Charley Pride, country musicโs first Black star, dies from COVID-19 complications at 86
โIโm so heartbroken that one of my dearest and oldest friends, Charley Pride, has passed away. Other Black country stars came before Pride, namely DeFord Bailey, who was an Grand Ole Opry member between 1927 and 1941. But until the early 1990s, when Cleve Francis came along, Pride was the only Black country singer signed to a major label. โThen it was `first Negro country singer;โ then `first black country singer.โฒ Now Iโm the `first African-American country singer.โฒ Thatโs about the only thing thatโs changed. โThe Texas Rangers join the country music world in mourning the loss of Charley Pride.