DeFord Bailey DeFord Bailey was a pioneer not only for African American Country singers but for all country musicians. A world-class harmonica player, Bailey has the distinct honor of being the first country singer to be introduced on the Grand Ole Opry. Not just the first black country singer, the first ever country musician. A rare appearance in 1974 launched the Opry's "Old Timers' Show," and Bailey received one of country music's highest honors when he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005 — 23 years after he passed away. Charley Pride One of our living legends of country music, Charley Pride, embodies everything there is to love about country music. With talent matched only by his resiliency and character, Pride rose to fame at the height of racial tension in America and eventually earned 39 No. 1 singles, selling over 70 million albums. The only artist to outsell Pride for RCA was Elvis Presley. Tina Turner She may not be known traditionally as a country artist, but Tennessee native and American icon Tina Turner's stint in country music was huge both for her and for future generations of artists. She wasn't the first black pop/R&B artist to go country, but she chose to introduce herself to the world as a country musician to show her appreciation for the genre with the Grammy-winning Tina Turns the Country On! Aaron Neville Aaron Neville was born in New Orleans and grew up around the southern and Creole influences of Louisiana. He started off singing with The Neville Brothers but eventually had a solo career. Neville's voice is high and smooth and lends itself well to R&B, but the singer never limited himself to one genre. One of Neville's most notable collaborations with a prominent country singer wasn't even for a country song. His work with Linda Ronstadt in 1989 for the Grammy Award-winning song "Don't Know Much" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that year. Ray Charles Ray Charles is the rare arti