Country Music Musician. He established himself as one of the earliest African-American country music stars to enjoy commercial success. Born Charley Frank Pride (some sources state year of birth as 1938), he was brought up with an appreciation for music which included the Gospel, Blues and Country genres and purchased his first guitar during his middle teenage years. Pride also had a love for baseball and for a significant period pitched with the Memphis Red Sox and Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues and played at an all star level. For a period, he played in the New York Yankees' organization and later had tryouts with the Los Angeles Angels and New York Mets following service with the United States Army. Simultaneously, he pursued a career in music before ending his dream of becoming a Major League Baseball player during the early 1960s. After cutting a few singles, he landed a contract with the RCA label and recorded his debut album "Country" in 1966. At the height of his popularity, he performed on numerous TV programs including "Hee Haw", "The Johnny Cash Show", "The Mike Douglas Show" and "Sha Na Na" and was a performer at The Grand Ole Opry. He scored a number one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Charts with the single "Is Anybody Goin' to San Antone" (1970) and bridged to Popular Music when his hit "Kiss An Angel Good Mornin'" earned him a Top 30 placing on the American Pop Charts and gold record status in late 1971. During the course of his career, he received three Grammy Awards and achieved a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work as a recording artist. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. He died of complications from Covid 19.
Country Music Musician. He established himself as one of the earliest African-American country music stars to enjoy commercial success. Born Charley Frank Pride (some sources state year of birth as 1938), he was brought up with an appreciation for music which included the Gospel, Blues and Country genres and purchased his first guitar during his middle teenage years. Pride also had a love for baseball and for a significant period pitched with the Memphis Red Sox and Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues and played at an all star level. For a period, he played in the New York Yankees' organization and later had tryouts with the Los Angeles Angels and New York Mets following service with the United States Army. Simultaneously, he pursued a career in music before ending his dream of becoming a Major League Baseball player during the early 1960s. After cutting a few singles, he landed a contract with the RCA label and recorded his debut album "Country" in 1966. At the height of his popularity, he performed on numerous TV programs including "Hee Haw", "The Johnny Cash Show", "The Mike Douglas Show" and "Sha Na Na" and was a performer at The Grand Ole Opry. He scored a number one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Charts with the single "Is Anybody Goin' to San Antone" (1970) and bridged to Popular Music when his hit "Kiss An Angel Good Mornin'" earned him a Top 30 placing on the American Pop Charts and gold record status in late 1971. During the course of his career, he received three Grammy Awards and achieved a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work as a recording artist. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. He died of complications from Covid 19.
Bio by: C.S.
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