December 18, 2020 The MusicRow Weekly Friday, December 18, 2020 Charley Pride: The Loss of A Legend SIGN UP HERE (FREE!) If you were forwarded this newsletter and would like to receive it, sign up here. THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES Charley Pride: The Loss of A Legend Chris Lane’s “Big, Big Plans” Tops The Charts 2021 New Faces Show Lineup Revealed Photo: Joseph Llanes Sony Music Nashville Promotes Paige Altone And Liz Cost By: Robert K. Oermann Show Dog Nashville One of the greatest country stars of all time has fallen victim to the COVID 19 Promotes Rick Moxley, Adds pandemic. Teddi Bonadies Country Music Hall of Fame member Charley Pride, 86, died in Dallas on Saturday Rissi Palmer Creates Color (Dec. 12) as a result of complications from the disease. The Grand Ole Opry star was honored last month in Nashville with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Me Country Artist Fund CMA. TriScore Music Inks Deal During his six-decade career, Pride placed 67 titles on the country charts, including With Tim Mcgraw’s TMP, 52 top-10 hits and 29 No. 1 Billboard successes. His standards include “Kiss an Signs Rob Williford Angel Good Morning,” “All I Have to Offer You Is Me,” “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone,” “Mountain of Love” and “We Could.” He holds 12 Gold Record awards. United Talent Agency He will forever be remembered as country’s first Black superstar, dubbed “the Launches Heartland Initiative Jackie Robinson of country music.” As a former baseball player, himself, he was honored by the comparison with the man who broke the color barrier in major- Americana Music Award league baseball. Winners Born Charley Frank Pride on March 18, 1934, he was the fourth of 11 children raised by sharecroppers near Sledge, Mississippi. Pride said that the lyrics of his DISClaimer Singles Reviews 1974 hit “Mississippi Cotton Pickin’ Delta Town” closely reflected his upbringing. The song was written by Sledge native Harold Dorman, who also penned Pride’s And much more… 1982 smash “Mountain of Love.” Page 1 of 17 December 18, 2020 The MusicRow Weekly Charley Pride’s father was a devoted listener of the Grand Ole Opry. Inspired by the country music he heard on the broadcasts, the youngster taught himself to play guitar at age 14. But sports were his main focus. Pride left Sledge at age 16 to pitch and play outfield in what was then called the American Negro League. One of teams he played for was the Memphis Red Sox. While in Memphis, he met cosmetologist Rozene Cohran. They married in 1956 while he was serving in the Army. She became his business manager, as well as his wife. In 1960, they moved to Helena, Montana, where Pride worked in a smelting plant near the iron mines. He also began singing locally. Backstage at a Red Foley concert in Helena, he played some songs for the Charley Pride accepting one of his two trophies when he won for both country legend. Both Foley and his concert co-star Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the year at The 5th Annual CMA Red Sovine urged Charley Pride to go to Nashville Awards. Photo: Courtesy CMA and audition at Cedarwood Music. substantial hit in 1969 and was followed by Pride’s first No. 1 Instead, he decided to give baseball one last shot. He single, “All I Have to Offer You Is Me.” This was the first of six travelled to Clearwater, Florida in 1963 to try out at consecutive chart toppers, including 1970’s “Is Anybody Goin’ to the New York Mets summer training camp. Mets San Antone.” manager Casey Stengel turned him away. His 1971 performance of “Did You Think to Pray,” co-written with En route back north, Pride stopped in Nashville. Johnson, won Pride a gospel Grammy Award. That same year’s Cedarwood’s owner was country star Webb Pierce. “Kiss an Angel Good Morning” took home the Grammy for After hearing Pride sing, Pierce directed him to Country Song of the Year for its writer, Ben Peters. manager Jack Johnson. Charley Pride was named the CMA’s Entertainer of the Year in Johnson funded a recording session that included 1971 and its Male Vocalist of the Year in both 1971 and 1972. Pride singing “Snakes Crawl at Night,” penned by Cedarwood songwriter and future singing star Mel In 1972, Pride sang “All His Children” as the theme song for the Tillis. Johnson played the tapes for maverick producer Paul Newman movie Sometimes a Great Notion. It was Jack Clement, who agreed to work with the aspiring nominated for an Oscar, and Pride sang it on the Academy singer. Awards international telecast. In 1973, his album Charley Pride Sings Heart Songs won a Grammy Award. Clement