The legacy of Country Music’s first Black superstar

BIPOC
By
Logan Langlois
March 22, 2024
The Tennessee Tribune
Article

The first man to win the Country Music Association’s male vocalist award two years in a row, one of the first Black members of the Grand Ole Opry, and one of the most successful country music singers ever, Charley Pride’s legacy befits legend in Music City. At the time of his death from complications from contracting COVID-19 at the age of 86, Pride would have 29 No. 1 country hits, 52 Top 10s, and twelve gold albums. Pride would see himself inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000, though his legacy of being country music’s first Black superstar lives on today. 

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Charley Pride in red plaid jacket
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