was recruited into the United States Army in 1956. He was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, where he was a quartermaster and played on the Fort's baseball team after basic training. The All Army Sports Championship was won by the team. He rejoined the Memphis Red Sox when he was released in 1958. He tried to return to baseball but was limited by an injury to his throwing arm.

Pride played three games for the Missoula Timberjacks of the Pioneer League (a farm club of the Cincinnati Reds) in 1960, and had tryouts with the California Angels (1961) and the New York Mets (1962) teams, but neither team was selected up by either team.

As he was laid off by the Timberjacks, he went to work in Helena, Montana, in 1960. He was hired to pitch for the East Helena Smelterites, and the team's manager aided him in finding a job at the local Asarco lead smelter. The lead smelter kept 18 jobs open specifically for baseball players, and they planned their shifts so they could play as a team. Pride batted.444 in his first year.

Pride's singing ability came right away, prompting him to perform for 15 minutes before each game, which increased attendance and earned Pride another $10 on top of the $10 he earned for each game. He has performed in the local area, both solo and with the Night Hawks, and Asarco has requested him to perform at company picnics. His job at the smelter was both dangerous and laborious; he broke his ankle once more. He routinely unloaded coal from railroad cars, converting it into a 2,400-degree Fahrenheit furnace while still avoiding slag, a job that occasionally gave him fires. Pride said in a 2014 interview, "I would work at the smelter, work the swing shift, and then play music." "I'd work 11-07." Irma, a chauffeur, was a writer. Playing on Friday. Punch in. Drive. Polson: Polson. "This is Philipsburg."

He made a good living in the Helena area thanks to his smeltering career and his music. He brought his wife and son to Helena, where they bought their first house there and then had their children Dion and Angela born at the local hospital. Since Pride's music career was blossoming and he needed quicker access to an airport, the Pride family migrated to Great Falls, Montana, in 1967. The family then moved to Texas in 1969 and left Montana. Rozene Pride's wife, Rodney Pride, wrote that the family suffered minor racism in Montana, quoting an incident in which they were refused service in a restaurant and another time when a realtor refused to show them a home, but that she found them to be more considerate than she saw compared to that shown to black people in the South. Pride has reminisce of his time there for almost a decade. "Montana is a very conservative country." I stood out like a neon. But you will be a Montanan once they let you in. When it was announced that I was going to leave, it was assumed that I was leaving. "We'll let you in, but you can't leave," the narrator continued.

Pride and his brother Mack "The Knife" Pride and 28 other living former Negro league players were "drafted" by each of the 30 Major League Baseball teams on June 5, 2008, in honor of the on-field successes and historical importance of 30 mostly forgotten Negro league players. The Texas Rangers, with whom he has long links, were selected, and the Colorado Rockies welcomed Mack, his brother.

Pride had been encouraged to work in baseball by country stars such as Red Sovine and Red Foley, who were also planning on this career. Pride in Memphis, 1958, visited Sun Studio and recorded some songs.

During his time in Montana, he performed his music solo at clubs and with the Night Hawks, a four-piece band. He broke out when Chet Atkins, RCA Records' Chet Atkins, heard a protest tape and was given a deal, so Pride got a contract. "The Snakes Crawl at Night," he released his first RCA single, "The Snakes Crawl at Night" in 1966. Jack D. Johnson, the city's boss and agent, has joined Pride. Atkins, a long-serving producer at RCA who had made money from country artists such as Jim Reeves, Skeeter Davis, and others. Pride was founded in 1965 by RCA. "The Snakes Crawl at Night" did not chart. The artist was listed as "Country Charley Pride" on the recordings of this song, which had been submitted to radio stations for airplay. Pride indictments of a photo was deliberate; he said that getting promoters to bring in a Black country singer was a bigger issue: "People didn't care if I was pink." I was signed by RCA... they knew I was coloured... They decided to put the music out and let it speak for itself." While living in Montana, he continued to perform at local clubs, and his career in Great Falls gave him a big boost in his future when he befriended local businessman Louis Allen "Al" Donohue, who owned radio stations, including KMON, who owned the first stations to play Pride's music in Montana.

Pride's "Before I Met You" was released shortly after the release of "The Snakes Crawl at Night." His third album, "Just Between You and Me," was announced not long after. Pride's first album, This is the first time a song has dominated the country charts. On February 25, 1967, the album debuted at number nine on Hot Country Songs.

Pride made this comment in a 1992 interview: "They used to ask me how it feels to be the 'first colored country singer.' Now I'm the "first African-American country singer." About the only thing that has changed is that it's been changed.

"Just Between You and Me"'s success was overwhelming. Pride will be nominated for a Grammy Award for the song next year. In the late summer of 1966, he appeared at his first big show in Detroit's Olympia Stadium due to his early reveals. Since no biographical information had been shared with those singles, only 10,000 of the 10,000 country fans who attended the festival knew Pride was Black and discovered the fact only when he stepped into the stage, where the applause trickled off to silence. Pride later remembered, "I knew I'd have to get it over with sooner or later." "I told the audience: I'm sure it's a little strange, me coming out here — with a permanent suntan — to sing country and western to you." But that's the way it is.'

