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.
Hank Williams Jr., Marty Stuart to join Country Hall of Fame
FILE - Hank Williams, Jr. performs in concert at The BB&T Pavilion in Camden, N.J. on Aug. 19, 2017. Williams, along with Dean Dillon and Marty Stuart, will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP, File)NASHVILLE, Tenn. Hank Williams Jr., Marty Stuart and songwriter Dean Dillon are the newest inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Announced by the Country Music Association on Wednesday, Williams will join his father, country legend Hank Williams Sr., in the Hall of Fame's rotunda. He also wrote timeless classics like Tennessee Whiskey," which has been covered by David Allan Coe, George Jones and Chris Stapleton.