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Product Description A biography of country music's only black superstar describes his impoverished childhood in Sledge, Mississippi, his three Grammys, his struggle as virtually the only black star in the country music constellation. Simultaneous. From Library Journal As one of country's first black superstars, Pride faced a lot of hardship in starting his career. However, this is not the focus of his autobiography. Listeners will instead hear about Pride's childhood in Mississippi, his attempts at a career in Major League baseball (and how this failed dream led to his singing career). In addition, Pride discusses business ventures that succeeded and those that failed, as well as his bouts with manic depression. He tells his story with no bitterness but lots of homespun advice and humor. Pride as reader is a bit uneven, yet he speaks from his heart; when he chuckles after a funny story, for instance, listeners will find it hard to keep from chuckling along with him. This enjoyable book will find a home with libraries that have strong music collections, African American studies collections, or good general biography sections. Danna C. Bell-Russel, District of Columbia P.L. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. From AudioFile The list of black country music artists is a short list topped by Charley Pride. Born to a Mississippi sharecropper's family, he integrated Nashville in the 1960's. This was an accident, of course--he was trying to get into major league baseball! In this autobiography, Pride also describes his manic-depression and alludes to an alcohol problem. A singer, not a reader, Pride's delivery is less polished than the autobiographical readings of Reba McEntire (AudioFile 9/94) and Naomi Judd (AudioFile 4/94). He articulates articles painfully and sounds out some polysyllabic words. With no music or sound effects, this read is brutally honest and refreshingly authe