Charley Pride unofficially started his music career in the late 1950s as a ballplayer with the Negro American League’s Memphis Red Sox singing and playing guitar on the team bus between ballparks. Self-taught on a guitar bought at the age 14 from Sears Roebuck, Pride would join various bands' onstage as he and the team roved the country.
Charley Pride has always set his own goals. One of those goals was to become an internationally known artist. He achieved this by performing, in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Fiji as well as the provinces of Canada. Charley still tours these countries today and even takes in a few extra countries, on USO Tours, entertaining our service men and women who are stationed overseas.
Between 1969, when he first hit #1 on the singles chart with "All I Have to Offer You (Is Me)" and 1984, when he commanded the top spot again with "Every Heart Should Have One," Pride scored more than 36 number one country singles.
Over the past thirty years, Pride has remained one of the Top 20 best-selling country artists of all-time. His incredible legacy includes 36 #1 hit singles, over 70 million albums sold, 31 gold and 4 platinum albums - including one quadruple platinum. On RCA Records, Charley Pride is second in sales only to Elvis Presley.
In his own words, Charley recalls his hardscrabble childhood, his enduring marriage, the thrill of his biggest hit - a double into the outfield gap off Hall of Famer Warren Spahn - and his first singing engagement in a Montana bar that eventually led to a career as the first and only African-American superstar in country music. Through it all, we are reminded that "The Pride of Country Music" remains one of the great legends in popular music - and that he is still going strong.
Pride continues his illustrious career with the release of “Comfort of Her Wings” and “Pride and Joy: A Gospel Music Collection” on Music City Records. These albums show that Charley has not slowed down and proves his voice is as good, if not better than ever. Still touring to sell out crowds, Charley continues to please his audiences.
