Pride of America (album)

{{Infobox album

| name = Pride of America

| type = studio

| artist = Charley Pride

| cover = prideofamericaalbum.jpg

| alt =

| released = 1974

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio = RCA Studio A (Nashville, Tennessee)

| genre = Country

| length =

| label = RCA Victor

| producer = Jerry Bradley

| prev_title = Country Feelin'

| prev_year = 1974

| next_title = Charley

| next_year = 1975

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Pride of America

| type = studio

| single1 = Mississippi Cotton Picking Delta Town

| single1date = August 1974

| single2 = Then Who Am I

| single2date = November 1974

}}

{{music ratings

|rev1 = AllMusic

|rev1score = {{rating|2|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/pride-of-america-mw0000895069|title=Pride of America - Charley Pride | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic|via=www.allmusic.com}}

|rev2 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

|rev2score = {{rating|2|5}}{{cite book |last1=Larkin |first1=Colin |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=2006 |publisher=MUZE |volume=6 |page=646}}

|rev3 = The New Rolling Stone Record Guide

|rev3score = {{rating|1|5}}{{cite book |title=The New Rolling Stone Record Guide |date=1983 |publisher=Random House |page=401}}

}}

Pride of America is the nineteenth studio album by American country music singer Charley Pride.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country-lists/charley-pride-10-essential-songs-1102997/|title=Charley Pride: 10 Essential Songs|first1=Stephen L.,Jonathan Bernstein,Jon Dolan,Patrick Doyle|last1=Betts|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=December 12, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.dallasobserver.com/music/5-charley-pride-songs-that-celebrate-his-southern-roots-11970170|title=5 Charley Pride Songs That Celebrate His Southern Roots|first=Amber|last=Gaudet|date=December 17, 2020|website=Dallas Observer}} It was released in 1974 on RCA Records.

The album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/charley-pride/chart-history/clp/|title=Charley Pride|magazine=Billboard}}

Production

The album was recorded at RCA's "Nashville Sound" Studios, Nashville, Tennessee. The vocal accompaniment was by the Jordanaires and the Nashville Edition.

Critical reception

In a retrospective article, Rolling Stone included "Mississippi Cotton Picking Delta Town" on a list of Pride's 10 "essential" songs, writing that "Pride’s delivery perfectly splits the difference between a tender evocation of home and a stark memory of a world he was happy to have left behind."