Tributes paid to country music legend Charley Pride
He performed in Belfast during the Troubles when other artists would not
Tributes are being paid to country music legend Charley Pride who has died at the age of 86 from coronavirus complications.
Pride – who was born in 1934 - was the first African-American to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
He was the genre's first black star and won 4 Grammys.
Pride was one of few artists who chose to perform in Belfast during the height of The Troubles, when many international artists would not.
Downtown Radio's Trevor Campbell ('Big T') interviewed him several times and said, “Over the years I got to know him fairly well. The first time I met and interviewed him was at the Wembley Country Music Festival in 1976 and the last time was in 2018 down in Enniskillen”.
“It was always great to have a casual chat with him because sometimes I was in his company and didn’t bother to interview him because we reckoned that I’d already interviewed him somewhere around 13 times.”
“It was always fun to meet up with him. He was a great family man and he loved talking about family and country music, obviously”.
“He would have been just about the best loved country music singer in this part of Ireland anyway. I know he always said himself that he realised Crystal Chandeliers was an anthem in this part of the world”.
Country music legend Dolly Parton has also paid tribute, saying she's “heartbroken that one of her dearest and oldest friends has passed away.”