Thursday, November 22, 2012

Charlie Pride~ "Church In the Wildwood"

Uploaded on Apr 5, 2010

Charley Frank Pride (born March 18, 1938) is an American country music singer, musician/guitarist, recording artist, performer, and business owner.

His greatest musical success came in the early-to-mid 1970s when he became the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis Presley.[2]

 In total, he has garnered 39 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
Pride is one of the few African-American country musicians to have had considerable success in the country music industry and only the second African American to have been inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

In 2010, Pride became a special investor and minority owner of the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball club.[3]



Charley Pride

Pride performing at the Capital Centre on the 1981 Inauguration Day
Background information
Birth name Charley Frank Pride
Born March 18, 1938 (age 74)[1]
Sledge, Mississippi, US
Genres Country music
Occupations Singer, musician, recording artist, performer, business owner
Instruments Voice, guitar
Years active 1966‒present
Labels RCA
16th Avenue
Music City
Website http://www.charleypride.com/

Early life and career

Pride was born in Sledge, Mississippi, one of eleven children of poor sharecroppers. His father intended to name him Charl Frank Pride, but owing to a clerical error on his birth certificate, his legal name is Charley Frank Pride.[4] In his early teens, Pride began playing guitar.

Though he also loved music, one of Pride's lifelong dreams was to become a professional baseball player. In 1952, he pitched for the Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League. He pitched well, and, in 1953, he signed a contract with the Boise Yankees, the Class C farm team of the New York Yankees.

During that season, an injury caused him to lose the "mustard" on his fastball, and he was sent to the Yankees' Class D team in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Later that season, while in the Negro leagues with the Louisville Clippers, he and another player (Jesse Mitchell), were traded to the Birmingham Black Barons for a team bus.

 "Jesse and I may have the distinction of being the only players in history to be traded for a used motor vehicle," Pride mused in his 1994 autobiography.[5][dead link]

He pitched for several other minor league teams, his hopes of making it to the big leagues still alive. Pride appeared to be advancing to a career in baseball, but the Army derailed this. After serving two years in the military, he tried to return to baseball.[6]

 Though hindered by an injury to his throwing arm, Pride briefly played for the Missoula Timberjacks of the Pioneer League (a farm club of the Cincinnati Reds) in 1960,[7] and had tryouts with the California Angels (1961) and the New York Mets (1962) organizations, but was not picked up by either team. He worked construction in Helena, Montana during this time.[7][8]

When it became apparent that he was not destined for greatness on the baseball diamond, Pride pursued a music career.[6]

On June 5, 2008, Pride, his brother, Mack "The Knife" Pride, and 28 other living former Negro league players were "drafted" by each of the 30 Major League Baseball teams in a recognition of the on-field achievements and historical relevance of 30 mostly forgotten Negro league stars. Pride was picked by the Texas Rangers (with whom he has had a long affiliation) while his brother was taken by the Colorado Rockies.[9][10]

Source: Wikipedia

LYRICS:

Church in the Wildwood


Chorus:

There's a church in the valley by the wildwood
No lovelier place in the dale
No spot is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale

1
How sweet on a clear Sabbath morning
To listen to the clear ringing bell
It's tones so sweetly are calling
Oh, come to the church in the vale

Chorus
Oh, come, come, come, come, come to the church by the wildwood
Come to the church in the dale
No spot is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale

2
There, close by the church in the valley
Lies one that I love so well
She sleeps, sweetly sleeps, 'neath the willow
Disturb not her rest in the vale

3
There, close by the side of that loved one
Neath the trees where the wild flowers bloom
When the farewell hymn shall be chanted
I shall rest by her side in the tomb

TTFN CYA Later Taters
Thanks for watching.

Donnie/ Sinbad the Sailor Man 

No comments:

Post a Comment