Tuesday 6 November 2018

The Best Of – CHARLEY PRIDE****

Just Between You & Me/Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger/Kaw-Liga/The Snakes Crawl At Night/All I Have To Offer You (Is Me)/The Easy Part’s Over/The Day The World Stood Still/I Know One/Gone On The Other Hand/Before I Met You/Too Hard To Say I’m Sorry/Let The Chips Fall

The first compilation LP from the one and only successful American black country star Charley Pride. He grew up listening to country music on the radio as a child. (US:24)

“Charley Pride - country music's lone black superstar - ranks behind only Elvis Presley in all-time sales figures for RCA artists. Pride created his own vocal style by melding the smooth delivery of Jim Reeves with a natural twang. The singles, like Just Between You & Me and The Easy Part's Over are all ballads sung in a lower key. With the live recording of Hank Williams' Kaw-Liga, Pride added an uptempo hit to his repertoire that finally captured his warm baritone in its natural register.”

“If you grew up with Charley Pride singing his songs on the radio, then Just Between You & Me and I Know One will bring back memories of real country music sung by real country singers. Charley Pride's distinctive voice made him a hit around the world. Have you noticed that the current crop of country singers all sound the same? There is no tune, no melody, just the same unsuccessful attempt to put out another recording and repackage to the masses.”

“Pride's commercial success began with the Grammy winning Just You & Me from 1966. Pride's masterful baritone is set between twangy pedal steel and a countrypolitan background chorus. For all the recognition Pride has received as country music's first (and really only) African-American superstar, his music is completely colour blind. His song choices speak to country music's universal experiences of love and loss, and his voice, while quite unique, is marked mostly by his Southern raising.”

“Charley Pride was an exceptional entertainer with his rich voice and story telling style. It's a shame he didn't get more recognition than he did.”

“He truly has a tone, smoothness and directness in his phrasing that nobody else could match. Charley Pride has such a sweet baritone voice and he remained true to the old country music sound. If you love country music, you can't go wrong with this.”

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