Nearly five years after his passing, country music legend Charley Pride is giving fans one more gift. A long-buried project, Endlessly: A Tribute to Brook Benton, is finally set to be released on September 19 via Music City Records, a date that just so happens to mark what would’ve been Benton’s 94th birthday.
This isn’t just any album. Originally recorded in the mid-1980s but never released, the project was discovered on forgotten tape reels tucked away in Pride’s Dallas production office back in 2017. After being digitized in 2021, the music is finally ready for the world to hear and it offers a different side of Charley than fans may be used to.
Endlessly showcases Pride’s deep admiration for R&B icon Brook Benton, blending soul, country, and pop in a way that feels both fresh and timeless. The tracklist features classics like “It’s Just a Matter of Time,” “Kiddio,” and the lead single, “Thank You Pretty Baby.”
The sessions were recorded during a transitional moment in Pride’s career, between his RCA and 16th Avenue Records contracts, and the freedom shows. Produced by Bob Pickering at CECCA Sound, the album features an all-star lineup of musicians, including Chuck Rainey (Steely Dan), Gene Glover, Fred Crane, Jerry Matheny, and Billy Briggs Jr. The songs mostly come from Benton’s prolific 1959–61 era, with Pride’s signature baritone putting a fresh spin on the classics.
With its lush string arrangements, soulful grooves, and genre-bending vibe, Endlessly is a reminder that Charley Pride was so much more than just one of country music’s most successful hitmakers. Yes, the man racked up 40 #1 hits and sold over 10 million records, but this album adds a whole new layer to his artistry and cements his legacy as one of the most versatile voices in country music history.
Mark your calendars for September 19th because this one’s for the history books.
Comments