In January 1966, RCA Victor sent a new country single to radio stations across America. The record carried the name of an unfamiliar singer, but something normally included in a record promotion was deliberately missing.
There was no publicity photograph. No accompanying biography to introduce the artist.
The singer was Charley Pride, a talented young man from Mississippi whose warm baritone sounded perfectly at home alongside the biggest names in traditional country music.
But RCA had a concern that had nothing to do with Charley Pride’s singing ability. The company feared that some country radio disc jockeys might refuse to play a record by a Black performer.
So the label made an unusual decision: let America hear Charley Pride’s voice before seeing Charley Pride’s face.
The Song That Started Everything
The mysterious record was “The Snakes Crawl at Night,” written by Mel Tillis and Fred Burch.
Unlike the tender love songs that would eventually make Charley Pride famous, this was a dark country story about betrayal, jealousy, and devastating consequences. The lyrics follow a husband who discovers his wife’s infidelity and makes a tragic decision.
It was an unmistakably traditional country recording, filled with the storytelling that listeners already knew and loved.
Charley Pride had recorded the song in Nashville in August 1965 with producer Cowboy Jack Clement. Those early recordings impressed RCA executive Chet Atkins, who recognized something special in the young singer.
According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Chet Atkins secured approval from RCA executives to sign Charley Pride before revealing Charley Pride’s race.
It was a remarkable beginning, but success was far from guaranteed.
Why RCA Was Afraid of Love Songs
There was another surprising detail behind those first recordings.
In a later interview, Charley Pride explained that the people guiding Charley Pride’s early career had been reluctant to release romantic ballads.
In the racially divided America of the 1960s, there were concerns about how white audiences might react to a Black country singer performing intimate love songs.
A dramatic story about a troubled marriage was considered a safer introduction than a tender declaration of love.
That decision seems especially extraordinary in hindsight. Some of Charley Pride’s most beloved recordings would eventually be songs about love, devotion, heartbreak, and the people who mattered most.
And Charley Pride himself later acknowledged the irony: romantic ballads turned out to be exactly what so many fans wanted to hear.
The First Two Records Failed. Then Everything Changed.
“The Snakes Crawl at Night” did not become a chart hit. Neither did the follow-up single, “Before I Met You.”
For another aspiring performer, two unsuccessful releases might have meant the end of a recording career.
But Cowboy Jack Clement and Chet Atkins continued to believe in Charley Pride.
Then came the third single, “Just Between You and Me.”
Released in 1966, the tender song climbed into the country Top 10 in early 1967, becoming Charley Pride’s first major hit.
The record also marked a turning point in the way the public knew Charley Pride.
When the debut album Country Charley Pride appeared with Charley Pride’s photograph on the cover, many listeners discovered for the first time that the singer behind that remarkable country voice was Black.
The voice they had grown to appreciate finally had a face.
The Night Charley Pride Faced an Uncertain Audience
Radio was one thing. Standing before a live audience was another.
At an important performance in Detroit in early 1967, Charley Pride walked onstage before an audience unaccustomed to seeing a Black country performer.
Rather than ignore the uncomfortable atmosphere, Charley Pride addressed it with humor.
“I realize it’s a little unique me coming out here on a country show wearing this permanent tan.”
The remark helped break the tension. Charley Pride continued using that humorous introduction at performances until growing fame made it unnecessary.
And once Charley Pride began singing, audiences had the opportunity to judge what mattered most: the music.
From a Record Without a Photograph to Country Music History
The years that followed proved how much talent the industry had nearly overlooked.
Charley Pride went on to score 29 No. 1 country hits, including “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone,” “All I Have to Offer You (Is Me),” and the unforgettable “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’.”
In 1971, Charley Pride received the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award. In 2000, Charley Pride was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
When Charley Pride died on December 12, 2020, at age 86, the legacy extended far beyond record sales and awards.
There is something especially meaningful about returning to that first single from January 1966.
It was not the song that made Charley Pride famous. It was not even a chart hit. Yet Charley Pride continued performing “The Snakes Crawl at Night” throughout a remarkable career.
What began as a record sent to radio stations without a photograph became the first chapter of one of country music’s greatest success stories.
Before millions of fans knew what Charley Pride looked like, they had already been given a chance to hear what Charley Pride could do.