With “Howdy! The Minnie Pearl Story,” authors Mary Ellen Pethel and Don Cusic have delivered thedefinitive biography of this country legend. Rich with 155 historic photographs and drawing from archives and interviews with those who knew her, “Howdy!” covers the many chapters of Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon’s life, capturing both her enduring humor and the woman behind the laughter. Sources includeDolly Parton, who says, “Minnie was more than a big laugh. She was a big heart, and I will always love her,” and k.d. lang, who notes, “Minnie understood where country music needed to go and who it needed to embrace. She was a visionary.”