Classic country question about CHARLIE PRIDE?!
Question: can some one help me to understand why people make such a big deal about charley pride being a -black-country artist?
please don't take this the wrong way, ok, let me rephrase this, why do people think that it's so -wow wee-? i love all of his stuff and think he's great, but what make people put him in a seperate feeling catagory when they speak of him and they also sort of walk on egg shells when talking about him,choosing their words so carefully- to me he's a great artist that sings country music and sings it great, he should'nt be labled any different....with a color before his name.
note...i just had an argument with a friend of mine about him.
Answers: can some one help me to understand why people make such a big deal about charley pride being a -black-country artist?
please don't take this the wrong way, ok, let me rephrase this, why do people think that it's so -wow wee-? i love all of his stuff and think he's great, but what make people put him in a seperate feeling catagory when they speak of him and they also sort of walk on egg shells when talking about him,choosing their words so carefully- to me he's a great artist that sings country music and sings it great, he should'nt be labled any different....with a color before his name.
note...i just had an argument with a friend of mine about him.
Well i think the big deal is cause you must admit that it's "out of the ordinary" for blacks to be interested in COUNTRY MUSIC! i'm just as black as CHARLEY and have been asked the DUMMEST questions! if you think about it, would'nt you think it kind of strange to see a black person mountain climbing or scuba diving? nothing against it, but somethings are just crazy like that, so when CHARLEY showed up singing a "white man's" music people were just caught by surprise sort of speak!
what aout Deford Bailey, one of the pioneers of the grand ol opry? But as for Charlie he was the 2nd best selling recording artist for RCA (Elvis was 1st). (at that time)
People need to be politically correct because of his past. He used to play minor league baseball. Most country singers never make it that far.....................
i really don't know. I personally don't think about his or anyone else's skin color.
i would'nt care if his was mexican or chinese, i'd love him still.
Ah, Charlie - a great C&W singer!
Well, about the only way I can offer a view on this is to say that I once heard (back in the 1960's) a west Texas country DJ say something about country and western music being "white mans' blues".
Seems to make sense, as African-Americans domintated the jazz, soul and rhytem-and-blues charts back then.
So, the novelty of a black C&W artist was rare.
Certainly, Pride can write a damn fine C&W song and he's got the vocal chops to back it up.
I think the reason why so many people make such a big deal of it is just because there were so few black country music artists. You find many black artists in most other music genres but not so many in country. Maybe they like other types of music better.
I'll tell you an interesting thing about Charley Pride. His live album, which came out in 1969 (his live version of Hank Williams' "Kaw-Liga" was the featured hit from the album), contained between-song banter. One of his comments stated that people asked him "why I don't sound like I'm supposed to sound," an apparent reference to his being a black country singer.
I agree with you, however, that Charley Pride should be recognized as a GREAT country singer, not a "black" country singer. The worst insult DeFord Bailey was afforded was when the lazy media reduced his Country Music Hall of Fame credentials to "first black country performer."
I with you 100%. Charlie Pride is a wonderful singer.