# The 1971 Charley Pride Hit That Became His Signature Song—and Put Him on Top for Five Weeks
By 1971, Charley Pride had already accomplished something extraordinary.
Born in segregated Mississippi, he had risen to country stardom in an industry where very few Black performers had been given the opportunity to build major mainstream careers.
Then came a warm, deceptively simple song about the secret to a happy relationship.
“Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'” became the biggest crossover hit of Pride's career—and the recording most closely associated with his name.
Before Nashville, Pride Dreamed of Baseball
Charley Pride wasn't originally planning to become a country star.
Born in Sledge, Mississippi, in 1934, he grew up in a large sharecropping family and developed two great passions: music and baseball.
For years, baseball seemed like the more likely career.
Pride played professionally in the Negro American League, including time with the Memphis Red Sox, and pursued opportunities elsewhere in professional baseball.
Music initially existed alongside that dream.
Eventually, it became the path that changed his life.
Nashville Heard the Voice Before Much of America Saw the Singer
Pride's emergence in country music occurred during the 1960s, when racial barriers in American entertainment remained formidable.
His recordings began receiving radio exposure, and listeners responded to the rich baritone coming through their speakers.
Pride signed with RCA Victor, where producer Jack Clement became an important early supporter.
By the end of the decade, Pride was no novelty.
He was a genuine country hitmaker.
That distinction mattered.
His success was built not simply around breaking a racial barrier but around listeners repeatedly buying his records.
Then Came a Song From Ben Peters
“Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'” was written by Ben Peters, a Nashville songwriter who would contribute several songs to Pride's career.
The premise was wonderfully uncomplicated.
Someone asks the narrator why he seems so happy.
His answer is essentially a piece of romantic advice: show affection to the person you love, and remember what matters when you return home.
There was no tragedy.
No complicated narrative.
No elaborate production trick.
The song depended on warmth, melody and Pride's relaxed delivery.
That simplicity became its strength.
1971: The Song Exploded
Released in 1971, “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'” became an enormous country hit.
It spent five weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart.
But the record didn't stop at country radio.
It crossed into the mainstream Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 21—Pride's strongest showing on that chart.
It also performed strongly on the Adult Contemporary chart.
For a country performer in the early 1970s, that crossover was significant.
For Charley Pride, it turned an already successful career into something even larger.
1971 Was an Extraordinary Year for Pride
The hit arrived during one of the defining periods of his career.
At the Country Music Association Awards, Pride was named Entertainer of the Year in 1971.
He later won Male Vocalist of the Year in both 1971 and 1972.
These weren't symbolic awards.
Pride was competing at the highest level of mainstream country music and winning.
His records were selling.
His concerts were drawing audiences.
His songs were dominating country radio.
His Success Carried Historic Weight
Pride's race was impossible to separate completely from his historical importance.
Country music had deep Black musical roots, but its commercial industry had overwhelmingly promoted white performers.
Pride broke through that system on a scale few Black country artists before him had achieved.
Yet he often resisted being treated solely as a racial symbol.
He wanted audiences to judge the music.
The remarkable thing is that they did—and they kept sending his records to No. 1.
Over his career, Pride accumulated 29 No. 1 hits on Billboard's country chart, placing him among the most successful country performers of his era.
A Signature Song That Sounded Effortless
“Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'” became particularly durable because it captured Pride's appeal without requiring drama.
His delivery sounded friendly.
Confident.
Natural.
He didn't oversing the lyric.
Instead, he made the advice sound like something passed between friends.
That conversational quality helped the song survive long after its original chart run.
For many fans, the opening moments immediately summon Pride's voice and the country radio of the early 1970s.
From Mississippi to the Country Music Hall of Fame
Pride's career eventually received country music's highest institutional recognition.
In 2000, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
He also became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, cementing his place inside one of country's most important institutions.
In 2017, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Pride died in December 2020, aged 86.
By then, his significance extended far beyond the barriers he had broken.
He had built one of the great hit-making careers in country music.
The Song That Followed Him Everywhere
Artists don't always get to choose which recording becomes their signature.
For Charley Pride, “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'” became that song.
Its message was uncomplicated, but its success was extraordinary.
Five weeks at No. 1.
A major pop crossover.
And a melody that remained tied to Pride for the rest of his life.
In 1971, Charley Pride was already making history.
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Then one cheerful little love song made sure millions would remember his voice.
Listen to “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’”
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