More Info on Charley PrideSimilar Country MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Infobox musical artist| name = Charley Pride| image = Charley-Pride 1981.JPEG| caption = Pride performing at the Capital Centre on the 1981 United States presidential inauguration|Inauguration Day | image_size = | background = solo_singer| birth_name = Charley Frank Pride| birth_date = birth date and age|1938|3|18Citation needed|date=September 2010| Other names = Charlie Pride| death_date =| origin = Sledge, Mississippi , United States | instrument = Guitar , Human voice|vocals | genre = Country music | occupation = Singer Baseball player|Former Professional Baseball player business and radio station owner| years_active = 1966& ndash;present| label = RCA Records|RCA 16th Avenue Records|16th Avenue Music City| website = http://www.charleypride.com/ Charley Frank Pride (born March 18, 1938) is an United States|American country music singer. His smooth baritone voice was featured on thirty-nine number-one hits on the Billboard magazine|Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His greatest success came in the early- to mid-1970s, when he became the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis Presley .cite web|url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p1772|pure_url=yes|title=Biography: Charley Pride|last=Vinopal|first=David|publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=September 6, 2011 His chart success and recordings since the late 1980s have been sporadic, but Pride continued touring successfully.
Pride is one of the few African-American|Black country music|country musicians to have had considerable success in the largely Caucasian country music industry and the only one to be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry . In 2010, Pride became a special investor and minority owner of the Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers baseball club.cite web|last=Durrett |first=Richard |url= http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/texas-rangers/post/_/id/4855228/a-peek-at-rangers-board-of-directors-owners |title=A peek at owners, board of directors - Dallas Texas Rangers Blog - ESPN Dallas |publisher=Espn.go.com |date=2010-01-02 |accessdate=2011-04-05
Early life and career
Pride was born in Sledge, Mississippi , one of eleven children of poor sharecropper s. His father intended to name him Charl Frank Pride, but owing to a clerical error on his birth certificate , his legal name is Charley Frank Pride.cite web|url= http://countrymusichalloffame.org/full-list-of-inductees/view/charley-pride|title=Charley Pride|publisher=Country Music Hall of Fame |date= |accessdate=2011-04-05 In his early teens, Pride began playing guitar.
Though he also loved music, one of Pride's life-long dreams was to become a professional baseball player. In 1952, he pitcher|pitched for the Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League . He pitched well, and, in 1953, he signed a contract with the Boise Yankees , the Class C farm team of the New York Yankees . During that season, an injury caused 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 in the Negro leagues with the Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville Clippers, he and another player (Jesse Mitchell), were traded to the Birmingham Black Barons for a team bus. "Jesse and I may have the distinction of being the only players in history to be traded for a used motor vehicle," Pride mused in his 1994 autobiography. http://72.14.253.104/search? q=cache:0AsRCfHiw3kJ:www.baseballhalloffame.org/news/2006/060720.htm+%22charley+pride%22+birmingham& hl=en& ct=clnk& cd=2& gl=us Baseball Hall of Fame websitedead link|date=July 2011 He pitched for several other minor league teams, his hopes of making it to the big leagues still alive. Pride appeared to be advancing to a career in baseball, but the United States Army|Army derailed this. After serving two years in the military, he tried to return to baseball. http://72.14.253.104/search? q=cache:0AsRCfHiw3kJ:www.baseballhalloffame.org/news/2006/060720.htm+%22charley+pride%22+birmingham& hl=en& ct=clnk& cd=2& gl=us Baseball Hall of Fame Though hindered by an injury to his throwing arm, Pride briefly played for the Missoula, Montana|Missoula Timberjacks of the Pioneer Baseball League|Pioneer League (a farm club of the Cincinnati Reds ) in 1960,cite web|title=Charley Pride in Helena|work=Helena As She Was: A Cooperative History Resource|publisher=Helena History| url= http://www.helenahistory.org/Charlie_Pride_In_Helena.htm|accessdate=2011-07-23 and had tryouts with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim|California Angels (1961) and the New York Mets (1962) organizations, but was not picked up by either team. He worked construction in Helena, Montana during this time.cite web|title=Charley Pride|work=Montana Kids|publisher=Montana Office of Tourism|url= http://montanakids.com/cool_stories/Famous_Montanans/pride.|accessdate=August 8, 2011 When it became apparent that he was not destined for greatness on the baseball diamond , Pride pursued a music career.
