Chris Young Honors Charley Pride With ‘Kiss an Angel Good Mornin” at the Grand Ole Opry

Chris Young headlined Saturday night’s Grand Ole Opry show and closed out the live radio program with a tribute to…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

December 12, 2020

Chris Young headlined Saturday night’s Grand Ole Opry show and closed out the live radio program with a tribute to the late Charley Pride.

“Sadly, today we learned of the passing of a true country icon, Mr. Charley Pride,” Young told the 1,100 fans inside the Opry House and thousands of fans watching from home. “Country music has truly lost a legend and we’d like to honor him with one of his songs tonight.”

Young went on to perform Pride’s iconic, chart-topping single, “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin.’” The song was written by Ben Peters and released by Country Music Hall Of Famer Charley Pride in October of 1971 as the first single from his album, Charley Pride Sings Heart Songs.

“We’re gonna miss you, buddy,” Young said at the end of his performance.

Click below to watch Young’s performance at the 57:06 mark.

The Saturday night Opry show also featured the Opry Square Dancers, Jeannie Seely, Mark Wills, Henry Cho, Scotty McCreery, Brett Young and Dennis Quaid.

Charley Pride passed away due to complications of COVID-19 on the morning of Saturday, December 12 at the age of 86. According to a statement released by his family, Pride was admitted to the hospital with COVID symptoms in late November, but “despite the incredible efforts, skill and care of his medical team over the past several weeks, he was unable to overcome the virus.”

Following Pride’s death, several country music artists paid tribute to him on social media with heartfelt tributes.

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.