Pat Boone | |
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.jpg) Boone in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (1934-06-01)June 1, 1934 (age 91) Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Works | Pat Boone discography |
| Years active | 1953–present |
| Labels |
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| Website | patboone |
Patrick Charles Eugene Boone[1] (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host, and philanthropist. One of the best-selling American recording artists of the 1950s and early 1960s, he has sold nearly 50 million records, charted 38 Top 40 hits in the United States, and appeared in numerous feature films.[2]
Boone rivaledElvis Presley in popularity during the 1950s[3] and was ranked byBillboard as one of the top charting artists between 1955 and 1995.[4] He spent 220 consecutive weeks on theBillboard charts with one or more songs each week.[5]
Through the 1960s, Boone remained one of the most popular entertainers in the United States, becoming ateen idol positioned as an alternative to the perceivedhedonism of rock and roll, owing to his work as a singer, writer, actor, and religious motivational speaker.[6] In 1957, at age 23, Boone began hosting the half-hourABC variety seriesThe Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, which aired 115 episodes from 1957 to 1960. Guests includedCliff Richard,Nat King Cole,Edie Adams,Andy Williams,Pearl Bailey, andJohnny Mathis.[7] Hiscover versions of rhythm and blues songs contributed to the mainstream popularity ofrock and roll.Elvis Presley opened for Boone inCleveland in 1955, and the two later became close friends.[8]
As an author, Boone published the 1958 advice book'Twixt Twelve and Twenty, which became a number-one bestseller.[9] In the 1960s, he turned his attention togospel music and was later inducted into theGospel Music Hall of Fame. He continues to perform, speak as a motivational speaker, and work as a television personality andconservative political commentator.
Charles Eugene Boone (known as Pat) was born on June 1, 1934, inJacksonville, Florida, to Margaret Virginia (née Pritchard) and Archie Altman Boone. When he was two years old, the family moved toNashville, Tennessee, where he was raised. He graduated in 1952 fromDavid Lipscomb High School in Nashville.[10] His younger brother, Cecil Boone (1935–2023), who performed under the nameNick Todd, was born exactly one year later on June 1 and became a pop singer in the 1950s before working as a church music leader.[11]
In a 2007 interview onThe 700 Club, Boone stated that he is a great-great-great-great-grandson of American pioneerDaniel Boone.[12]
Boone primarily attended David Lipscomb College (laterLipscomb University) in Nashville. He graduated in 1958 from theColumbia University School of General Studiesmagna cum laude,[13] having previously attended North Texas State University (now theUniversity of North Texas) inDenton, Texas.[14]
Boone began his career performing at Sunday concerts in Nashville’sCentennial Park.[15] He began recording in April 1953 for Republic Records (not to be confused with the modern label of the same name), and in 1955 signed withDot Records. That year, his cover ofFats Domino’s "Ain't That a Shame" became a hit, setting the tone for the early stage of his career, which often involved covering rhythm and blues songs by Black artists for a predominantly white American audience.[16] Dot’s owner, Randy Wood, had released an R&B single by the Griffin Brothers in 1951 titled "Tra La La-a", unrelated to the laterLaVern Baker song of the same name, and sought to reuse it after the original failed to chart. It became theB-side of Boone’s debut single, "Two Hearts Two Kisses", originally recorded by the Charms.
In 1956, Boone scored a number-one single with his cover of "I Almost Lost My Mind" byIvory Joe Hunter, which had previously been recorded byNat King Cole. According to a 1957 opinion poll of high school students, Boone was favored nearly two-to-one overElvis Presley among boys and almost three-to-one among girls.[17] During the late 1950s, he was a regular on ABC-TV’sOzark Jubilee, hosted by his father-in-law,Red Foley. He cultivated a safe, wholesome, and advertiser-friendly image, which earned him a long-term endorsement deal withGeneral Motors. In the late 1950s he succeededDinah Shore in promoting Chevrolet, singing the company’s advertising jingle "See the USA in your Chevrolet". GM also sponsored Boone’s television program,The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom.
