Country Music Hall of Fame member and Recording Academy “Lifetime Achievement Award” recipient, Charley Pride, will celebrate his 25th Anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member with appearances on the Opry Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5. Pride, who made his Opry debut in 1967, is scheduled to perform extended Opry sets in celebration of his milestone anniversary on both nights.
As part of the celebration, Opry flagship station 650 AM WSM (wsmonline.com) plans to salute the award-winning artist with a “Country Pride Weekend”, spinning Pride’s 50-plus Top 10 singles, playing signature Pride archived programs, and taking listener requests for the Country Music Hall of Famer’s all-time favorites.
Upon his Opry induction 25 years ago, Pride recalled his initial dream of baseball stardom. “It’s as if I had made it in baseball and they came up to me and took me to Cooperstown and said, ‘This is where your plaque is going to be – beside Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, and Hank Aaron.”
Charley Pride is celebrating more than 50 years as a recording artist. He has enjoyed one of the most successful careers in the history of country music and is credited with helping to break color barriers by becoming the first black superstar within the genre. A true living legend, he has sold tens of millions of records worldwide with his large repertoire of hits.
A three-time GRAMMY® award and Recording Academy “Lifetime Achievement Award” winner, Pride has garnered no less than 36 chart-topping country hits, including “Kiss An Angel Good Morning,” a massive #1 crossover hit that sold over a million singles and helped Pride land the Country Music Association’s “Entertainer of the Year” award in 1971 and the “Top Male Vocalist” awards of 1971 and 1972. A proud member of the Grand Ole Opry, Pride continues to perform concerts worldwide and has toured the United States, Canada, Ireland, The United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand over the last several years. For more information, visit CharleyPride.com.
Tickets for “Country Pride Weekend” are available at (615) 871-OPRY and at Opry.com.
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