Endlessly: A Tribute to Brook Benton brings us Charley Pride as we’ve never heard him before. He brought a combination of his legendary traditional country sound and R&B with slick 1980s pop-leaning production. It showcases his voice and versatility like few other releases. Today, American Songwriter is proud to premiere Pride’s rendition of “It’s Just a Matter of Time” ahead of the album’s September 19 release via Music City Records.
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Pride recorded his tribute to R&B and soul legend Brook Benton in the 1980s. However, the album was shelved and eventually lost to time. Then, it was rediscovered in 2017. Four years later, the original tapes were transferred to digital audio. This Friday, the album will finally see the light of day.
[RELATED: How Charley Pride Dominated the Country Music World in 1972]
Benton penned “It’s Just a Matter of Time” with Belford Hendricks and Clyde Otis and released it in 1959. It was a No. 1 R&B hit and went to No. 3 on the Hot 100. Sonny James released his version in 1970, and it became a No. 1 country hit. Glen Campbell had a top 10 hit with it in 1986. Three years later, Randy Travis took the song back to No. 1 on the country chart. Pride’s version fits perfectly among those legendary recordings.
Charley Pride’s Unearthed “It’s Just a Matter of Time” Is Next-Level
Greg Gosselin of Music City Records spoke to American Songwriter about Charley Pride’s version of “It’s Just a Matter of Time” ahead of today’s premiere.
“When you think about it, it’s pretty amazing that this song, written by three Black men, Benton, Clyde Otis, and Belford Hendricks, has reached the upper reaches of the country music airplay charts on three different occasions,” he says. “What’s likely going to baffle Charley’s fans is that his 1992 Ritz Records release of ‘It’s Just a Matter of Time’ was his second recording of the song, with this Benton tribute recording actually pre-dating that later Ritz recording by over five years,” Gosselin reveals.
“While both versions have their merits, this earlier Brook Benton tribute version is just on a completely different level. The arrangements and orchestration are more lush, and Charley clearly found a special groove when he recorded his vocals,” he says of what sets this recording apart. “Of course, advances in mixing technology have been a huge help in bringing out the subtleties of his vocal performance and the instrumentation,” he adds.
This may not be the last “lost” album from Charley Pride that we’ll get, according to Gosselin. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that an amazing album like this ended up collecting dust for decades. It makes me wonder what other gems there are out there to be discovered since there’s a lot of other unreleased recordings by Charley that still need to be reviewed,” he reveals.
Featured Image by Ben De Rienzo/Music City Records
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