Charley Pride and Faron Young Named Newest Members of the Country Music Hall of Fame; Inductions Set During ``The 34th Annual CMA Awards'' Wednesday, October 4.

Entertainment Editors

NASHVILLE--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--June 16, 2000

Charley Pride and Faron Young were named as the newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame during an emotion-packed a press conference held today at the Hall of Fame. Brenda Lee, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997 and is currently serving on the CMA Board of Directors, made the announcement of this year's honorees. Hall of Fame Director Kyle Young, CMA Executive Director Ed Benson, and CMA president Bud Wendell, who is also a member of the Hall of Fame, also took part in the press conference. Formal induction for Pride and Young will take place during "The 34th Annual CMA Awards," telecast live Wednesday, October 4 (8:00-11PM, ET) on the CBS Television Network from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.

Pride, who was asked to attend the press conference to speak about details of the Grand Ole Opry's 75th Anniversary celebration, broke into tears and melted into the arms of his wife Rozene when he realized he was actually there to hear his induction announcement.

"I just walked through the Hall of Fame a minute ago, and I was reading the plaques of people like Vernon Dalhart and Marty Robbins," Pride said, choking back tears. "I'm so happy. I don't know what to say."

Faron Young's long-time business partner, Billy Deaton, and members of his family, including his son Robyn Young and daughter-in-law Bonnie, were also in attendance. "I know my dad would be so happy that he and Charley Pride are being inducted together," said Robyn Young. "They were great friends, and in 1961 astronaut Charles Conrad actually took a tape of their music with him on a mission to the moon. Other stars like Garth Brooks and Shania Twain might get played on Mars someday, but the moon belongs to Faron Young and Charley Pride. Today, the Hall of Fame belongs to them too."

Through the years, Robyn Young said that he had dreamed of his father being inducted into the Hall of Fame, and in some ways it symbolizes a final resting place for the legend, who died in December of 1996. "When my father died, he wanted his ashes scattered on Old Hickory Lake, near Nashville. That meant that there wasn't really a gravesite where I could go visit him. I've thought about that for a while, and I decided that the best headstone he could ever have would be a bronze plaque in the Country Music Hall of Fame."

Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame is regarded as the ultimate recognition of outstanding and indelible contributions to the advancement of Country Music. The 2000 inductees were selected in two categories. Pride will be inducted in the Open Category, while Young will go in this year's special category for those whose career achieved national prominence prior to 1960.

Each year, the Hall of Fame Nominating Committee selects up to 20 candidates per category for nomination into the Hall of Fame. The names are then presented to the 300-plus members of the Hall of Fame Panel of Electors, which narrows the list to five candidates. The final inductees are selected by the Panel in a second round of balloting. Balloting is officiated by Deloitte & Touche, LLP.

Pride and Young will be the first artists inducted into the new state-of-the-art Country Music Hall of Fame, currently under construction in Nashville and scheduled to be open next May.

Mississippi native Charley Pride was born in 1938 on a cotton farm where his father worked as a sharecropper. As a youth, Pride picked his share of cotton, and at the age of 14 purchased his first guitar from a catalogue for $10. But while music provided an entertaining escape, Pride's first career choice was sports, not music. He left the cotton fields for the baseball field at the age of 16 in 1954 to play for the Negro American League. After playing with the Memphis Red Sox as a pitcher and outfielder, Pride left the league in 1956, when he joined the U.S. Army. Once his stint with the service was over, Pride became a construction worker in Helena, Montana at a zinc smelting plant.

He hadn't completely given up on a baseball career and was still playing semi-professional ball. In 1961, he reached the Major League, pitching and playing outfield with the California Angels in training camp, but never made the team.

In 1963, Pride met Red Foley and Red Sovine at the Helena Civic Center. His backstage rendition of "Lovesick Blues" so impressed Foley and Sovine that they encouraged Pride to go to Nashville. His first attempt was unsuccessful, but Foley and Sovine continued to support him. With help from Country Music legend Webb Pierce, Pride met Jack Johnson, who would become his manager. Johnson introduced Pride to legendary producer Jack Clement. After cutting some sides on Pride, Clement got a tape to Chet Atkins at RCA.

In 1966, RCA signed Pride and released his first single, "The Snakes Crawl At Night." Between 1966 and 1987, Pride achieved career stats that he could only dream about as a baseball player, with 53 single releases making it to the Top 10.

Twenty-nine of those singles, including "Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone," "Kiss An Angel Good Mornin,'" "All I Have To Offer You Is Me," "It's Gonna Take A Little Time," and "Mountain of Love," reached No. 1. In 1971 the CMA named Pride Male Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year. In 1972 he repeated as Male Vocalist of the Year.

Pride continues to play concerts and is the owner of the farm where his father was once a sharecropper. His unique talent and perseverance have been an inspiration to people all over the world.

Known as the "Young Sheriff," Shreveport native Faron Young formed his first band while still in school and played local hoedowns. In 1951 at age 19, he joined the Louisiana Hayride, where he worked with Webb Pierce as the featured vocalist. Young signed with Capitol Records in 1952 and was drafted into the U.S. Army that same year. But his tour of duty with Uncle Sam did not deter Young's dreams of making music.

He performed for the troops in Korea as part of the Special Services Division and achieved his first chart hit, "Goin' Steady," in 1953. Upon his release from the service, Young's career took off. In 1955, he racked up his first No. 1 hit, "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young." That same year, Young made his movie debut in the film "Hidden Guns," from which he got his nickname.

Throughout the remainder of the `50s and early `60s, Young's success continued with hits such as "I've Got Five Dollars And It's Saturday Night," "You're Still Mine," and "Hello Walls," a No. 1 song which was written by then newcomer Willie Nelson and is remembered as one of Young's classic performances. He also starred in several other movies including "Nashville Rebel" alongside Waylon Jennings in 1966, and "What Am I Bid" with Leroy Van Dyke in 1967. In 1963, Young joined Mercury Records, where he recorded "It's Four In The Morning," named CMA's Single of the Year in 1972. Step One Records released his last chart record, "Here's To You," in 1989.

Aside from his recording and acting achievements, Young also co-founded former Country Music fan publication Music City News. At one time, he also owned a talent agency and several publishing companies. Young's love of performing and support of Country Music through various business endeavors gained him both the respect of his industry peers and fans throughout his career. Young died December 10, 1996.

"I can't think of a better way to end the week of Fan Fair than to announce who will be inducted this year into the Hall of Fame," said CMA Executive Director Ed Benson. "The reaction to the inductions of Charley Pride and Faron Young from the fans and other members of the music industry and media who attended the press conference confirms the reverence and admiration held for the spirit of the Country Music Hall of Fame as an institution."

The Country Music Hall of Fame was established by CMA in 1961. CMA manages and conducts the annual election of members into the Hall of Fame. The Country Music Foundation operates the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and assures the appropriate recognition of Hall of Fame members by displaying their plaques and other memorabilia. CMF also protects the rights to and uses the name Country Music Hall of Fame through an agreement with CMA.