Charley Pride, 84, is a country singer who recorded 29 No. 1 Billboard hits and is a three-time Grammy winner and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. His latest album is “Music in My Heart” (Music City). He spoke with Marc Myers.

My childhood home in Sledge, Miss., wasn’t painted any color. It was a shotgun house made of wood planks and a tin-top roof that sat on cinder blocks. It was shelter and a place to sleep.

I...