1 on the country charts and crossing over to No. Some of Pride’s biggest hits include “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone” and “Just Between You and Me.” In 1971, his recording of “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’” became his biggest hit, reaching No. “We’re not color blind yet, but we’ve advanced a few paces along the path and I like to think I’ve contributed something to that process,” Pride wrote in his memoir. Pride’s early singles were released without mention of his race or a photo of him. Pride quit his job at a Missouri smelting plant and embarked on a career that spanned more than four decades.īetween 19, Pride had 52 Top 10 country hits, won Grammy awards, and became RCA Records’ top-selling country artist, his representative said. His first single, 1967’s “Just Between You and Me,” broke into the Top 10 on country charts and garnered Pride his first Grammy nomination.
Pride arrived in Nashville in 1963 and was eventually signed to RCA Records in 1965 by country guitarist and record executive Chet Atkins. Pride sang in music clubs in his spare time but decided to make it a full-time endeavor after a failed tryout with the New York Mets. But his first swing at professional success came when he played Negro League baseball at 16, eventually becoming an all-star player.
