In 1965, producer Cowboy Jack Clement had an unusual way of introducing a new country singer to Nashville. Cowboy Jack Clement would invite people into an office, play a recording through enormous speakers, and wait until the music finished before showing them a photograph.
The voice belonged to Charley Pride, a Black singer from Mississippi who was trying to earn a place in a country music business that had rarely welcomed artists like Charley Pride.
What makes this story remarkable is that Cowboy Jack Clement was not promoting an established star. Charley Pride did not even have a major recording contract when the two men began working together.
The Demo Tape That Finally Reached the Right Person
Before arriving in Nashville, Charley Pride had spent years pursuing professional baseball while singing country music in Montana. Performances in local clubs helped Charley Pride develop a following, but securing a recording contract was another matter.
Manager Jack Johnson believed in Charley Pride’s talent. Unfortunately, the rough demonstration recording Jack Johnson carried around Nashville failed to convince record companies to take a chance.
That changed when Jack Johnson approached Cowboy Jack Clement.
During a 2003 interview with Mix magazine, Cowboy Jack Clement recalled spending time with Jack Johnson at the Professional Club on Music Row. After hearing repeated praise for Charley Pride, Cowboy Jack Clement agreed to visit nearby Cedarwood Publishing and listen to the recording.
Cowboy Jack Clement liked what the recording revealed. Instead of asking Charley Pride to change musical direction, Cowboy Jack Clement offered to finance a professional recording session.
For Charley Pride, that decision created an opportunity that had previously seemed difficult to secure.
August 16, 1965: A Voice Inside RCA Studio B
Cowboy Jack Clement supplied several songs for Charley Pride to learn. According to Charley Pride’s official biography, the initial session included recordings of The Snakes Crawl at Night and Atlantic Coastal Line.
On August 16, 1965, Charley Pride entered RCA’s Nashville recording studio with professional session musicians.
Cowboy Jack Clement later described hearing Charley Pride’s voice in that studio for the first time:
“Wow! It was magnificent!”
The reaction mattered because Cowboy Jack Clement already understood the sound of traditional country music. Having worked at Sun Records with performers including Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, Cowboy Jack Clement knew how to recognize a distinctive singer.
Charley Pride had grown up listening to the Grand Ole Opry and admired Hank Williams. Country music was not a style adopted simply to obtain a recording contract. It had been part of Charley Pride’s life since childhood.
Word about the recording session spread through Nashville. Cowboy Jack Clement recalled that the control room was crowded with visitors when Charley Pride returned for another session.
The Photograph Cowboy Jack Clement Showed After the Music
Cowboy Jack Clement also began introducing Charley Pride’s recordings to people around Music Row.
The method was simple. Cowboy Jack Clement played the record loudly through large office speakers. Only after the visitors heard Charley Pride sing would Cowboy Jack Clement show them a photograph.
In the racially divided America of the 1960s, the order was significant. Country music executives and radio programmers could be hesitant about supporting a Black country singer, regardless of musical ability.
Cowboy Jack Clement wanted people to hear the talent being offered before making judgments based on appearance.
Still, winning a recording contract required additional persuasion. RCA executive Chet Atkins eventually supported Charley Pride and helped secure a place for Charley Pride at the label.
When the Record Finally Reached Country Radio
RCA released Charley Pride’s first single, The Snakes Crawl at Night, in January 1966. Early promotional efforts omitted the usual publicity photographs, allowing radio listeners to encounter the music without immediately knowing the singer’s race.
The first releases did not produce a major hit. However, Charley Pride’s third single, Just Between You and Me, reached the country Top 10 in 1967.
The recording also earned Charley Pride a Grammy nomination. Cowboy Jack Clement had written the song that helped establish Charley Pride as a national country music artist.
The partnership continued well beyond those early recordings. Cowboy Jack Clement produced or co-produced Charley Pride’s first thirteen RCA albums, helping build one of the most important careers in country music history.
Looking back, the most memorable part of this story remains that little office in Nashville.
Before the major hits, packed concerts, and widespread recognition, Cowboy Jack Clement had a recording worth playing and a photograph worth waiting to show.
Charley Pride’s voice came first. And that voice gave Nashville a reason to listen.