It was with great sadness that I learned this morning of the
death of country superstar Charlie Pride, who died this past Saturday,
apparently due to complications from COVID-19. He was 86 years old.
Charlie Pride
Charlie Frank Pride was born March 18, 1934 in Sledge, Mississippi the
fourth of eleven children born to poor sharecroppers. Though he loved music,
the greatest dream of Charlie's young life was to one day
become a professional baseball player.
In 1952, he pitched for the Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League.
In 1953, he signed on with the Boise Yankees, the Class C farm team of the
New York Yankees. However, during that season, an injury prevented him
to "lose the mustard" on his fastball and he was sent to the Yankees' Class D
team in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Later that season, while playing in the
Negro leagues with the Louisville Clippers, he and another player,
Jesse Mitchell, were traded to the Birmingham Black Barons for
a team bus! As Charlie recalled in his 1994 autobiography,
"Jesse and I may have the distinction of being the only players
in history to be traded for a used motor vehicle."
While still playing baseball, Charlie decided to launch a career in country music.
Encouraged by country stars like Red Sovine and Red Foley, and others, in 1958,
Charlie visited the famous Sun Studio in Memphis to record some songs.
Being touted as the "first Negro country singer" was not easy for him or his
family, nor was the fact that most people who listened to his songs
on the radio when he first started out, did not know he was a black man.
However, like Jackie Robinson did in the world of professional
baseball, Charlie Pride broke the color barrier in the country
music industry and in 1966 recorded his first song called,
"Snakes Crawl At Night"
which was followed by the song
that would finally bring him recognition
on the country music charts,
"Just Between You And Me" released in 1967.
That same year, Charlie was the first black country singer to perform
at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. The following year he was
nominated for a Grammy Award for his song, "Just Between You and Me".
In 1971, Charlie recorded what would become his "signature song",
called "Kiss An Angel Good Mornin" which became a
million-selling "crossover" hit single.
That same year he won the Country Music Association's
Entertainer Of The Year Award.
He was nominated as Top Male Vocalist in country music
in 1971 and 1972. Charlie went on to worldwide success,
selling over 70 million recordings of his songs.
In addition to his career in country music,
Charlie was a phenomenal gospel singer.
May he rest peacefully in the loving arms of Jesus.
(1968)
Charlie Pride
Kenny Rogers...Charlie Daniels... and now Charlie Pride.
Since today's country music sounds more
like millennial "pop" crossovers, and not at all
like the country music of my childhood and growing up years
that my parents listened to on records and eight track tapes,
I keep asking myself the same question the late
country legend George Jones asked in his song:
"Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes"?
Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?
(1987)
George Jones
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