Trailblazing country music star Charley Pride died in December 2020, leaving behind a legacy that includes over 40 No. 1 hits and millions of record sales. After his death, it was confirmed that some reels of music found in a storage room at his production office were the long-lost Brook Benton tribute recordings that Pride made in the 1980s and never released. They are now finally being made available to the public.
This forgotten musical treasure is called Endlessly: A Tribute to Brook Benton, and it is being released on what would have been Benton’s 94th birthday, September 19, 2025. Transferred to digital in 2021, these historic multi-track recordings will now be shared with the world by Music City Records.
Although Pride is best known as a country icon with 43 No. 1 hits, Endlessly reveals a totally new side of Pride — one that blends vintage R&B, pop, and classic country into a poignant homage to one of the most enduring artists of the 20th century.
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Benton, the man Pride honors in this album, rose to fame in 1959 with “It’s Just a Matter of Time” and went on to score 30 Top 40 R&B hits and Top 10 pop duets with Dinah Washington. The album includes such highlights as “It’s Just a Matter of Time,” “Endlessly,” “Thank You Pretty Baby,” “So Close,” “So Many Ways” and “Kiddio.”
This timeless album is a showcase of Pride’s versatility as an artist and will perhaps join the upper echelon of Pride’s already impressive body of work that includes such hits as “I’d Rather Love You,” “I’m Just Me,” “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'”, “A Shoulder to Cry On,” “Hope You’re Feelin’ Me (Like I’m Feelin’ You)” and dozens more.
Produced by Bob Pickering, chief engineer at Pride’s CECCA Sound studio, Endlessly boasts a roster of elite musicians, many of whom shaped Texas’ musical history:
Chuck Rainey (Bass – Steely Dan, Aretha Franklin)
Gene Glover (Drums – Ricardo Arjona)
Fred Crane (Piano – Al Belletto, Doc Severinsen)
Jerry Matheny (Guitar – LeAnn Rimes)
Billy Briggs Jr. (Sax – Bob Wills, Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame)
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“I was a very excited to play on a Charley Pride recording where I would have one-on-one experience with this legendary music icon. As time went by our personal relationship did grow. I have fond memories, admiration, and respect of and for Charley,” said Rainey of working with Pride.
Endlessly: A Tribute to Brook Benton liner notes, produced by Charley Pride and Bob Pickering
Pride’s journey from Negro League baseball to Grand Ole Opry legend remains one of music’s most inspiring tales. With over 70 million records sold, three Grammys, and a Country Music Hall of Fame induction, Pride shattered barriers and created space for generations of artists of color in country music.
He passed away in 2020 from complications related to COVID-19, just weeks after being honored with the CMA Lifetime Achievement Award.
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According to the liner notes for Endlessly, Pride intended to release the album in the mid-1980s but stopped when fellow country artist Glen Campbell scored a Top 10 hit with his own version of “It’s Just a Matter of Time.” When country legend Randy Travis then had a hit with it in 1989, Pride “completely abandoned the notion of ever releasing ‘It’s Just a Matter of Time’ as a single, and the whole album was shelved and then lost for nearly 30 years before the recordings were found in storage in 2017.
The first single off Endlessly is “Thank You Pretty Baby,” and it drops on August 29, followed by the full album on September 19.
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