Charley Pride, the pioneering black country singer known for such hits as “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'” and “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone,” has died from complications related to Covid-19, according to his publicist. He was 86.
Born in Sledge, Mississippi, in 1934, Pride picked cotton, played baseball in the Negro leagues, served in the U.S. Army, and worked in a smelting plant in Montana before moving to Nashville and becoming country music’s first black superstar. He scored 52 Top 10 country hits, including 29 Number Ones, and was the first African-American performer to appear on the Grand Ole Opry stage since Deford Bailey made his debut in the 1920s. Pride became an Opry member in 1993. In 2000, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
RIP
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I can't say I know a lot about him, but I can't imagine that the country music industry was an easy one for blacks to break into at that time. I'll have to check out that documentary about him released last year.
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“I don’t want to jump to conclusions because no family statement has been made, but if this was a result of the CMAs being indoors, we should all be outraged. Rest in power, Charley,” the “Better Than We Found It” singer, 30, tweeted, adding, “F—k this f—king year.”
Pride, who was the first Black member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, died in Dallas on Saturday at the age of 86. His death came a month after he performed at the Country Music Association Awards, which were held indoors at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee, on November 11.
The show featured artists sitting at tables with none of the attendees apparently wearing face masks.
Charley Pride, country music legend, dead at 86 from COVID complications
