Country Music Legend Charley Pride Has Died At Age 86

Pride (Photo: Joseph Llanes)

COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME member CHARLEY PRIDE died TODAY (12/12) in DALLAS of complications from COVID-19. He was 86 years old.

PRIDE was Country music’s first Black superstar, later becoming the first Black member of the COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME, where he was inducted in 2000. He had been a member of the GRAND OLE OPRY since 1993.

PRIDE’s 29 chart-topping hits included “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’,” “Is Anybody Goin’ To San Antone,” and “Mountain of Love,” and he notched an additional 23 Top 10 records between 1966 and 1987. He is a three-time GRAMMY Award winner, and was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by THE RECORDING ACADEMY in 2017.

He won the COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION’S (CMA)’s Entertainer of the Year award in 1971, was named CMA’s top male vocalist in 1971 and 1972, and was awarded the organization’s WILLIE NELSON Lifetime Achievement Award earlier this year (NET NEWS 10/22). PRIDE was also the first Black man to co-host the CMA Awards, taking the reins in 1975 alongside GLEN CAMPBELL.

In addition to his work as an entertainer, PRIDE also worked on the business side of the industry, establishing the booking and management company CHARDON, which helped introduce JANIE FRICKE, DAVE & SUGAR and NEAL McCOY. He was also a partner (with producer TOM COLLINS) in the PI-GEM publishing company.

His final performance was at last month’s CMA Awards show, where he performed “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” with JIMMIE ALLEN.

“With a voice for the ages, he fostered understanding, inclusion, and connection," said COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM CEO KYLE YOUNG. "He became one of the greatest artists in American music history, expanding Country music’s audience with his boundless enthusiasm and his masterful vocal tone and phrasing. He is among Country music’s most beloved and respected figures, and he found self-expression to be the most crucial political statement. In his autobiography, contemplating his role as a trailblazer and a civil rights pioneer, he wrote, ‘My decision was to sing.’ What a singer. What a legend. What a man.”

Survivors include wife ROZENE, sons CARLTON and CHARLES and daughter ANGELA, as well as five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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