Entertainment
14 April, 2025
Son of a gun is full of Pride
DION Pride, son of country music legend Charley Pride, is coming to Cairns to honour his father’s legacy with a special show at CPAC, joined by members of Charley’s original touring band next week.
Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dion Pride is returning to Australia and Cairns to celebrate the repertoire of his father and country hall of famer Charley Pride with his fans in a night to reminisce full of iconic country classics like ‘Kiss an angel good mornin’,’ ‘Is anybody going to San Antone’ and ‘Mountain of Love’ at the Cairns Performing Arts Centre on Saturday, April 19.
He’s also bringing Charley Pride’s original touring musicians Ronnie Miller (pedal steel guitar), Danny Hutchins (piano/keys) and Mark Kalson (fiddle).
Known for breaking barriers as the first black artist to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, Charley Pride’s name has been embedded in music history and his son Dion Pride aims to continue cementing his legacy with this tour.
“The first major tour I did with my father was to Australia and New Zealand, so it means everything to be back,” Mr Pride said.
“It’s going to be a very high energy show, we’ll cover all the songs that everybody knows and loves by my father and what’s great about it it’s that I’m bringing three of his long-time band members with me so you’re getting as close to the real thing as possible.
“There’s no way to express the depth of the meaning of carrying his music on and keeping it alive, it’s nothing short of sacred, it’s an honour, I’m proud to do it and I love that people still want to hear his music.”
Mr Pride said this would be the perfect gig for classic country music lovers and one that would bring back lots of memories for long-time fans.
“If you like Charley Pride and you like his music that would be about all you need to know to want to come to this show,” he said.
“My father taught me how to sing, so the technique is there, and it’s going to be as close to the records as one could get.
“I love performing and I’m having the time of my life playing my father’s music and we want to bring it back again.
“I’m hoping that people walk away from this show with lots of memories, there are songs that take you back to a time in your life and that’s what we’re hoping to create with dad’s songs.”
To buy tickets, visit https://bit.ly/3Yn82a9
