Kenny Rogers opens up about childhood, career in memoir

NEW YORK, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Country music star Kenny Rogersoffers a revealing look into his life and five-decade-longmusical career in "Luck or Something Like It," his memoir thatwill be

released on Tuesday.

From his humble beginnings in Depression-era Texas,the Grammy-winning singer paints a portrait of his road tosuccess and how he became one of the world's best-sellingmusicians with more than

120 million albums sold worldwide.

Rogers, 74, whose hits include "Lady," "The Gambler," "We'veGot Tonight" and "Lucille," spoke to Reuters about hischildhood, his father's alcoholism and why he compares music toa mistress.

Q: In what ways do you think your challenging upbringing hashelped shaped you?

A: "I think it made me more determined. One of the things Italk about in the book is the fine line between being driven andbeing selfish. I think there were times in my life I was sodriven I

became very selfish, and I'm not proud of that. I thinkit's a realization I came to when I was writing this book."

Q: You also share your father's struggles with alcoholismand its effect on you.

A: "I think that one of the real tragedies in my life isthat I never really got to know why my dad drank. He was analcoholic, but during that time, post-War World Two, a lot ofpeople were

unemployed and ended up drinking. He couldn't reallysupport his family and I think it just broke him down. It breaksmy heart that I didn't know that before he passed away."

"I never drank in my life. I saw it destroy him and saw itdestroy other people I work with, so I made a conscious decisionabout this. Plus I didn't know if there was any predeterminationfor

me as the son of an alcoholic to become addicted, so I justnever tried it."

Q: What do you think your father, Floyd Rogers, would havethought about your book?

A: "I think he would appreciate the honesty, the candor andthe fact that I don't take myself that seriously. But I don'tthink there is anything in that book that he would be offendedby

because it's the truth as I saw it, and that's really all youcan do."

A: "I don't think any of my brothers or sisters have readthe book yet since it just came out. I'm going to make them buyit. I have to sell all the books I can."

"I think my mom would have loved it. When I was working onthis project, I was told if they like the boy, they'll love theman. So we spent a lot of time talking about my childhood, howwe

didn't have a lot of money and how my mom kind of force-fedus religion. She was a true believer with lots of wisdom. When Ionce complained about going to church, she told me, 'You cannever

be more as an adult than what's put into you as a child.'She was amazingly astute for a person with a third gradeeducation."

Q: You have said: "Music, at least for me, is like amistress, and she's a difficult mistress for a wife to competewith." Can you elaborate?

A: "When I became driven and selfish I was so intent tofollow my life that it cost me. I was gone so much from some ofmy marriages that there was a disconnect."

"And this may seem like an absurd statement, but every womanI married, I really loved when I married her. And I don't blamethem for the marriage falling apart. I blame myself and mychosen

field of music. That's why I say that music is amistress, because you can't wait to get out there to it, andusually the mistress wins in a situation like that. That's kindof what happened to

me. Hey, you can't say I'm afraid ofcommitment. I've been married five times."

A: "Wanda and I have been together now for 20 years, beenmarried 15 years. She's 28 years younger than me, and I say thisfrom the bottom of my heart - she is my soul mate. She knows mebetter

than anyone else has known me. She loves what I do andI'm not as insensitive to her needs as I may have been in thepast."

A: "My mom, whose name is Lucille, got very upset becauseshe thought (the song) was about her. So I told her it's notabout her, because she had eight kids. But she was soangry because she

thought I was putting her business on thestreet. Roger Bowling wrote the song, and whether he knewLucille or not is hard to tell. It's a great story song,though."

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