Country Music’s First Black Superstar
In November, Charley Pride had just been seen by millions on live TV when he received the lifetime achievement award from the Country Music Association during its annual telecast. It was on that November 11, 2020, telecast that the country legend did his final performance.
Together with Jimmie Allen, a rising Black star in country music who expressed his gratitude to his predecessor, the two talented singers performed a duet of Pride’s classic “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’.” Pride then gave a lengthy and heartfelt speech while the small audience of nominees and their guests stood in delighted attention.
Born on March 18, 1934, in Sledge, Mississippi, Charley Pride was a sharecropper’s son who rose to become country music’s first black superstar.
His baritone voice was featured on more than fifty Top 10 country hits. He was also the first Black member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
“We’re not color blind yet, but we’ve advanced a few paces along the path, and I like to think I’ve contributed something to that process,” the singer wrote in his memoir.