Charley Pride overcame racial barriers as country music star Charley Pride wasn't the first Black country music artist, but he reached heights not available to other Black pioneersNASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Charley Pride wasn’t country music’s first Black artist, but he reached heights that had not been available to early Black singers and musicians in the genre. Until the early 1990s, when Cleve Francis came along, Pride was the only Black country singer signed to a major label. “Then it was ‘first Negro country singer;’ then ‘first Black country singer.’ Now I’m the `first African-American country singer.′ That’s about the only thing that’s changed. Throughout his career, he sang positive songs instead of sad ones often associated with country music. Even a country singer,” said country singer Rissi Palmer on Twitter.

Source: ABC News December 13, 2020 01:41 UTC