COVID-19 claims country music legend, Texas Rangers minority owner Charley Pride
Charley Pride, a trailblazing member of the Grand Ol’ Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame and a minority owner in the Texas Rangers, died Saturday in Dallas due to complications from COVID-19.
He was 86.
Pride was the first Black country music superstar and just last month received the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the Country Music Awards, where he performed one of his biggest hits, “Kiss an Angel Good Morning.”
That proved to be his final performance, nearly four months after he sang the national anthem at the Rangers’ 2020 season-opener at Globe Life Field.
“I’m so heartbroken that one of my dearest and oldest friends, Charley Pride, has passed away,” country legend Dolly Parton wrote on Twitter. “It’s even worse to know that he passed away from COVID-19. What a horrible, horrible virus. Charley, we will always love you.”
Parton was one of many artists who reacted to Pride’s passing. The Rangers issued a lengthy statement recognizing his strong ties to the club, and Pride was to be remembered Saturday night during the final go-round at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at Globe Life Field.
Pride was a baseball player before he became a legendary vocalist.
Born in Sledge, Miss., on March 13, 1934, Charlie Frank Pride worked on cotton farm alongside his 10 brothers and sisters. When he wasn’t working, he played the guitar and played baseball.
Pride was a pitcher and an outfielder, and at just 18 made his debut in the Negro Leagues with the Memphis Red Sox but didn’t stick. A year later, in 1953, he signed a minor-league deal with the New York Yankees and was assigned to the Class-C Boise Yankees.
He was dropped to the Class-D Fon du Lac Panthers because of an injury, and also played in 1953 in the Negro Leagues for the Louisville Clippers and Birmingham Black Barons.
Pride pitched with the Barons in 1954, pitched in Mexico in 1955, and returned to Memphis in 1956. He won 14 games and was selected to the All-Star team.
After two years in the Army, Pride made three starts for the Class-C Missoula Timberjacks before taking a job in a smelting plant in Montana. Soon, he was performing at local shows and got his big break.
Red Sovine was touring through Montana and heard Pride singing a Hank Williams tune. Sovine urged Pride to take his voice to Nashville in hopes of landing a recording contract, which he did in 1965 with RCA.
What followed was one of the best careers in country music history.
Pride recorded 29 No. 1 hits, none bigger than “Kiss An Angel Good Morning” in 1971, and won three Grammy awards. He was the Country Music Association’s entertainer of the year in 1971, and the CMA’s male vocalist of the year in 1971 and 1972.
His Grammys came in 1972 for Gospel songs “Did You Think to Pray” and “Let Me Live.” His lone country Grammy followed in 1973 for best male vocal performance.
“I had the pleasure of meeting Charley Pride when I was playing the Opry,” singer Luke Combs said. “I was in awe of his presence and his talent. So saddened by the news of his passing. He was a true legend and trailblazer. His impact on our genre and generations of artists will never be forgotten.”
Through all of Pride’s successes on stage, he still found time for baseball.
He and his wife, Rozene, moved their family from Montana to Dallas in 1969 because traveling the country to perform was much easier. When the Rangers moved to Arlington in 1972, Pride became a fan and a regular at games and spring training.
He would dress in full uniform and work out with the club. As he aged, he worked out on his own but still found time to mix it up with players. And he would treat them to a concert in the clubhouse.
That tradition continued this spring, when he held court just before turning 86 and before COVID-19 ended camp. He did so the past 10 springs as a part-owner of the team after joining the Chuck Greenberg/Nolan Ryan-led ownership group that purchased the franchise in 2010.
Pride performed the National Anthem and “God Bless America” many times, including for postseason games and the
“Mr. Pride’s first love was baseball,” the Rangers said in a statement. “The Rangers have been honored to have Mr. Pride be a part of the team’s ownership group for the last 10 years. A longtime resident of this area, he was a regular at home games when his schedule permitted.”
Pride is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
“Mr. Pride was a true gentleman, and we will never forget the lasting contributions he has made to the Texas Rangers organization,” the Rangers’ statement said. “We express our deepest sympathies to Mr. Pride’s family and friends on this sad day.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 3:49 PM.
