Honors and distinctions

  • In 2003, a 33-mile stretch of Mississippi Highway 3 from Pride's hometown of Sledge to Tutwiler was named "Charley Pride Highway".

  • Pride sang the national anthem before game five of the 2010 World Series, played between the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants. 

  • On March 14, 2021, the Texas Rangers baseball team announced that their spring training field in Surprise, Arizona, had been renamed "Charley Pride Field".

Awards

Academy of Country Music Awards

  • 1994 Pioneer Award

American Music Awards

Ameripolitan Music Awards

  • 2016 Master Award

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Country Music Association

Grammy Awards

Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame

  • 1996 Merit of Distinction Award in the Performing Arts

Charley Pride

March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020

Charley Pride was an American singer, guitarist, and professional baseball player. His greatest musical success came in the early to mid-1970s, when he was the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis Presley.  During the peak years of his recording career (1966–1987), he had 52 top-10 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, 30 of which made it to number one. He won the Entertainer of the Year award at the Country Music Association Awards in 1971.  Throughout the 1970s Charley Pride was a frequent performer at Austin’s Soap Creek Saloon, often appearing with Willie Nelson.

Pride is one of three African-American members of the Grand Ole Opry (the others being DeFord Bailey and Darius Rucker). He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000.

Pride was born on March 18, 1934, in Sledge, Mississippi, the fourth of eleven children of poor sharecroppers.  Eight boys and three girls were in the family. His elder brother, Mack Pride, played Negro league baseball before entering the ministry. 

When Pride was 14, his mother purchased him his first guitar and he taught himself to play. Though he loved music, one of Pride's lifelong dreams was to become a professional baseball player. In 1952, he pitched for the Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League. Throughout the 1950s and until the mid-1960s, Pride had a dynamic career in baseball.  He began concentrating more on his music and that became the focus of his creativity for the rest of his life. 

He made a good living performing music in the Helena, Montana area. He moved his wife and son to join him and they lived in Helena until 1967, purchasing their first home there, and with their children Dion and Angela being born at the local hospital. The Pride family moved to Great Falls, Montana, in 1967, because Pride's music career was taking off and he required quicker access to an airport. The family ultimately left Montana and moved to Texas in 1969. 

He performed his music solo at clubs and with a four-piece combo called the Night Hawks during the time he lived in Montana. His break came when Chet Atkins at RCA Victor heard a demonstration tape and got Pride a contract. In 1966, he released his first RCA Victor single, "The Snakes Crawl at Night". Pride was signed to RCA Victor in 1965. 

According to a news item by the Associated Press, Pride made this comment in a 1992 interview: "They used to ask me how it feels to be the 'first colored country singer' ... Then it was 'first Negro country singer;' then 'first black country singer.' Now I'm the 'first African-American country singer.' That's about the only thing that's changed".

In 1967, he became the first black performer to appear at the Grand Ole Opry since founding member DeFord Bailey, who had last appeared in 1941. Between 1969 and 1971, Pride had eight singles that 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 sound that was reaching country music in the 1960s and early 1970s, known as "Countrypolitan". In 1969, his compilation album, The Best of Charley Pride, sold more than one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Ultimately, Elvis Presley was the only artist who sold more records than Pride for RCA Victor. 

In 1971, Pride released what would become his biggest hit, "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'", a million-selling crossover single. The same year, he won the Country Music Association's entertainer of the year award, as well as its top male vocalist award in 1971 and 1972.  "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'" became Pride's signature tune. Besides being a five-week country number one in late 1971 and early 1972, the song was also his only pop top-40 hit, hitting number 21, and reaching the top 10 of the Adult Contemporary charts, as well. 

During the rest of the 1970s and into the 1980s, Pride continued to rack up country music hits. 

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

On May 1, 1993, Pride became a member of the Grand Ole Opry He celebrated his 25th anniversary of becoming a member with performances at the Opry on May 4 and 5, 2018. 

In 2020, the CMA announced that Pride would receive the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the 54th Country Music Association Awards in recognition of his work in the genre. The CEO of the CMA explained that "Charley Pride is the epitome of a trailblazer. Few other artists have grown country music's rich heritage and led to the advancement of country music around the world like Charley. His distinctive voice has created a timeless legacy that continues to echo through the country community today. We could not be more excited to honor Charley with one of CMA's highest accolades." 

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. 

Pride was a fan and part-owner of the Texas Rangers. He also performed the national anthem at some of the Rangers' games.

Pride died in Dallas on December 12, 2020, of complications related to COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas. He was 86 years old.