PRIDE

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 authentic. D.W.K. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB 95]