Trailblazing Country music legend, Charley Pride, will be honored on October 25th at the National Museum of African American Music with the RIAA Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Garth Brooks. Charley’s son, Dion, will accept the honor from the RIAA on behalf of his late father. RIAA Chairman & CEO, Mitch Glazier and COO Michele Ballantyne will be presenting a plague to not only Charlie’s family but one to the Museum for their walls, as well. 

“Sometimes the greatest honor you can receive is being part of honoring someone else – this is an honor,” says Brooks. 

Pride’s profound contributions to not only the sonic landscape of Country music but also the move towards wider inclusion and representation in the genre have helped set the stage for countless artists and his influence continues to be felt today. As part of the celebration of Charley Pride, his music and his courageous pursuit of a dream, Brooks will sit down with songwriter, author and Vanderbilt University faculty member, Alice Randall, for a live Q&A discussing Pride’s influence on him, country music in general and their recent collaboration. Brooks will perform acoustically the last song that Charlie recorded, the duet with Brooks “Where the Cross Don’t Burn,” penned by the late Troy Jones and the late Phil Thomas.  

Pride and Brooks recorded “Where the Cross Don’t Burn” in September for Brooks’ Fun album, which came out in November. Brooks traveled to Pride’s studio in Dallas to record the duet, which chronicles the friendship between a young white boy and an older Black man during segregation.  The making of this duet was based on an internet rumor that Pride had passed away.  Brooks had held the song “Where The Cross Don’t Burn” for 10 years hoping to collaborate with Pride and when the rumor was stated as false, Brooks knew it was knew it was time and called up Pride’s management and the ballad was quickly recorded.