On June 5, 2008, Pride, his brother, Mack "The Knife" Pride, and 28 other living former Negro league baseball|Negro league players were "drafted" by each of the 30 Major League Baseball teams in a recognition of the on-field achievements and historical relevance of 30 mostly forgotten Negro league stars. Pride was picked by the Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers (with whom he has had a long affiliation) while his brother was taken by the Colorado Rockies .cite news|url= http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp? ymd=20080529& content_id=2793671& vkey=news_tex& fext=.jsp& c_id=tex |title=Rangers to make Pride part of family |first=Shawn |last=Shroyer |publisher= MLB.com |date=2008-05-30 |accessdate=2008-08-10cite web|author=By& nbsp;Justice B. Hill& nbsp;/& nbsp;MLB.com |url= http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp? ymd=20080529& content_id=2795840& vkey=draft2008& fext=.jsp |title=Special Negro Leagues Draft & #124; MLB.com: News |publisher=Mlb.mlb.com |date= |accessdate=2011-04-05
Rise to music fame
While he was active in baseball, Pride had been encouraged to join the music business by country stars such as Red Sovine and Red Foley , and was working towards this career. In 1958, in Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis , Tennessee , Pride visited Sun Studios and recorded some songs. http://www.gactv.com/gac/nw_headlines/article/0,3034,GAC_26063_5053276_,00.html GACTV website One song has survived on Audio tape|tape Disambiguation needed|date=June 2011, and was released in the United Kingdom as part of a box set . The song is a slow stroll in walking tempo called "Walkin' (the Stroll)." http://www.tickets--tickets.com/Event/3897/Charley-Pride.html Tickets.com website
Nashville manager and agent Jack D. Johnson signed Pride and landed him a recording contract|contract with a record label , and he caught the ear of record producer Chet Atkins . Atkins was the longtime producer of RCA Records who had made stars out of country singers such as Jim Reeves , Skeeter Davis and others. Pride was signed to RCA in 1965. In January 1966, he released his first single with RCA, "The Snakes Crawl at Night", which did not chart. On the records of this song submitted to radio stations for Airplay (radio)|airplay , the singer was listed as "Country Charley Pride". At this time, country music was a white medium. Jack made sure that there were no pictures of Pride distributed for the first two years of his career, in order to avoid the effects of Jim Crowism.
Soon after the release of "The Snakes Crawl at Night", Pride released another single called "Before I Met You", which also did not chart. Soon after, Pride's third single, "Just Between You and Me", was released. This song was the one that finally brought Pride success on the Country charts. The song reached #9 on US Country chart.
Height of his career
The success of "Just Between You and Me" was enormous. He won a Grammy Award for the song the next year.
In 1967, he became the first black performer to appear at the Grand Ole Opry since harmonica player DeFord Bailey . http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_tov/ai_2419100532 Find Articles website Bailey was a regular cast member of the Opry from 1925 through 1941, and made a final appearance in 1974. DeFord Bailey Pride also appeared in 1967 on the American Broadcasting Company|American Broadcasting Company's " The Lawrence Welk Show ". http://stephist.livejournal.com/161003.html Live Journal website
Between 1969 and 1971 Pride had eight single records that simultaneously reached number one on the US Country Hit Parade and also charted on the Billboard Hot 100 : " All I Have to Offer You (Is Me) ", " (I'm So) Afraid of Losing You Again ", " I Can't Believe That You've Stopped Loving Me ", " I'd Rather Love You ", " Is Anybody Goin' to San Antone ", " Wonder Could I Live There Anymore ? ", " I'm Just Me ", and " Kiss an Angel Good Mornin' ". The pop success of these songs reflected the country/pop Crossover (music)|crossover sound that was reaching Country music in the 1960s and early 1970s, known as " Nashville Sound|Countrypolitan ". In 1969 his compilation album , The Best of Charley Pride sold over one million copies, and was awarded a music recording sales certification|gold disc .cite book | first= Joseph | last= Murrells | year= 1978 | title= The Book of Golden Discs | edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | page= 265 | isbn= 0-214-20512-6
Pride sang the Paul Newman directed film Sometimes a Great Notion (film)|Sometimes a Great Notion s main soundtrack song " All His Children " in 1970. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067774/soundtrack The film starred Newman and Henry Fonda and received two Academy Award|Oscar nominations in 1972, one being for the song that Pride sang. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067774/awards
"Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'"
In 1971, he would release what would become his biggest hit "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'", a million-selling crossover single that helped Pride land the Country Music Association|Country Music Association's prestigious Entertainer of the Year award, as well as Top Male Vocalist. http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0150676.html Fact Monster website He won CMA's Top Male Vocalist award again in 1972. http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0150678.html Fact Monster website
"Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'" became Pride's signature tune. Besides being a five-week country #1 in late 1971 and early 1972, the song was also his only popular music|pop Top 40 hit, hitting #21, and reaching the Top Ten of the Adult Contemporary charts as well.
