While many people may feel that country music is not a genre which is particularly enjoyed by the Black community in the United States, there have been some notable musicians have attained fame in this genre. African American country singers may not be very common, but there are some who have made an impact. This article will examine the careers of three Black musicians who have sold plenty of records making country music.
The name of Charley Pride continues to resonate through country music to this day, with the singer's peak period in the 1970s seeing him become RCA's best selling artist since the great Elvis Presley. Pride, a former professional baseball player, was only the second African American artist to be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. He is still highly regarded by music fans across the world, too.
Pride was originally marked out for a career as a professional baseball player, but an injury contributed to him drifting out of the game at a young age. Sport's loss would be music's gain, however, and Pride, after a few years as a professional musician, would be signed up by RCA records. His first recordings were made at Sun Studios, and his real success, in chart terms, would be reached in the late 1960s and on into the 1970s.
Charley Pride has sold something like 70 million records in total, and he still publicly enjoys professional baseball, and is often associated with the Texas Rangers, with whom he has a strong personal connection. He also performed the American National Anthem at the Super Bowl in 2010, and continues to enjoy the respect of musicians and music fans across the world. He was not the first musician of African origins to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, though.
Many fans of this genre of music do perhaps know the name DeFord Bailey, but he was the first Black man to make into the Grand Ole Opry. Bailey was born in Tennessee in 1899, into a poor family, and was the grandson of slaves. Known primarily as a musician who specialized in the harmonic or blues harp, his career would last from the 1920s until 1941, when he swapped careers, and ran a shoe shine business.
Bailey is often regarded as being one of the genre's lost innovators, and he often faced racial prejudice during his career as a musician. He was remembered after his career was over, though, and he enjoyed several commemorations of his work during the 1960s and 70s, before his death in 1982.
Darius Rucker has enjoyed a string of number one hits during his solo career, which followed on from his time as the vocalist in alternative rock outfit Hootie and the Blowfish. He moved away from the folk influenced style of Hootie, to an outright country sound recently, and has enjoyed huge success as a result.
African American country singers have therefore contributed to the development of the genre in significant ways. While not that well-known generally, the there artists here have all enjoyed considerable success at times in their careers. Their music will continue to resonate through the ages.
The name of Charley Pride continues to resonate through country music to this day, with the singer's peak period in the 1970s seeing him become RCA's best selling artist since the great Elvis Presley. Pride, a former professional baseball player, was only the second African American artist to be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. He is still highly regarded by music fans across the world, too.
Pride was originally marked out for a career as a professional baseball player, but an injury contributed to him drifting out of the game at a young age. Sport's loss would be music's gain, however, and Pride, after a few years as a professional musician, would be signed up by RCA records. His first recordings were made at Sun Studios, and his real success, in chart terms, would be reached in the late 1960s and on into the 1970s.
Charley Pride has sold something like 70 million records in total, and he still publicly enjoys professional baseball, and is often associated with the Texas Rangers, with whom he has a strong personal connection. He also performed the American National Anthem at the Super Bowl in 2010, and continues to enjoy the respect of musicians and music fans across the world. He was not the first musician of African origins to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, though.
Many fans of this genre of music do perhaps know the name DeFord Bailey, but he was the first Black man to make into the Grand Ole Opry. Bailey was born in Tennessee in 1899, into a poor family, and was the grandson of slaves. Known primarily as a musician who specialized in the harmonic or blues harp, his career would last from the 1920s until 1941, when he swapped careers, and ran a shoe shine business.
Bailey is often regarded as being one of the genre's lost innovators, and he often faced racial prejudice during his career as a musician. He was remembered after his career was over, though, and he enjoyed several commemorations of his work during the 1960s and 70s, before his death in 1982.
Darius Rucker has enjoyed a string of number one hits during his solo career, which followed on from his time as the vocalist in alternative rock outfit Hootie and the Blowfish. He moved away from the folk influenced style of Hootie, to an outright country sound recently, and has enjoyed huge success as a result.
African American country singers have therefore contributed to the development of the genre in significant ways. While not that well-known generally, the there artists here have all enjoyed considerable success at times in their careers. Their music will continue to resonate through the ages.
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