To hear Charley Pride sing a country song is to hear what country music should be. He not only had a great voice but he put his whole heart into each song he sang. You can feel the emotion in his voice every time you hear him sing. While he did not write his only songs he (like Bing Crosby or Elvis Presley) had that rare power to cover any song and make it his own.
Musically Charley was country to his core. No matter what the current fads were or what other country artists were doing at any time, Charley sang traditional country music because this type of music was part of who he was and he always remained true to that. This was not only true in how the songs he sang sounded, but in the contents of the songs he chose. These were songs about real people and real emotions that any one who heard would immediately recognize and relate to. Of course it didn't hurt that Charley sang these songs better than anyone else could.
Charley also broke many barriers in country music. Country was considered to be white people's music made for and by white people. Yet here was this black artist who became not only a huge country music star, but one of the defining country singers of his era. Though this is something many commentators on Charley Pride spend a lot of time talking about, it is something Charley himself rarely focused on or called much attention to. He was just a man who had a passion for singing country music, just like any other singer in Nashville. This is extremely true in the sense that the color of his skin had little to do with who he was as a singer and performer. Yet there is little doubt that his presence made a powerful statement for many.
When Charley passed away earlier today we lost a true country music legend.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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