Many of Boone’s most successful recordings were covers of songs first released by Black artists. In addition to "Ain't That a Shame", he recorded "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally" byLittle Richard,[18] "At My Front Door" byThe El Dorados, the blues ballad "I Almost Lost My Mind" byIvory Joe Hunter, "I'll Be Home" bythe Flamingos, and "Don't Forbid Me" byCharles Singleton. Boone’s versions were part of a broader trend in the 1950s in which white performers recorded rhythm and blues songs for mainstream audiences. Some critics have cited this practice as an example ofcultural whitewashing, arguing that it sanitized the music for white listeners and limited recognition for the original Black artists.[19]
Boone wrote the lyrics to the instrumental theme of the 1960 filmExodus, composed byErnest Gold, which Boone titled "This Land Is Mine".
As a conservative Christian, Boone declined songs and film roles that he felt compromised his beliefs, including one withMarilyn Monroe. In his early filmApril Love (1957), directorHenry Levin asked him to kiss co-starShirley Jones; since it would be his first onscreen kiss, Boone first sought his wife’s approval before filming the scene.[20] He founded his own production company, Cooga Mooga Productions.[21]
From 1955 to 1957, Boone was a regular onArthur Godfrey and His Friends, and later hosted the Thursday-night variety programThe Pat Boone Chevy Showroom. In 1959, his likeness was licensed toDC Comics, appearing first inSuperman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane No. 9 (May 1959) before headlining his own five-issue comic series from September 1959 to May 1960.[22][23] One of the artists on the series,Bob Oksner, was a fellow resident ofTeaneck, New Jersey and was acquainted with Boone.[24]
Boone popularizedSpeedy Gonzales in a 1962single. It peaked at the No. 6Billboard Hot 100 position in 1962 during a total chart run of 13 weeks, doing better in many national charts in Europe, where it sold a million copies.[25]
In the early 1960s, he authored a series of self-help books for adolescents, beginning with'Twixt Twelve and Twenty. TheBritish Invasion curtailed his run as a hitmaker, though he continued recording throughout the decade. In 1966, Boone competed in theSanremo Music Festival in Italy, performingMai mai mai Valentina withGiorgio Gaber andSe tu non fossi qui withPeppino Gagliardi. During the trip, he visitedFerrari headquarters inMaranello, intending to buy aSuperamerica, but was persuaded byEnzo Ferrari to instead purchase a four-doorFerrari 2+2 for his family. Boone later recalled selling the car—“the Ferrari (I) didn’t like”—to comedianTom Smothers.[26]
In the 1970s, he switched togospel andcountry; he also continued performing in other media. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Boone family toured as gospel singers. The family also made gospel albums, such asThe Pat Boone Family andThe Family Who Prays.[27]
In 1973, he releasedS-A-V-E-D, a gospel-studio album. Two songs of the album were written by his friendJohnny Cash, who said of it:
I'm deeply honored that you would record two of my songs in this album. This is the ultimate for me, that Pat Boone would sing any of my songs
— Johnny Cash, 1973
In the early 1970s, Boone founded the record labelLamb & Lion Records, with himself, the Pat Boone Family,Debby Boone,Dan Peek,DeGarmo and Key, and Dogwood as the principal artists.[28] In 1974, Boone was signed to theMotown country subsidiary Melodyland.[29]
In 1978, Boone became the first target in theFederal Trade Commission's crackdown on false-claim product endorsements by celebrities. He had appeared with his daughter Debby in a commercial to claim that all four of his daughters had found a preparation called Acne-Statin a "real help" in keeping their skin clear. The FTC filed a complaint against the manufacturer, contending that the product did not really keep skin free of blemishes. Boone eventually signed a consent order in which he promised not only to stop appearing in the ads, but also to pay about 2.5% of any money that the FTC or the courts might eventually order the manufacturer to refund to consumers. Boone said, through a lawyer, that his daughters actually did use Acne-Statin, and that he was "dismayed to learn that the product's efficacy had not been scientifically established as he believed."[30]
Boone hosts a weekly radio show, thePat Boone hour, on the 50s Gold channel onSiriusXM.