recorded Pride and took the result to Chet Atkins at RCA Records in 1965. Atkins always In 1975, he became the first Black artist to co-host the CMA believed he would be forever remembered as the man Awards, appearing alongside Glen Campbell. who signed Charley Pride to a recording contract. By the mid 1970s, Charley Pride was outselling the other artists Pride broke through on the country charts with the on RCA, at times even outpacing Elvis Presley. His string of Jack Clement compositions “Just Between You and smash hits continued with such classics as “Amazing Me” (1966) and “I Know One” (1967). Love” (1973), “We Could” (1974), “Hope You’re Feelin’ Me (Like I’m Feelin’ You)” (1975), “My Eyes Can Only See as Far as You” Opry star Bill Anderson gave the newcomer his first (1976), “She’s Just an Old Love Turned Memory” (1977), television exposure by inviting Pride to be a guest on “Someone Loves You Honey” (1978) and “Where Do I Put Her his nationally syndicated TV show. On Jan. 1, 1967, Memory” (1979). Charley Pride made his debut on the Opry, introduced by Ernest Tubb. He was invited to join the show’s cast As a Nashville businessman, he formed the Music Row song in 1968, but had to decline because he was suddenly publishing company Pi-Gem Music with producer Tom Collins. too busy to become a show regular. This gave him ready access to such top-tier songwriters as John Schweers (“Don’t Fight the Feelings of Love,” etc.) and The Hank Williams classic “Kaw-Liga” became a Kye Fleming & Dennis Morgan (“Missin’ You,” etc.). The latter Page 3 of 17 December 18, 2020 The MusicRow Weekly By 2000, his record sales exceeded 35 million. That was the year he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Neal McCoy has always cited the superstar as a mentor. In 2013, he issued the tribute album Pride. Other stars who received career boosts from the legend include Ronnie Milsap, Trini Triggs, Exile, Janie Fricke, Brad Paisley and Steve Wariner. Some of them have recorded with Pride, as have such country greats as The Oak Ridge Boys, Tanya Tucker, Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton. In 2016, Pride was one of the artists featured in the No. 1 country single and video “Forever Country.” The event, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the CMA won the Video of the Year award and became a Gold Record. Pictured (L-R): Bill Anderson, Charley Pride, Randy Owen and Jimmy Fortune attend the 2019 Country Music Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Charley Pride was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy in 2017. The Nashville Association of Talent Directors banquet team’s 1981 Pride hit “Roll On, Mississippi” later became a also saluted him that year, with Bobby Bare presenting state song. the NATD’s Career Achievement honor. The Prides made their home in Dallas. There, he formed the Last year, Pride was honored with the PBS American management and booking company Chardon. This firm helped Masters bio-documentary, Charley Pride: I’m Just Me, launch the careers of Dave & Sugar, Janie Fricke and Neal narrated by Tanya Tucker. The CMA’s Willie Nelson McCoy, among others. Pride was also heavily invested in Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to him by Dallas real estate and banking. current Black country hit maker Jimmie Allen during the 2020 CMA telecast on Nov. 11. His 1978 hit “Burgers and Fries” (again penned by Ben Peters) earned Pride another Grammy nomination. In 1980, he issued Jimmie Allen is part of a brigade of contemporary Black There’s a Little Bit of Hank in Me, a tribute album to his idol, country artists who owe their careers to Pride’s Hank Williams. It spawned back-to-back chart toppers with his breakthrough. Others who have come through the door revivals of “Honky Tonk Blues” and “You Win Again.” He also he opened include Kane Brown, Mickey Guyton, Chapel revived the Johnny Rivers hit “Mountain of Love” (1982), the Hart, Rissi Palmer, Darius Rucker, Reyna Roberts, Willie George Jones classic “Why Baby Why” (1982) and the Webb Jones, Shy Carter, Blanco Brown and Tony Jackson. Pierce standard “More and More” (1983). Charley Pride came on the country scene during the Other disc successes of the 1980s included “I Don’t Think height of the Civil Rights struggle. He faced prejudice, She’s in Love Anymore” (1982), “You’re So Good When You’re insults, discrimination and racial barriers with grace, Bad” (1982) and “Night Games” (1983). His last top-10 hit was humor, perseverance and dignity. His character exhibited 1988’s “Shouldn’t It Be Easier Than This.” the same warmth and class as his singing voice.