I don't normally like books like this. "Let me tell you how bad I have had it" doesn't fly with me, but this book was different. Well written. And a goof story.

I remember Aaron Neville from his duets with singer Linda Ronstadt and seeing him on TV. I really liked his music when I was younger and thought he had such a unique quality to his voice. But I knew nothing else about his life and so I was super interested to read this one. I loved hearing about New Orleans from his point of view and also about the shady goings-on in the music industry where he got taken advantage of so many times with crappy contracts and no one looking out for him. His story is told mostly chronologically but it does jump back and forth a little bit here and there, which was a tiny bit confusing. There were a lot of names of people that he knew that was hard to keep straight because there were so many. And some parts of his story were repetitive, so I think it could have done with a bit more editing. But otherwise it was very interesting to learn more about this famous singer and everything he went through to chase his dreams and sing. This is a man who has been through a lot and never gave up.

Fans of Aaron Neville will find a lot to like about this book. I was aware of Tell it Like It Is, The Neville Brothers albums, and the Linda Ronstadt duets, but had no idea about Aaron Neville's life, his drug addiction, incarcerations, or the challenges he faced trying to get paid what was due him. It is a short book, only 288 pages, more or less chronological, full of interesting anecdotes and well written. Some parts are a little repetitive but it didn't distract from my overall enjoyment. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Books for an advanced reader copy.

This autobiography hits stores September 5, 2023. Hachette Books provided an early galley for review.

As a music fan, I knew Aaron's name and a few of his songs. I did not know his whole story until reading this book.

I instantly was taken to his writing style. Not surprising at all for a songwriter to be able to also craft lovely, lyrical narratives as well. And for a man of his age (82), he memories are very sharp and his descriptions vivid. Of course, like the book's title, he does indeed tell it like it is. There is no sugarcoating here, no painting the past in a better light. He gives the reader all the dirt from his past and let's us judge it for ourselves.

While music has been part of most of his life, it is mostly the second half of the book that focuses on his career success. As a huge fan of Linda Ronstadt's, I was pleased to hear his thoughts on recording and performing with her.

At this point in my life, I've read a good share of artist biographies (and autobiographies); this one is certainly one of the most incredible that I've ever come across, if not the top spot.

Neville, at eighty years old, is endlessly humble, honest, and often hilarious in his recollections--he's clearly a font of wisdom and, as a fan, it's of great comfort to know that he's making the most of the days he has left.

From early (literal) crimes to random, fantastic moments of coincidence and mercy, it's exceptionally wild to read these pages and know that they're the stepping stones to the era when his music (both with and without Linda Ronstadt) dominated the radio-waves.

You'll hear about run-ins with Otis Redding, Keith Richards, Mickey Rourke, and Bill Clinton, for starters, but a great many pages are dedicated to those who Neville felt brought him back into the light time and again. His love and admiration for them is, without question, the backbone of the book.

On a silly note: I had a few little relatives growing up in the early '00s that absolutely loved the "Little People" videos for children, and Neville sang the theme song. I know his work spans decades and this was surely just a quick job, but I'm curious if he has anything to say about those (wouldn't surprise me if there wasn't much to say, though).

Hearty recommend. I don't know how anyone isn't a fan of Neville's voice and music, but this doesn't hurt anyone looking to become an admirer of his artistry.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Books for the advance read.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Hachette Books for an advanced copy of the memoir by a musical legend with the most wondrous of voices, and the many, many troubles that he has seen.

The saddest thing about the world is how much the world blocks a person with a gift from sharing that gift with the world. A young man growing up with an incredible mind, told by an educator don't plan on science or laboratory work, you are the wrong color. Think more of being a mechanic, or a brick layer. Or a child with an ability to sing, but with a gift for doing the wrong thing at every opportunity, nearly ruining his life, and the life of his family. However music sometimes does persevere. The world of science was not for Charles Neville, but playing with his brother Aaron Neville was, Aaron just had to do a lot of growing up to get there. Tell It Like It Is: My Story by singer, songwriter, poet, activist, educator and now author Aaron Neville tells of Neville's upbringing, his brushes with the law and the redemptive power of music.

Aaron Neville was born in 1941 in the city of New Orleans, in a poverty that he never felt, but a discrimination that effected everything he did in his life for years. Neville was to say the least a handful as a child, stealing cars for both joyriding and to get somewhere, fighting often, involved in a shooting, and becoming addicted to various drugs, a habit that would take him years to shake. Married before he finished school, Neville spent time in prison for stealing cars, had a few songs on the radio, went to Los Angeles to make more music, and was arrested again. Coming home he worked hard by day taking any jobs he could, working nights on his music, scoring a song near the top of Hot 100 Billboard charts, before drugs again derailed his momentum. But an idea of making an album with his family soon sent him on a path to being a legend.
Aaron Neville has lived a very full life. From highs to low, low lows and everything in between. Though he has seen the worst that the world can be, including some of his own actions, Neville has never given up on people, and more importantly himself. The writing is very good, telling hi story, his mistakes, and the victories in a very straight ahead style, blaming himself and not others on what he has done. Growing up in Jim Crow America is horrible to even contemplate, something that exists in living memory is just draining to read, living it must have been a nightmare. Being locked up for 72 hours while cops found a crime that they could hand on someone is tough to read. However it is the music that most people will read this for, and there is a lot to talk about. The people that the Neville Brothers have played with, life on the road, those that helped, and those that hindered. All told in a very nice style.

Recommended for fans of the band, Neville's solo works, and for aficionados of the New Orleans sound and the life of musicians working in the South. . Also there is a lot about the cultural history about growing up in Louisiana. A very interesting memoir about a very talented man who fought hard for all he acquired, dispite his many missteps.

Man, I had no idea of the troubles Aaron Neville got into throughout his life. I always pictured him as a clean dude who was always singing with his family. But I am glad he persevered, because death could’ve rocked him way too early. He told the truth of what he did and the consequences of his actions. Basically, he did some jail time and took part in some robbery with friends.

I did enjoy all of his recollections of music, whether it was his family, friends, an album, a studio, a tour, or just chilling at home.

He was married for 48 years, before his wife passed away due to cancer. Two years later, he was married again, and that marriage is still going.

I enjoyed reading this book.