>>> CHARLIE PRIDE IS CONSIDERED THE JACKIE ROBINSON OF THE COUNTRY MUSIC WORLD, BREAKING DOWN RACIAL BARRIERS TO BECOME COUNTRY MUSIC'S FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN SUPERSTAR.

HE SOLD 70 MILLION RECORDS WORLDWIDE WITH MORE THAN 36 CHART TOPPING COUNTRY HITS.

AND HE ALSO BROKE DOWN MORE RACIAL BARRIERS BY BECOMING THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN SINGER TO DEBUT AT THE GRAND OLE OPRY AND BECOME A MEMBER THERE.

AFTER 50 YEARS OF A RECORDING ARTIST, THE THREE-TIME GRAMMY AWARD WINNER WILL HAVE MORE DEFINING MOMENTS.

HE WAS HONORED WITH A 2017 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.

AT 83 HE'S STILL GOING STRONG ON TOUR WITH A NEW ALBUM RELEASED, "MUSIC IN MY HEART."

LEGENDARY MUSIC ICON CHARLIE PRIDE JOINS ME NOW.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW.

>> THANK YOU.

>> I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH YOUR CAREER AND AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH COUNTRY MUSIC WONDER HOW YOU, AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN, BECAME A COUNTRY MUSIC SUPERSTAR.

>> BECAUSE I WAS BORN A HILLBILLY.

JUST LIKE ALL OF THE REST OF THEM.

ONLY DIFFERENCE.

>> WAS COUNTRY MUSIC PART OF YOUR CHILDHOOD?

WAS IT PLAYED IN THE CHURCH?

SO MANY BLACK ARTISTS FROM THE DELTA TALK ABOUT CHURCH MUSIC AND HOW THAT LED THEM INTO GOSPEL AND BLUES AND R&B ET CETERA.

WHAT WAS YOUR JOURNEY ?

>> MY DAD BOUGHT A RADIO WHEN I WAS YOUNG, EIGHT BOYS AND THREE GIRLS.

AND EVERYTHING WE LISTENED TO ON THE RADIO WAS WHATEVER HE PUT ON THE DIAL.

WE NEVER WAS ALLOWED TO TURN WHATEVER WE WANTED IT TO, UNLESS, YOU KNOW, WE GOT LUCKY AND HE WAS AWAY SOMEWHERE.

BUT HIS FAVORITE SINGER, COUNTRY MUSIC SINGER WAS BILL MONROE AND THE BLUEGRASS BOYS.

YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THAT EVERY ARTIST BACK WHATEVER DAYS IT WAS OR WHATEVER MUSIC, THEY HAD SOME -- SOME OF THEM, IF THEY HAD ANY LONGEVITY AT ALL, HAD A BIG HIT, SOME KIND OF A BIG HIT.

I'M A TRADITIONALIST AND I STARTED LISTENING TO THE OLDER ONES.

AND THE BIG ONES THAT EACH ONE HAD, I SANG A LITTLE BIT OF THAT ONE, AND I BOUGHT ME A SEARS AND RO BUCK GUITAR WHEN U WAS 14 YEARS OLD.

NEVER LEARNED HOW TO TUNE IT.

I DIDN'T HAVE ANYBODY IN COUNTRY TO TEACH ME HOW TO TUNE IT.

SO I WOULD LISTEN TO THE RADIO AND AT THE END OF EACH SONG -- I DON'T READ A NOTE OF MUSIC, SO THAT'S THE WAY I TUNE IT.

I JUST PLAYED IT -- CALLED OPEN BAR CHORDS.

I PLAYED IT LIKE THAT UNTIL I STARTED RECORDING IN 1966.

>> IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU FOUND, LIKE THE COUNTRY MUSIC AUDIENCE EMBRACED YOU BECAUSE YOU PLAYED THE MUSIC, YOU LIVED SOME OF THE STORIES.

>> I WAS REAL.

>> YEAH.

>> THE ONLY THING DIFFERENT WAS I SHOCKED SO MANY PEOPLE, WASN'T NO PICTURES OR NOTHING SENT OUT ON ME.

AND THEY DID ME THE SAME WAY THAT I DID PEOPLE.

I THOUGHT THEY WAS THE SAME COLOR WE ARE.

>> LET ME ASK THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION.

THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD YOU'RE GETTING.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR THIS BODY OF WORK THAT YOU'VE HAD IN THIS UNLIKELY CAREER?

>> PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME I'VE BEEN SO FOORT NATE TO HAVE SO MANY AWARDS.

VI THREE GRAMMYS.

A STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME.

I'M NOW AT THE GRAND OLE OPRY, IN THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME, SECOND ONLY TO ELVIS PRESLEY.

IT GOES ON AND ON.

BUT THE THING HERE IS IF I HAD TO BE PINNED DOWN FOR, OUT OF ALL OF THE WINS I'VE RECEIVED SO FAR, I WOULD HAVE TO SAY COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME.

I GO IN THERE AND LOOK AT ROY ACUFF, JOHNNY CASH, LORETTA LYNN, ALL OF THE BIGGIES, YOU KNOW, AND MY PLACARD RIGHT ALONG IN THE CIRCLE WITH THEM, YOU SEE.

SO I'M ONLY SAYING THAT, I'M NOT GOING TO TRY TO DISTINGUISH WHICH ONE IS GOING TO MAKE ME THAT MUCH PROUDER THAN THE OTHER, OTHER THAN I'M PLEASED FOR ALL OF THEM.

AND AS I SAY, I'M GOING TO ACCEPT THIS ONE AND APPRECIATE IT AS MUCH AS I HAVE DONE FOR THE OTHERS.

AND SO I DON'T KNOW HOW I'M GOING TO FEEL, BUT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO FEELING PRETTY GOOD ABOUT THIS ONE, TOO.

I HAD PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THEY SAY WHEN I WON MALE VOCALS AND ENTERTAINER IN 1971 THAT I SHOULD HAVE HAD IT BEFORE THEN AND ALL OF THAT.

I DON'T THINK IN TERMS OF THAT BECAUSE BACK THEN IT WAS SO -- I HAD SO MANY OF MY PEERS WERE SO BIG, GLEN CAMPBELL.

>> A LOT TO COMPETE WITH.

>> A LOT OF COMPETITION.

NOW, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE FROM TRADITIONAL ALL THE WAY UP TO -- WHERE I CUT IT OFF IS GEORGE STRAIT.

IT JUST DEPENDS ON EVERYONE UP TO GEORGE STRAIT I CONSIDER HE'S THE LAST OF THE TRADITIONALISTS.

THEN MY FRIEND, WHICH HE IS MY FRIEND, RANDY TRAVIS, I USED HIM THE REST OF THE WAY WHERE WE ARE TODAY, THAT HAVE SPAWNED SO MANY OF THE OTHERS UP UNTIL NOW.

SO BUT THAT'S JUST MY -- NOW THAT DON'T MEAN THAT THAT'S ACCURATE.

THAT'S JUST MY OPINION OF HOW I TRY TO, HOW I TRY TO DEFINE WHERE MY TRADITIONALIST STARTS AND ENDS AND OTHER ONES START.

SO THAT'S THE KIND OF -- THAT'S WHERE I AM TODAY.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US, MR.

PRIDE.

IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.

>> I HAVEN'T GOT IT YET, BUT THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU.