When I was young before I had cassettes, the only good way of making a playlist of songs was to stack 45s on the turntable. I would arrange them to play my favorite songs in my favorite order. These posts are about records I had in my stacks.
“Wonder Could I Live There Anymore” is a song written by Bill Rice, and recorded by American country music artist Charley Pride. It was released in May 1970 as the first single from the album From Me to You. Charley Pride, born on March 18, 1934, in Sledge, Mississippi, was an American country music singer and guitarist.
Raised in a sharecropping family, one of 11 children, Pride developed a love for music at an early age. His father inadvertently fostered Charley’s love of Country music by tuning the family’s Philco radio to Nashville’s WSM-AM in order to catch Grand Ole Opry broadcasts. At 14 years of age, Charley purchased his first guitar—a Silvertone from a Sears Roebuck catalog—
and taught himself how to play it by listening to the songs that he heard on that radio. After serving in the U.S. Army, he pursued a career in baseball, playing in the Negro American League, as a pitcher and outfielder, before an injury altered his path. Turning to his passion for music, Pride moved to Nashville in the 1960s and became the first African-American country music superstar. His groundbreaking achievements include numerous hit songs, such as “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'” and “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone.”
Pride’s impact on the genre earned him multiple awards and recognitions. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. Charley Pride’s remarkable career broke racial barriers and left an indelible mark on the history of country music. Pride recorded 50 singles that reached the top 10 on the country music charts, 29 of which peaked at number 1. Mother had purcharded this 1970 single and I adopted both sides of it for my stack of 45s soon after.
“Wonder Could I Live There Anymore” was released in May of 1970 and went to number one for two weeks and spent a total of 15 weeks on the top 40. The songwriter, Rice has written songs for artists such as Johnny Paycheck, Hank Williams Jr., Lynn Anderson, Mickey Gilley, and Jerry Lee Lewis, and he has more awards from the American Society of Composers,
Authors and Publishers than any other songwriter. Rice had also been nominated for two Grammy Awards. Rice formed another songwriting partnership, with then-wife Sharon Vaughn Rice. Together, they penned hits including Patty Loveless’ “Lonely Too Long” and Reba McEntire’s “I’m Not That Lonely Yet.” They also wrote “‘Til a Tear Becomes a Rose,” for Keith Whitley and Lorrie Morgan.
Charley Pride died of Covid-19 on December 12, 2020 in Dallas, Texas at the age of 86.
Wonder Could I Live There Anymore written by Bill Rice
Have you ever been awakened by the crowing of a rooster
While the night is still heavy on the ground
And the voice of Uncle Ben seems to break the morning silence
Bringing lights to windows all around
Well it's time to rise and shine and start another hard work day
Get the cows in and start the milking chores
It's nice to think about it maybe even visit but
I wonder could I live there anymore
Something bout the smell of cornbread cooking on a wood stove
Seems to bring a picture to my mind
Of a little three room house with mama in the kitchen
But she can't stop to talk ain't got the time
She's a fixing dad his supper he's a working over time
Tryin' to pay our bill at the grocery store
It's nice to think about it maybe even visit but
I wonder could I live there anymore
As I think about my childhood and of my old hometown
I don't really miss them like before
It's nice to think about it maybe even visit but
I wonder could I live there anymore
Further Reading
Sources
- “Bill Rice” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Rice
- “Wonder Could I Live There Anymore” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Could_I_Live_There_Anymore
- “Charley Pride” https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charley-Pride
- “Charley Pride” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charley_Pride
- “Charley Pride” https://charleypride.com/
- “Bill Rice” https://nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/Site/inductee?entry_id=3689
