Country Singer Charley Pride becomes the first African-American solo singer to perform at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN. It would be 67 Country Chart Hits (including 29 #1 Records) and 25 years later that Pride officially became a member of The Grand Ole Opry in 1993.
Pride played baseball in the Negro Leagues for several years and had Major League try-outs with both the New York Mets and the California Angels before finally choosing a musical career over his baseball dreams. (I'd say it paid off in dividends!) His biggest #1 Hit came in 1971 when "Kiss An Angel Good Mornin'" topped Billboards Country Singles Chart for five weeks.
From this week's pop chart here's "Tell It Like It Is" by Aaron Neville. (Neville wouldn't have another Top Ten Hit for 22 years until he teamed with Linda Ronstadt for "Don't Know Much". Ironically, BOTH records peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart.)
Here's one I never understood ...
They played the heck out of this record here in Chicago (especially on WIND ... my mom used to listen to Howard Miller every morning when she was getting us ready to go to school and absolutely LOVED this tune ... and so did I!) yet it never hit our local charts ... and spent exactly one week at #100 in Cash Box. (It "bubbled under" in Billboard, never climbing higher than #110.)
We've featured it several times before in Forgotten Hits ... and it seems like EVERYBODY remembers it, too ... so how the heck was this not a huge hit??? (Rich Appell ... I don't know if this one's ever made your I.R.S. list or not ... It Really Shoulda ... Been A Top Ten Hit ... but I'm going to start campaigning early for votes for this one!!!)
I know there's been some talk over the years that the record was just "too suggestive" (seriously?!?!?) so recording artists Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich re-recorded a "cleaner" version ... but that one wasn't a hit either (and doesn't have anywhere NEAR the appeal of the original.)
So, if you're feeling in a frisky, suggestive mood, dig out your old Twister game, grab your partner and give a listen to this one ... "Bend It", the #100 Hit in Cash Box on January 7th, 1967.
