Documentary celebrating life of late Charley Pride slated
Published 10:36 am Wednesday, December 16, 2020
In remembrance of a Mississippi music icon, MPB Television will re-air the MPB Classics documentary Charley Pride at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18. Fans can catch the encore airing Sunday, Dec. 20 at 11 a.m.
The program is hosted by Judy Denson and features insight into Pride’s life and career. This film originally aired in 1981.
The Sledge native and singer-songwriter sold millions of records as one of the pioneering African-American artists in country music. His artistic expression triumphed over prejudice and made him the first African-American member of the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. Pride died Dec. 12 due to complications from COVID-19. He was 86.
Fans can also watch American Master’s Charley Pride: I’m Just Me Friday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. The film traces his journey from his humble beginnings as a sharecropper’s son to his career as a Negro American League baseball player and then his rise to fame as trailblazing country music superstar.
Narrated by Grammy-nominated country singer Tanya Tucker, the film features original interviews with country music royalty, including Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker and Marty Stuart, as well as on-camera conversations between Pride and special guests, including his wife Rozene Pride, Willie Nelson and fellow musicians.