In the mid-1980s, when Charley Pride was in between record contracts, he went into a Dallas studio with an all-star cast of area musicians to record a series of songs by Brook Benton . He intended to turn the project into a tribute album to the R&B mainstay and “Rainy Night in Georgia” singer.

“He loved Brook Benton’s writing and his songs,” Rozene Pride, Charley Pride’s widow, recalls. “He had fun. It was a joy to do this album.”

Ultimately, the project never saw the light of day, winding up on a reel in storage until 2017 — three years before Pride’s death at 86 , following a career spanning more than six decades and 40 Number One hits. Last month, the collection, titled Endlessly: A Tribute to Brook Benton , finally received its worldwide release.

The 10-track album draws hea

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