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The show became the first of a long and active career, with his ethnicity quickly becoming minor in comparison to his triumph. He became the first black artist to appear at the Grand Ole Opry in 1967 after founding member DeFord Bailey, who had last appeared in 1941. Pride had eight singles from 1969 to 1971, including "I'm So Glad" "I'm Still Afraid of Losing You," "I Can't Believe That I've Stopped Loving You," "I'm So Sorry" "I'm More Alright" "I'm So Sorry" and "I'm Just Me"; "I'm So Many People" "I'd Rather Love You" (Is Me) "I'm So Sad" ("I'" ("I'" (I'" (I's ("I'd Afraid I Can's You" "I Can's You") "I'd That I Can's You" "I'm" "I Can's" ("I Can'd" "I" ("I's" ("I" ("I'd Rather Love You") "I Can's You") These songs portrayed the popularity of country/pop crossover music in the 1960s and early 1970s, dubbed "Countrypolitan" in the United States and early 1970s. In 1969, his compilation album, The Best of Charley Pride, sold more than one million copies and was given a gold disc. Elvis Presley had more albums in sales than Pride for RCA, and he was the only artist to sell more records than RCA's Pride.

"All His Children" was performed by Pride in the film "Sometimes a Great Notion (1971). In 1972, the film received two Oscar nominations, one for "All His Children."

Pride's "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin," a million-selling crossover single, was released in 1971. He received the Country Music Association's entertainer of the Year award in 1971 and 1972, as well as its top male vocalist award in 1971 and 1972.

Pride's signature tune, "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin," became Pride's signature tune. Besides being a top-ten hit in late 1971 and early 1972, the album was also his first pop top-40 hit, debuting at number 21, and achieving the top ten of the Adult Contemporary charts.

Pride continued to rake up country music hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s. "Mississippi Cotton Picking Delta Town" "When I Stop Leavin" (I'll Be Gone), "I Don't Think She's in Love Anymore"), "I'm In Love Anymore" (I'm Not In Love Anymore), "I Never Think She's In Love Anymore"), "I'm Not In Love Anymore"), and "You're So Good When You're Not Bad" are three Pride items from this period ("I's "When I'Miss'"I'" ("I' "I'" ("I' "I' "I'll Be In All My Life)" ("I'Sex (I' (I'Avin'" ("I'" "I'm "I" (I's "I's" ("I'" ("I'" "I'" "You's" "You, "You's" "You And I'm A Good When You's," "I's (I's"" "I'" "I's" "I's" "You's Alive" Pride paid tribute to Hank Williams with an album of songs that were all written by Hank called "Kaw-Liga," "Honky Tonk Blues," and "You Win Again." Pride has sold more than 70 million albums (singles, albums, and compilations).

Pride's agent sold a 40-date tour kit to a United Kingdom booking agent who onward sold four dates to Dublin-based Irish music promoter Jim Aiken. The Troubles were at their peak at the time, and there were few nonresident music and sports teams traveling there. Aiken then rode aiken to Pride's winter 1975-76 concert in Ohio, and Pride was dispersed to appear in one of Belfast's Ritz Cinema's concerts. Pride appeared at the festival in November 1976 with his album song "Crystal Chandeliers" later being released as a single in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Pride's success enabled Aiken to book further shows into Northern Ireland after his appearance, and he became a hero on both directions of the controversy for removing the effective touring concert ban. His album "Crystal Chandeliers" was released as a unit song, and Aiken's visit was seen as a rally leader.

Pride performed the national anthem before game six of the 1980 World Series. He appeared at Super Bowl VIII and then again at game five of the 2010 World Series, accompanied by the Del Rio High School JROTC Color Guard.

Pride became a member of the Grand Ole Opry on May 1, 1993. On May 4 and 5, 2018, he commemorated his 25th birthday of being a member of the Opry.

Charley Pride's Book Pride: The Charley Pride Story was published in 1994 by Charley Pride. On Nashville Public Television, Pride talked to John Siegenthaler about the book and his childhood in Mississippi, the effects of racism throughout his career, and his battle against depression.

Pride was selected as one of the 30 best artists to perform on Forever Country, a mash-up track of "Take Me Home, Country Roads," "On the Road Again," and "I Will Always Love You," in honor of 50 years of the Country Music Association Awards. On July 7, 2017, Pride's first album in six years, titled Music in My Heart, was released.

Pride will be given the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the 54th Country Music Association Awards in 2020 for his work in the field. "Charley Pride is the epitome of a trailblazer," the CMA's CEO said. Few other artists have enriched country music's rich history and contributed to the rise of country music like Charley. His distinctive voice has left a lasting impression on the country community today. We could not be more delighted to present Charley with one of CMA's top awards."

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