Pride during the 1970s, 1980s and beyond
During the rest of the 1970s and into the 1980s, Pride continued to rack up country music hits. Other Pride standards of the 1970s and 1980s include " Mississippi Cotton Picking Delta Town ," "Someone Loves You, Honey," " When I Stop Leavin' (I'll Be Gone) ," " Burgers and Fries ", " I Don't Think She's in Love Anymore ", "Roll On Mississippi", " Never Been So Loved (In All My Life) " and " You're So Good When You're Bad ." Like many other country performers, he has paid tribute to Hank Williams , with an album of songs that were all written by Hank entitled '' There's a Little Bit of Hank in Me '', which included top-sellers of Williams' classics " Kaw-Liga (song)|Kaw-Liga ," " Honky Tonk Blues " and " You Win Again (Hank Williams song)|You Win Again ".
Pride has sold over 70 million Gramophone record|records (singles, albums, compilation included).cite web|url= http://www.charleypride.com/about |title=Charley Pride website |publisher=Charleypride.com |date= |accessdate=2011-04-05
He stayed with RCA Records until 1986. At that point, he grew angry over the fact that the record company began to promote newer artists and not older artists who had been with the company for years.Citation needed|date=February 2007 He moved on to 16th Avenue Records , where Pride bounced back with the #5 hit, "Shouldn't it be Easier Than This." He had a few minor hits with 16th Avenue, as well.
Pride's lifelong passion for baseball continues; he has an annual tradition of joining the Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers for workouts during Spring Training. A big Rangers fan ( Dallas, Texas|Dallas has been his home for many years), Pride is often seen at their games.Charley Pride website
In 2008, Pride received the Mississippi Arts Commission's lifetime achievement award during the organization's Governor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts.cite web|author=January 3, 2008 |url= http://www.cmt.com/news/articles/1578951/20080103/pride_charley.jhtml |title=Charley Pride to Receive Mississippi Honor |publisher=CMT.com |date=2008-01-03 |accessdate=2011-04-05 http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? AID=/20080104/FEAT05/801040327/1023 The ClarionLedger: The Pride of Miss.: Gov.'s Awards for Excellence in the Arts recipientsdead link|date=April 2011
Personal
Pride met his future wife, Rozene, while playing baseball in the southern states. They were married in 1956. They have two sons (Kraig, Dion) and a daughter (Angela). They currently reside in Dallas, Texas . Kraig now goes by the name Carlton and has somewhat followed in his father's footsteps as a performing artist. His band, Carlton Pride and Zion started in San Marcos, Texas in 1995 and they perform a variety of reggae, funk, and soul music throughout the United States.
In 1994 Pride co-wrote (with Jim Henderson) his autobiography, Pride: The Charley Pride Story .First published by William Morrow in 1994, ISBN 0-688-14232-X In this book he reveals that he has struggled for years with manic depression.
Pride had a tumor removed from his right vocal cord in 1997 at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He returned to the site in February 2009 for a routine checkup and surprised the Arkansas Senate with an unplanned performance of five songs. He was joined by Governor Mike Beebe during the show.Demillo, Andrew. http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2009-02-12-pride-arkansas_N.htm Charley Pride leads Arkansas lawmakers in song, USA Today , 2009-02-12. Pride is an avid fan and part ownercite web|url= http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp? ymd=20100806& content_id=13106970& vkey=news_tex& fext=.jsp& c_id=tex& partnerId=rss_tex |title=Bloom: Baseball, Rangers are big winners & #124; texasrangers.com: News |publisher=Mlb.mlb.com |date=2010-06-18 |accessdate=2011-04-05 of the Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers . He sang the national anthem before game 5 of the 2010 World Series, played between the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants.cite web|url= http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp? ymd=20101031& content_id=15923282& vkey=pr_mlb& fext=.jsp& c_id=mlb |title=Charley Pride and Mollie Corbett to Perform During Game Five of the 2010 World Series on FOX& #124; MLB.com: Official Info |publisher=Mlb.mlb.com |date=2010-10-31 |accessdate=2011-04-05Pride sang the national anthem before game 2 of the 2011 ALCS between the Detroit Tigers & Texas Rangers
Film
On April 29, 2011 it was announced that a biopic was in the works based on Pride's life and career. The film will be produced by and star actor and professional wrestler, Dwayne Johnson .cite web|url= http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php? id=76995 |title=Dwayne Johnson to Star in Charley Pride Biopic |publisher=ComingSoon.net |date=2011-04-29 |accessdate=2011-07-23
Chronology
Prose|date=January 2009
1960s, Pride lived in Helena, MT and played legion baseball for the Helena Smelterites.
