What we don't need in country music is divisiveness, public criticism of each other, and some arbitrary judgement of what belongs and what doesn't.

I'm not James Brown. I'm not Sam Cooke. I'm Charley Pride. I'm just me and that's what you got.

Fans will praise you, scold you, and offer helpful advice. Fans will also defend you.

It was unlikely that anyone had ever heard a black person sing country music.

There were no guarantees that country music, whose roots were in the South, were ready for Charley Pride.

As far back as I can remember, the radio held a special fascination for me.

Any entertainer who tells you that the adoration of fans is not a heady experience probably never had the experience.