Charley Pride is ready for another trip to the Prairies
Charley Pride is a country music icon with fans all across the world, and at 84 years old, he’s still pushing for more.
“As many million fans as I have, I’d like to get that many more,” Pride said. “And I expect to sing as long as I can.”
The country star’s newest tour is bringing him back through the heart of Canada’s prairies to concerts here, in Regina, and Winnipeg. Pride is rolling in to Saskatoon for a performance at TCU Place on Wednesday, Nov. 7.
As long as there are still fans who want to listen to his music, Pride said he wants to try to get to them so he can play. It’s one of the reasons his legacy has shone so brightly alongside a musical talent and repertoire that has kept him in the spotlight for decades. He has earned Grammys, American Music Awards, Country Music Association Awards, and much more.
Most recently, Pride was inducted into the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience Hall of Fame in honour of his illustrious music career.
Pride recalled a time speaking to music producer Jack Clement back when he was just starting his career that has carried deeper meaning for him in the past few years.
“One day, after being in the studio with him ... he said to me one time ‘Charley, these songs, these records we’re making, they’re going to be listening to ’em 50 years from now,’ ” Pride said. “And it’s right on the button.”
And now Pride is returning to Saskatoon for a show more than 50 years after that conversation.
It has been a few years since he has been through the city, but he said he loves coming up to Canada to visit the loyal contingent of fans that live in the country.
For Pride, five decades of performing and recording music hasn’t done much to affect his outlook. And not as much has changed in that time as you might expect.
He has been married to his wife Rozene for a decade longer than he has been a professional recording musician, and the two of them are still huge baseball fans dating back to Pride’s playing days.
He said it was a shock to see the Boston Red Sox win the World Series in just five games, and also a little tough because his wife is a diehard fan of the losing Los Angeles Dodgers.
But most importantly for Pride, he said his concert-going fans are still as energized now as they’ve ever been when he performs.
“The same response I’ve been getting all these years, I’m still getting it,” he said. “And I have people in the audience saying ‘Charley, you still got it. Don’t ever stop’... and that makes you feel pretty good, too.”
There’s still new music coming out, too. Pride released another album last summer called Music in My Heart, with some rumours of more music already in the works.
After so many years of touring, performing, and recording, Pride’s trip up to Canada’s prairies might not be the first time for many fans to see the country music star live. At age 84, Pride said he doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon, joking that he’s aiming to still be performing at 100.
And this concert in Saskatoon — the newest, but hopefully not the last if Pride has anything to say about it — is going to be the best one yet. Just ask him.
“This is a better show than they ’ve ever seen,” Pride said. “No brag, just fact when I’m saying this ... we’ve got a better show now, no matter when they saw me the last time ... they gonna see a better show than they saw then.”