During Charley's tenure with 16th Avenue Records, I commented to him, "Now that we have a Day for Martin Luther King, there ought to be at least an afternoon for Charley Pride." "I hear what you're sayin," he responded, "and I appreciate it." The following week, I said it in print, in PERFORMANCE Magazine. No one has picked up the crusade, so I'll say it again; in fact, I just did.

Some time before that conversation, another interview, another place, Chet Atkins told me that the most important thing he ever did, "at least from a sociological standpoint," was to sign Charley Pride to RCA. The obvious inference regarding Charley is the matter of race, yet Chet pointed out that the next black singer to find comparable country music success would have to "be country as much as Charley is, which is not going to be easy."

And it hasn't. Ethnicity is a distraction in any study of Charley Pride and his contributions to country
music, however; the bottom line is that the guy has an awesomely recognizeable voice, he has
stunning projection, and he obviously loves the music. A few weeks ago, Keith Bilbrey played both
the Hank Williams and the Charley Pride cuts of "Kawliga" on WSM, back to back, and a whole
semester of Country Music 101 manifested itself in six minutes.

Wow. Think about how many actors have played Hamlet over the centuries; think about how many
hillbilly singers would even try to perform "Kawliga," which is as subtly-crafted in its balance of
comedy and tragedy as the greatest of Shakespeare's work. I don't know how many singers have
recorded it or how many do it on live shows, but I only associate two with the song: Hank and
Charley.

Eddie Stubbs has said often that Cowboy Copas did a lot more than die in a plane crash with Patsy
Cline, although that's essentially what he's remembered for; well, Charley Pride's importance to
country music goes far beyond any racial boundaries. For starters, the phonograph records that Jack
Clement produced starting in '65 were landmark events in recording history -- "All I Have To Offer
You Is Me" alone is the ultimate melding of singer, song, and session. Absolutely wonderful.

Listing Charley Pride hits is a montage of tiny little film clips from our memory banks -- "Does My
Ring Hurt Your Finger?," "Is Anybody Going To San Antone," "Kiss An Angel Good Morning,"
"The Day The World Stood Still" ... these were great recordings in an era of great recordings, and
they conveyed country music's universal foundation. Remember that the Nashville Sound was rather
encompassing in that day, yet here was a singer from the same record label as Eddy Arnold and
Bobby Bare who certainly didn't clash with what was going on, but he stood out in the raw energy he
brought into the studio, deftly complemented by Cowboy Clement's willingness to search and
celebrate whatever made that record work.

Also remember that 300,000 units back then was something to get excited about; if a record's sales
covered its expenses, it was considered a good record, in contrast to today's enormous expectations.
Most of a performer's money came from the road back then, and the better the show, the better the
repeat bookings and, therefore, the better the money. I've seen his bank and I've been to his
office/studio building building in Dallas; Charley Pride has made a lot of money. And the live show
has been the foundation of that success. A mark of a confident entertainer is the hiring of other
confident entertainers, and Charley has taken some formidable opening acts on the road. I honestly
don't know who all fits that description, but Elmer Houston & Alec (I know that's backward; that's a
joke between Elmer and me), Johnny Russell, and Neal McCoy epitomize the quality that the Charley
Pride Show has reflected over the years.

And that quality goes to the basics. During his Fan Fair performance a few years ago, one of the
stage hands commented to me after getting the Pridesmen set up, "I've never seen that before." "Seen
what?" I asked.

"Every guy in that band," he said, waving his hand toward the active side of the stage, "has his own
tuner." When I shared that observation with Charley some time later, he shrugged it off with, "Hey, I
want them to have whatever they need for the show to be good. That's all that counts."

As a member of the country music family, I'm proud of Charley Pride, and I recommend his
enthusiasm for young performers. My most recent conversation with him reflected the frustration
shared by so many "old-timers" today, yet the enthusiasm bubbled over the rocks. "Can you play
music on that?" he asked, pointing to my interview recorder. When I said yes, he jumped up and
grabbed a tape. "Here, I want you to hear what we cut the other day!" There's no stopping the great.

from thebridgeworks for April, 2000, by Bill Littleton,
billandconnie@juno.com