Wanderers in Wonder

Wandering through Missoula, MT and look what greets my eyes…Charley Pride and his son. Charley was born in Mississippi in 1934. He always had a silky smooth voice. His mom gave him his first guitar when he was fourteen, just like Country legend Don Williams of ‘Amanda’ fame. Well, Charley’s first love was baseball. Between 1952 and 1960 he played in the NY Yankee Farm System in Wisconsin and Montana, Semi-Pro Ball in Helena, the Negro Leagues in Memphis (where he was a two time All Star), and for the legendary Black Barons in Birmingham. He never quite made ‘The Show’. In Helena his manager had him sing for fifteen minutes before games to draw larger crowds and he did draw them.

Slowly in the late 1950’s and into the 1960’s Charley put more and more of his efforts into his music than his ball playing.

Charley faced racism in Montana…realtors would not show him and his wife houses and restaurants would not serve them. In 1965 Charley’s single, ‘Just Between You and Me’, hit Number Nine on the Country Charts. His career was taking off. In 1966 over ten thousand fans showed up at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit. They were cheering and raising hell for Charley to get the show going. Charley came out on stage…the crowd went silent. No one knew Charley was a Black Man.

In 1967 Charley became the first Black Man to be invited to perform at the ‘Grand Ole Opry’ since 1941. His biggest hit, ‘Kiss An Angel Good Morning’ was released in 1971. In 2000 Charley was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2020 he received the ‘Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award’. That same year Charley died of complications from COVID 19.

Charley is often referred to as the Jackie Robinson of Country Music.

‘It was simple and free back then, Walkin’ in the sand, Hand and hand, Never Wishing that it would end’.

Peace…Wanderers in Wonder.