Country music legend Charley Pride dies at 86

Charley Pride, the first black superstar in country music, died in Dallas of COVID-19 complications Saturday, his publicist reported. He was 86.

We’ll let others write obituaries — including this excellent one from Music City — about Pride’s wonderful and groundbreaking career. But longtime Route 66 fans undoubtedly know that one of his biggest hits, released in 1970, mentions Route 66 prominently.

Nearly 50 years later, Pride recorded another song, written by the late Merle Haggard, that mentioned the Mother Road:

Pride logged 30 No. 1 hit singles, charted than 50 and earned a place in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. He had nothing to prove with his career.

But kept recording and playing, and his last performance was barely a month ago, on the CMA Awards:

Pride even had a performance booked for February at Volunteer Jam in Nashville.

MusicRow.com wrote upon Pride’s death:

His musicality opened minds and superseded prejudice.
“We’re not color blind yet, but we’ve advanced a few paces along the path and I like to think I’ve contributed something to that process,” Pride wrote in his memoir.
Today, Black artists including Allen, Rucker, Mickey Guyton, Rissi Palmer, Rhiannon Giddens, Yola, and others add new chapters to country music’s story. Charley Pride’s impact is evident and important to all of them, and also to every other country performer who builds bridges with melody and sincerity.
Charley Pride escaped the cotton fields, where labor hurt his hands, back, and knees. He transcended and ascended through connection. Through fortitude and artistry, he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry and a beloved American icon.

(Image of Charley Pride performing in 2008 by Tyler Neu via Flickr)