Charley Pride, country musicâs first black superstar and the first black member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, died Saturday, Dec. 12 at the age of 86.
Pride visited Branson many times to perform and also had an extended stay in Branson in the 90âs where he performed at the Charley Pride Theatre, now the White House Theatre, for a few years. Pride died in Dallas, Texas due to complications from COVID-19.
Born a sharecropperâs son in Sledge, Mississippi on March 18, 1934, Pride left the farm to play baseball. Pride first played organized games in the Iowa State League and then professional games in the Negro American League as a pitcher and outfielder for the Memphis Red Sox. In 1953, he signed a contract with the Boise Yankees, the Class C farm team of the New York Yankees.Â