by Merle Haggard with Tom Carter
For the last 30 years or so, Merle Haggard has been Nashville's best male singer, with a rich, mellow voice and gently swinging delivery. From the sound of this sporadically anguished but absorbing autobiography, though, a lot of people have been walking on his fighting side. Haggard owns up to his delinquent-criminal past, which includes addictions to alcohol, cocaine and gambling and a two-year stretch in San Quentin for breaking and entering. But he comes down hard on his (unnamed) third wife, thieving employees and lying record company execs. And he bashes today's "sanitized" junior country music stars, who have the gall to claim veterans as their mentors. (CliffStreet/HarperCollins, $24)
Bottom Line: Mixed messages from Nashville's top dog
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