January 1966 - "The Snakes Crawl At Night" his first RCA Single is issued, receives airplay but does not chart.
June 1966 - Second RCA Single - "Before I Met You" also does not chart.
December 1966 – Makes his debut on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Songs|Hot Country Singles chart with "Just Between You and Me." The song would peak in the top 10 less than three months later; two earlier singles had failed to chart.
August 9, 1969 – Scores his first Billboard No. 1 hit with "All I Have to Offer You Is Me."
September 6, 1969 – Pride appears on national television on The Johnny Cash Show (TV series)|The Johnny Cash Show to perform a medley of Hank Williams songs with Johnny Cash|Cash . Pride's medley with Cash can be seen here. http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=kl1fR8zy7p4 dead link|date=April 2011
1971 – Enjoys the biggest hit of his career with the million-seller "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'." The song was his eighth No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, and spent five weeks atop the chart.
September 17, 1983 – Scores his 29th and final No. 1 hit on Billboard with "Night Games." He still remains sixth on the all-time list of most No. 1 hits on the Billboard country charts. "Night Games" would be the last song performed by a black artist to hit the top of the Billboard country charts until Darius Rucker 's " Don't Think I Don't Think About It " reached #1 in 2008.
May 1, 1993 – Pride accepted an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry , in the process becoming the first black Grand Ole Opry|Opry regular in the show's more than 70-year history.
1994 – Pride released his autobiography , Pride: The Charley Pride Story (published by William Morrow and Company|William Morrow ).
June 1994 – Pride was honored by the Academy of Country Music with its prestigious Pioneer Award.
January 1996 – Pride was honored with a Trumpet Award by Turner Broadcasting , marking outstanding African-American Achievement. His 1981 hit, "Roll On Mississippi", is considered the official song of his home stateCitation needed|date=February 2007, a stretch of Mississippi highway was named for him Citation needed|date=July 2007 and he headlined a special Christmas performance for President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton at the White House .Citation needed|date=July 2007
July 1999 – Pride received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame .Citation needed|date=July 2007
March 25, 2003 - Received the Texas Cultural Trust's Texas Medal of Arts.cite news | agency=Associated Press | title=Talented Texans to be Honored | url= http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl? id=2003_3624907 | work=The Houston Chronicle | page=2 | date=7 February 2003| accessdate=2008-01-22
March 27, 2003 - Ranked #18 on '' CMT 's 40 Greatest Men in Country Music .
May 20, 2003 – Pride's album, Comfort of Her Wings , was released on Music City Records.
November 7, 2006 – Pride's album, Pride & Joy: A Gospel Music Collection , was released on Music City Records.
January 10, 2008 - Received a lifetime achievement award from the Mississippi Arts Commission.
Discography
Main|Charley Pride discography
Awards
American Music Awards
American Music Award for Favorite Country Album|1973 Favorite Country Album - "A Sun Shiny Day"
American Music Award for Favorite Country Male Artist|1973 Favorite Country Male Artist
American Music Award for Favorite Country Male Artist|1976 Favorite Country Male Artist
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame|Inducted in 2000
Country Music Association
Country Music Association Awards|1971 Entertainer of the Year
Country Music Association Awards|1971 Male Vocalist of the Year
Country Music Association Awards|1972 Male Vocalist of the Year
Grammy Awards
Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance|1972 Best Country Vocal Performance, Male - "Charley Pride Sings Heart Songs"
See also
Grand Ole Opry
Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame ( 2000 in country music|2000 inductee)
References
;General
Country Music: The Rough Guide ; Wolff, Kurt; Penguin Publishing
;Specific Reflist|2
External links
http://www.charleypride.com/ Official Website
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/mcityrecords481955/index.html Record Label
http://www.opry.com/MeetTheOpry/Members.aspx? id=97 at the Grand Ole Opry
Persondata | NAME =Pride, Charley | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH =March 18, 1938 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Pride, Charley Category:1938 births Category:Living people Category:African American musicians Category:African American singers Category:American country musicians Category:American country singers Category:Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:Memphis Red Sox players Category:Minor league baseball players Category:Musicians from Dallas, Texas Category:Musicians from Mississippi Category:Negro league baseball players Category:People from Montana Category:People from Quitman County, Mississippi Category:People with bipolar disorder Category:RCA Records Nashville artists
de:Charley Pride fo:Charley Pride fr:Charley Pride sw:Charley Frank Pride sv:Charley Pride
