Charley Pride and the Black Roots of Country

When he died on December 12th, 2020, at the age of 86, Charley Pride left behind a truly mind-blowing legacy. He was flat-out one of the biggest country stars in history. He rather famously was the 2nd-best-selling RCA records artist of the '70s, second only to Elvis Presley. The road to that staggering success, though, required incredible struggle and strife. Charley Pride was a giant star, but he was also a truly transcendent one, who managed to overcome huge barriers of many different kinds. We'll be telling the story of the astonishing journey that Charley took. And as it turns out, you really can't tell that story without also getting  into the much-misunderstood history of Black country music. Our guests include Peter Cooper with the Country Music Hall of Fame, the brilliant musician Valerie June, the ascendent Alberta artist D'orjay the Singing Shaman, and acclaimed music writer Garth Cartwright.