Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’, Mr Pride
When Charley Pride died on December 12, aged 86, due to COVID-19 complications, I had to fight not to blame outgoing US President Donald Trump.
Folk legend John Prine, a regular at the Byron Bay Bluesfest and an extraordinary storyteller, also died during the pandemic after contracting coronavirus. Again, the departing Commander in Chief was clearly in my sights. President Trump's lack of leadership and intervention in attempting to combat the deadly disease remains nothing short of reprehensible. His need to blame others intensifies my anger.
African American country music star Charley Pride was as important to my childhood as any cricket bat or my first soccer ball gifted to me by Tasmanian cricket legend Roger Brown who played more First-Class games than any Aboriginal player before the heroics of Test legend Jason Gillespie.
Pride's music was played on the radio before his skin colour was revealed.
As he detailed on numerous occasions the only difference was his "pigment".
He accepted that to achieve early success he must not be defined by his skin colour.
Pride had no choice.
My late father owned just one Charley Pride album; a vinyl 33 1/3 RPM titled: Charley Pride's Greatest Hits 20 Country Favourites distributed by RCA Records (Australia). Many years ago, dust could potentially impede a record player's performance. However, the album was so cherished that a damp cloth would clear, clean and protect the grooves before each session.
And just before twin-cassette players, high-speed dubbing and graphic equalizers, we would reject the arm and lay the needle on Side 2, Track 1: Crystal Chandelier again and again. Scratching was a hazard of an old-school vinyl rewind, keenly monitored and admonished when required by my dad, and not applauded like disc-jockeys of the modern era. It was not until years later I understood that this song had such a strong link to my parents' past.
In November 1976, at the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Pride played the Ritz Theatre - Belfast. Against a concert ban of sorts, he entertained sold out shows across Ireland, travelling south to north to entertain adoring fans. Outside of the US much like Garth Brooks, the Emerald Isle fell for an artist who, although different, resonated in a way that storytellers often do.
It was Crystal Chandelier, written by Theodore (Ted) Harris that became a song defining those who attempted to unite during what was best described as a civil war. The Troubles dominated British and Irish families, religious institutions, football teams, culture, the arts, politics, and daily lives with terrorism destroying families and sweeping up generations of young rebels indoctrinated into a pointless cause.
It took many to leave the shores and move to more peaceful lands to understand the stupidity of the Troubles.
And to have Charley Pride, an African American country and western performer, uniting Catholics and Protestants alike with a song about crystal chandeliers highlighted the madness of the times.
"Never did fit in too well with the folks you knew
When it's plain to see that the likes of me
Don't fit with you
So you traded me for the gaiety of the well to do
And you turned away from the love I offered you" Pride would sing.
Years earlier on April 4, 1968, Pride decided to proceed with a concert the night Martin Luther King was murdered. He received a standing ovation. Music was not Pride's first choice as a career. He wanted to be a professional baseball player.
From Sledge, Mississippi, Pride was signed to the Memphis Red Sox and the Birmingham Black Barons in the Negro Leagues, and the New York Yankees Minor franchise team who he joined after two-years of military service. Pride was a pitcher with an average curveball who lost his fastball after injury.
Fortunately for music fans he purchased a guitar when just 14 years old and the hits on the charts occurred far more frequently than he struck out batters. Pride was the first African American to play the Grand Ole Opry and only the second to become a member.
During the 1970's, he was RCA's highest seller since Elvis Presley. Pride won three Grammy Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and, in November 2020, received the Country Music Awards Association Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.
During his lifetime, Pride sold 25 million albums. He sold more than 70 million records including albums, singles, and compilations with 13 of those achieving Gold status. Not bad for a self-proclaimed "hillbilly" from a family of 11 born to poor sharecroppers. He faced racism and exclusion, broke down barriers and championed a path for future entertainers to succeed no matter their "pigment".
Pride achieved so much despite prejudice, segregation, and division. But sadly, he could not overcome those who refused to mandate non-negotiable prevention measures during a time of monumental illness and death. Kiss An Angel Good Mornin', Mr Pride and say hello to Mr Prine for me. Your music lives on.