There were no guarantees that country music, whose roots were in the South, were ready for Charley Pride.
People pay attention to lyrics, and the race matter was delicate.
For most entertainers, there is a single experience, one defining moment, when confidence replaces the self-doubt that most of us wrestle with.
I might have become a minor celebrity but royalty checks were a long way off.
Mother was a talkative person, and I was a lot like her.
It was unlikely that anyone had ever heard a black person sing country music.