Brenda Meeking from Goodletssville, TN meets Charley Pride.

Charley Pride, 77, signed autographs and took photos with fans at an autograph-signing event in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Rotunda 10 a.m. on Friday, June 12.

“He is a legend and is true to the songs. Everyone forgets about the old ones, but they are from when it all began,” said MaryAnn Wells, a longtime fan.

The Grand Ole Opry Country Star’s music career began in 1965, releasing “The Snakes Crawl” in 1966. A true innovator, Pride released his song without publicity because his record company feared that country fans would reject a black artist. Pride’s skin tone in a white male-dominated industry didn’t stop him from achieving any success.

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Lesley Fram, Angaleena Presley, Braelynn, Kelsea Ballerini, Danielle Bradbery, Cam and the CMT crew backstage before the CMT Next Women in Country event.

“Today, we possibly won’t address and fix the gender gap, but we will hear women who step up to those challenges,” CMT Senior Vice President Leslie Fram announced onstage from the Country Music Hall of Fame’s CMA Theater.

At CMT’s Next Women of Country, a panel devoted to exposing diverse voices in popular country music, Fram candidly interviewed RaeLynn, Angaleena Presley, The Voice’s Danielle Bradbery, Kelsea Ballerini.

The audience roared in applause as Fram introduced each panelist onstage.

RaeLynn, who performed at the CMT Awards Wednesday night in downtown Nashville, took the first seat and admitted she was nervous at the CMT awards, but was glad she made it through it. She seemed relaxed onstage sitting between Fram and Presley.

After greeting herself and entertaining the audience with her bubbly personality, Raelynn entertained the audience with her new song, “For a Boy.”

Lesley Fram announces the panel of CMT’s Next Women of Country.

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