CMHOFM & University Of Illinois Press To Co-Publish Cleve Francis Autobiography
The Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum & University Of Illinois Press will co-publish the Cleve Francis autobiography, Do My Heart Good: My Odyssey Through Country Music, Medicine, and History. The book will be available beginning Oct. 6, in bookstores nationwide and other retail outlets.
Francis will appear at the museum on Sept. 5 for a discussion with the museum’s Senior Director of Editorial Paul Kingsbury. He will also make his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry as a featured performer on Sept. 4.
The book tells the story of Francis, who was born to a poor family in the small town of Jennings, Louisiana. He rose to be a respected medical doctor and recorded three albums for Capitol Nashville’s Liberty Records during the early 1990s, which included his charting singles “Love Light” and “You Do My Heart Good,” among others. He was one of the few Black artists ever to record country music for a major record label at the time. Do My Heart Good traces three key threads throughout his life including his lifelong love of performing music, his abiding interest in science and medicine and his determination to break through racial barriers through personal achievement.
The book is available for pre-order here.
