Concert Review: Charley Pride - May 18, 2013, Memorial Centre, Peterborough, Ontario

Classic country music took center stage in Peterborough, Ontario this past Saturday with an afternoon performance by a living legend on the final stop of his spring Canadian tour.

Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry member Charley Pride took the stage for an afternoon performance that thrilled the mostly senior crowd.  Having grown up listening to Mr. Pride's music and watching him on his many television appearances, it was a treat to watch this veteran of nearly 50 years in the music business show the music world that he still belongs in the landscape.  At 75 years old and still in strong voice, Mr. Pride performed an hour and a half show that was filled with humour, gracious moments with the crowd and so many hit songs that it would make any of the new crop of "country" artists dizzy with envy. 

Opening up the show with a great cover of the Dave Dudley classic "Six Days on the Road", Mr. Pride moved on to such early hits as "Just Between You and Me", "Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone", and "I Wonder Could I Live There Anymore."  And the hits kept coming, as he and his stellar band The Pridesmen rolled through a great medley of songs which included on Pride's earliest singles "The Snakes Crawl at Night" and one of his later hits, "Burgers and Fries." 

It was one of Mr. Pride's newer songs that really captured the audiences' attention.  Appearing on his most recent gospel album, Pride and Joy, "God's Coloring Book" written by Dolly Parton, was a real highlight of the night (the album version features Ms. Parton on vocals).   Interestingly enough, Ms. Parton wrote this song when she was only 19 years old.  When you hear the lyrics, you recognize that the 19 year old Dolly Parton was ahead of her time and destined for great success. 

A Charley Pride show would not be complete without two of his staples to close out the show.  Completing the show with his biggest, and Grammy-winning hit, "Kiss An Angel Good Morning", followed by his cover of Hank Williams, Sr.'s "Kaw-Liga", Mr. Pride showed he can still run with the young crowd that dominates the country music scene today.  With a final encore of "Cotton Fields" sending the delighted crowd into the early evening, the young crowd would do well to attend a Charley Pride show and take many, many notes from this music legend. 

Dierks Says it Well, About George Jones and Country Music

For my post tonight, I'm going to defer to an artist whose appreciation for classic country and Americana is unparalelled by a mainstream country singer.  Dierks Bentley wrote a guest blog post for CNN, sharing his thoughts and memories of his friendship with George Jones.  While Dierks spoke of the sadness and sense of loss that he is personally feeling over the death of Mr. Jones, his blog also brought to light the entire genre of country music, its long and illustrious history, and the overall effect it can have on an individual.  In his post, Dierks captured everything that I have felt about country music over my lifetime.  I could not have said it better myself.  

With the funeral for Mr. Jones taking place tomorrow, and with many thanks in advance to Dierks Bentley and his people, I share his words with you tonight.  Click here to visit Dierks' web site where you can read this piece, as well as get news on Dierks and where he and Miranda Lambert will be touring.  Let's all take up the responsibility of keeping the memory and work of great artists like Mr. Jones, Mr. Waylon Jennings, Ms. Tammy Wynette, Mr. Johnny Cash and so many others who have passed before us alive and in the consience of all young music fans and artists going forward.  Listen to their work and share it unapologetically.  The future of our beloved music, be it country or Americana, depends on recognizing and honouring its illustrious past.

"Damn it, I knew I needed to get in touch with George when I'd heard he was ill, that he had been admitted to the hospital for respiratory ailments. How did I let this happen?"

Those where my initial thoughts sitting on the tarmac at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport reading the texts and e-mails about George Jones's death Friday morning.

George was a friend, a country music legend, an influence to me and to countless other musicians.

If you aren't able to fully hear and appreciate George Jones' voice, you really can't fully appreciate country music. His voice opens up country music's depth and power. You feel it or you don't. It helps to have done some living and to have had your heart broken, like George did. And it really helps if you can hang around one of its greatest singers, which I was fortunate enough to do over the years.

During a show at the Ryman Auditorium in the mid-'90s, I heard the great bluegrass singer Peter Rowan say that if you have a musical hero, you should do anything you can to be near that person. For him that meant driving Bill Monroe's tour bus. For me, it meant hanging around Terry Eldredge, my hero when I moved to Nashville, and the lead singer of a band called "The Sidemen," which played Tuesdays at the Station Inn.

Terry idolized George Jones. It was through him that i began to "hear" George, not just listen to him. There is a big difference between listening and hearing. I had listened to George growing up with my dad, a big country fan. I had listened to him in high school again, when I discovered Hank Williams Jr. and found out Hank also loved George. But it wasn't until I was in Nashville and hanging out with Terry that I finally heard George Jones. I finally got it. The tone and the ache of his voice clicked. I heard how every word George sang was first filtered through a broken heart.

We became friends eventually. From time spent together backstage at the Grand Ole Opry, visits at the home of George and his wife, Nancy, dinner at his favorite O'Charley's or Logan's Roadhouse, I cherished every moment in his presence, getting to hear firsthand accounts of stories I had read, the jokes and the laughter, the love between him and Nancy.

Having the opportunity to sing to George from the Opry stage for his 75th birthday in 2006 and to record in the studio together are unforgettable highlights of this crazy honky tonk dream.

People will always say that "He Stopped Loving Her Today" was George's best song and perhaps the greatest country song of all time. I certainly wouldn't disagree. But do yourself a favor and dig a little deeper. One of those nights when you are feeling down or lonesome, instead of going to the usual modern day distractions, grab some whiskey and listen to "A Picture of Me (Without You)," "The Cold Hard Truth," "A Good Year For The Roses," or my favorite, "The Door." Put your heart in George's hands and trust that he will take care of it.

That is what great country music (at least my favorite kind) and great country singers do; that is what country is all about: consoling the lonely, letting you know someone else has been there and has felt the way you do. It's about walking you through the hard times.

My dad was a member of this country's greatest generation. He grew up in The Depression and fought in WWII. There aren't many left. George is a member of country music's greatest generation. And there are only a handful of those men and women left. Go to their shows, talk to them if you can. Let them know how much you appreciate their music and if you are lucky enough, their friendship. Let them know the impact their singing or songwriting has had on your life. But don't do it for their sake, do it for your own.

So that when they are no longer with us, you might feel just a little less sad.