Charley Pride Celebration of Inclusion Honors 16 Country Music Leaders

The inaugural I’m Just Me: A Charley Pride Celebration of Inclusion will take place May 14 in Frisco, Texas. 

Presented as partnership between Amazon MGM Studios, Amazon Music and the Academy of Country Music, the invite-only event hosted by BRELAND will recognize and celebrate 16 honorees who represent Pride’s legacy in country music as leaders in hope, advocacy, and innovation. 

The groundbreaking Pride, who died in 2020 at age 86, was country music’s first Black superstar, breaking down barriers despite facing racial adversity and going on to win three Grammy Awards, and was the first Black artist to win entertainer of the year at the Country Music Awards, as well as received the ACM’s Pioneer Award and the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He scored 29 No. 1s on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and was the first Black artist to reach No. 1 on the chart.

“Charley Pride was a trailblazer in the true sense of the word. He paved the way for innumerable artists that followed in his footsteps and his success is a reminder that country music traces its roots back to diverse artists and traditions,” said Ryan Redington, GM of Amazon Music, in a statement. “Amazon Music is honored to come together with the Academy of Country Music and Amazon MGM Studios to not only celebrate Charley Pride’s legacy, but also honor the artists, creators, and executives that carry his spirit forward.”

The 2024 honorees are artists BRELAND; Reyna Roberts; The War and Treaty’s Michael and Tonya Trotter; Tiera Kennedy and Wendy Moten; Recording Academy Nashville Chapter executives Alicia Warwick and Armand Hutton; Black Music Action Coalition president/CEO Willie “Prophet” Stiggers; BMI Nashville executive director of creative Shannon Sanders; artist/Color Me Country Radio host Rissi Palmer; songwriter/author Alice Randall; ACM executive Kortney Toney; journalist Naima Cochrane and Pride’s widow Rozene Pride and son Dion Pride. 

The celebration, which organizers hope to make an annual event, takes place two days before the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire. The ACM Awards will stream for live and free exclusively on Prime Video across more than 240 countries and territories from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on May 16 at 8 p.m. ET.