Charley Pride, Country Music’s Superstar, Dead at 86

 

Charley Pride is dead.

According to Variety, the first Black country music superstar died on Saturday at his Dallas home from complications due to COVID-19. And this sad news comes about a month after he performed at the 54th Annual Country Music Association Awards, where was also presented with the Lifetime Achievement award.

He was 86.

A bit about him, per Complex:

Pride began playing guitar during his teenage years, but had aspirations to become a professional baseball player. At the age of 19, he joined the Negro American League, serving as the pitcher for the Memphis Red Sox. He would go on to play for the Birmingham Black Barons as well as several minor league teams in between his military service.

During his time playing baseball, Pride visited the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis, where he eventually began recording his songs. He would spend the following years playing at clubs, both as a solo artist as well as a member of a four-piece combo. It wasn’t until the mid-1960s when Pride landed a deal with RCA Records and released his first single “The Snakes Crawl at Night.” The 1966 song was followed by “Before I Met You” and “Just Between You and Me,” which peaked at No. 9 on the US country music charts.

In 1967, Pride made his Grand Ole Opry debut, and would become one of the show’s first official Black members.

Throughout his decades-long career, Pride would release more than 60 albums, sell 25 million records, secure dozens of No. 1 hits, and earn multiple music awards, including four Grammys and three American Music Awards. In 2000, Pride became the Black artist to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.