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Last we saw Charley Pride he was the high point of my friend Elvis Mitchell's made-for-HBO documentary The Black List, Vol. 2. But this morning in a brief concert preview, the Edmonton Journal provides further proof, if any is necessary at this late date, of his greatness. Tomorrow, the 71-year-old longtime North Dallas resident is scheduled to perform at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, a show that is sold out. Which is how Jacqueline Sharp wound up paying $1,210.71 on a scalpers' Web site for a couple of ducats to the show, or 10 times face value. Clearly, a very big fan.
But a couple of months back, Pride heard about this outrage and flew from Dallas up to Canada and went directly to Sharp's workplace to refund her the difference -- $933 out of his own pocket, just like that, with the added promise of dedicating a song to her at tomorrow night's show. Said Pride, "It doesn't feel good, that's why I'm here. I don't think it's right. I wouldn't like paying that much money to see myself." Having played poker with Pride once, I can say this: The man doesn't just throw away money.
Keep the Dallas Observer Free... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Dallas with no paywalls.
