January 13, 1971 is an important day for Charley Pride. On this day, he was celebrating his song, “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” being a No. 1 hit at country radio. The song, on his Charley Pride Sings Heart Songs album, went on to become one of the biggest crossover hits of his career. Although at the time, Pride had no way of knowing it would remain one of his most revered singles.
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Written by Ben Peters, “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” was also a Top 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart. By the time the song came out, Pride had established himself as a multi-genre force in music. But it’s “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” that remains one of his most beloved classics. In 2024, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
“Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” became Pride’s eighth No. 1 hit at country radio. He spent the next decade ruling country radio. Some of his many country hits are “She’s Too Good To Be True”, “I’ll Be Leaving Alone”, “Where Do I Put Her Memory”, and others. “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” remains Pride’s most successful song to chart at both country and pop radio.
The Story Behind Charley Pride’s “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’”
According to Songfacts, Peters had the idea for “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” from his wife. The couple had just had a baby. Peters’ wife reminded him to kiss his infant daughter before he walked out the door.
“Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” says, “You’ve got to kiss an angel good mornin’ / And let her know you think about her when you’re gone / Kiss an angel good mornin’ / And love her like the devil when you get back home.”
When the song was released, Pride had become quite used to having hits on multiple charts, refusing to be hindered by one genre. It’s a trademark that worked for him, although he admits it was an anomaly, at least at the time.
“‘Kiss An Angel’ is a clear example of a record that was not recorded to be a crossover record, and all that sort of hocus-pocus,” Pride reflects. “And it became a million-seller. And it’s a typical example of where we are today, flailing about who’s country and who’s middle-of-the-road. You know, people at radio stations say, ‘Well, Charley’s good, but he’s country. So we’ll have to penalize him for being traditional.’ … And then ‘Kiss An Angel’ came out and went to the Top 20 in pop.”
Turns out, Pride was just ahead of his time. More than 35 years later, artists now happily follow in the path Pride helped create.
“All those kinds of music have been borrowing from each other for so long that I think it’s time to stop punishing one another from the standpoint of airplay,” Pride says.
Photo of Charley Pride Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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