Four gems from country music best-selling artist, Sledge, Mississippi-born Charley Pride, and through on first listen I feel all the songs on his debut record Songs Of Pride….Charley That Is don’t stand the test of time this set is still a must buy collection of work from him! Not least due to the joy his live album radiates, as he speaks of who he is and the fact he no longer had to pick cotton for a living.
His magnificent, pure at they come vocals apart Pride not only appreciated the work of others in the country music field, singers and songwriters alike he was a huge fan of a quality song. RCA through the stellar efforts of legendary producer and songwriter, Cowboy Jack Clement placed their trust in Charley Pride, the first negro artist to capture the imagination of fans of a music played predominately by those of another coloured skin. As observed in John Tobler’s detailed liner notes Charley did not sound like a man not of white skin (or appear on the cover of his first record), but he certainly knew plenty about country music, and the ways of the working class (pickin’ cotton, and baseball too!). Drawing on such songwriters as Jerry Foster and Bill Rice (of whom he must have become like their best friend and biggest money maker), Alex Zanetis, the aforementioned Clement to go with stellar covers of Kris Kristofferson’s (w/ Foster) “Me And Bobby McGee”, ripper of a live version of Fred Rose and Hank Williams joyful romp “Kaw-Liga” and another biggie of Hank’s “Lovesick Blues”, Tom Paxton’s “The Last Thing On My Mind”. Plus with the juices flowing, Pride whips through the Clement’s “I Know One” and “Just Between You And Me” and there are others too of great merit featured on his In Person album; as in “Shutters And Boards”, “Six Days Of The Road”, Tompall Glaser and Harlan Howard’s “Streets Of Baltimore” and Ledbelly’s “Cotton Fields” it goes on and on.
Charley could sing anything, and with his love of performing he was a real showman.His RCA records well and truly capture a man who was well in love with country music. With the likes of steel guitar great Lloyd Green in inspired form and Jack Clement a huge influence Charley Pride reaped the rewards of his efforts with a string of country chart toppers (late 1960s-1970s). It was golden period for country music not least due to the wealth of good /great songs written during the period, and for Charley Pride, the material (1968-1970) also features the likes of “(I’m So) Afraid Of Losing You”, “Come On Home And Sing The Blues To Daddy”, “A Brand New Bed Of Roses” and “Billy Bayou” (Roger Miller). There is also a cracking one of Doug Kershaw’s cajun classic “Louisiana Man” and a fine one of Merle Haggard’s “I’m A Lonesome Fugitive”. He does the business all right, and though not all songs are gems the four-LP set does throw up his masterful vocal working of the above noted “I Know One” (arguably the best illustration of his ability, great Jack Clement song it is too) and of course a song that became part of the staple diet of country fans in the 1970s and beyond of UK country fans, “Crystal Chandeliers” (even it was heard so often some of us became tired of it).
Maurice Hope