In 1994, Boone played the title role inThe Will Rogers Follies inBranson, Missouri.[31] In 1997, he releasedIn a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, a collection ofheavy metalcovers.[27] To promote it, he appeared at theAmerican Music Awards in black leather, which resulted in his dismissal fromGospel America, a TV show on theTrinity Broadcasting Network. After a special appearance on TBN with the president of the network,Paul Crouch, and his pastor, Jack Hayford, his explanation of the leather outfit being a "parody of himself" was accepted. TBN reinstated him, andGospel America returned on air.[32]
In 2003, the NashvilleGospel Music Association recognized his gospel career by inducting him into theGospel Music Hall of Fame. In 2006, Boone releasedWe Are Family: R&B Classics, featuring cover versions of 11 R&B hits, including the title track, plus "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", "Soul Man", "Get Down Tonight", "A Woman Needs Love", and six other classics.[33]
In 2010, plans were announced for the Pat Boone Family Theater atBroadway at the Beach inMyrtle Beach, South Carolina,[34] but the attraction was never built.[35]
In 2011, Boone acted as spokesperson for Security One Lending, a reverse mortgage company.[36][37] He has also acted as a spokesperson for Swiss America Trading Corporation, a broker of gold and silver coins that warns of "America's Economic Collapse".[38]
In 2023, Boone was a guest vocalist onBorn to Be Wild, an album byAnn-Margret, for a duet, "Teach Me Tonight".[39] The following year, at 90, he released a single, "Where Did America Go?"[40]
In 2025, Boone set the record for the longest span between entries onBillboard's Adult Contemporary chart, achieving this record with his song "One - Voices for Tanzania". His initial appearance on the chart was with "Moody River" on July 17, 1961, and his return after 63 years, 8 months, and 3 weeks.[41]
In 1953, Boone married Shirley Lee Foley,[42] the daughter ofRed Foley andJudy Martin. The Boones had four daughters:Cheryl "Cherry" Lynn, Linda "Lindy" Lee,Deborah "Debby" Ann, and Laura "Laury" Gene.
In the late 1950s, Boone and his family were residents ofTeaneck, New Jersey.[43] Shirley Boone was also a recording artist and television personality, though less known than her husband. She founded a hunger-relief Christian ministry that evolved intoMercy Corps.[42] She died in 2019, aged 84, at the couple's Beverly Hills home.[42]
Boone has been a close friend to many U.S. presidents, includingRonald Reagan andJimmy Carter.[44] Boone supportedBarry Goldwater in the1964 United States presidential election.[45]
At a 1961 gathering atPepperdine College, Boone said, "I would rather see my four girls shot and die as little girls who have faith in God than leave them to die some years later as godless, faithless, soulless communists."[46]
Boone is a staunch supporter of Israel and he shares a close relationship with Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu.[47][48]
In the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial election, Boone campaigned unsuccessfully for incumbentRepublicanErnie Fletcher with a recorded automated telephone message stating that theDemocratic Party candidateSteve Beshear would support "every homosexual cause". As part of the campaign, Boone asked, "Now do you want a governor who'd like Kentucky to be another San Francisco?"[49] In 2009, duringBarack Obama's first term in office, Boone wrote an article comparing liberalism to cancer, likening it to "black filthy cells".[50] In December 2009, Boone endorsed conservative Republican John Wayne Tucker inMissouri's 3rd congressional district against incumbentRuss Carnahan in the 2010 midterm elections.[51] In 2010, Boone endorsed Republican Clayton Trotter in the race forTexas's 20th congressional district with an ad campaign referencing his song "Speedy Gonzales", aboutthe Looney Tunes character.[52][53] Boone received a lifetime achievement award at the 38th annual Conservative Political Action Conference held in 2011.[54]
In 2016, Boone, withMike Huckabee and executive producer Troy Duhon, all of whom were involved in the filmGod's Not Dead 2, sent a letter to California GovernorJerry Brown in opposition to Senate Bill 1146,[55] which "prohibits a person from being subjected to discrimination" at California colleges. Other than schools that train pastors and theology teachers, schools "might no longer be allowed to hire Christian-only staff, teach religious ideas in regular classes, require attendance at chapel services, or keep bathrooms and dormitories restricted to either males or females".[56]
Boone is a basketball fan and had ownership interests in two teams. He owned a team in the Hollywood Studio League called the Cooga Moogas, which includedBill Cosby,Rafer Johnson,Gardner McKay,Don Murray, andDenny "Tarzan" Miller.[57] When theAmerican Basketball Association launched in 1967, Boone was the majority owner of the league's team inOakland, California.[57] The team was first named the Oakland Americans, but was soon renamed theOakland Oaks, the name under which it played from 1967 to 1969.[57] The Oaks won the1969 ABA championship.[58]
Despite their success on the court, the team had severe financial problems. In 1969,Bank of America threatened to foreclose on a $1.2 million loan,[59] and Boone sold the team to a Washington, D.C.-based investment group, and the team became theWashington Caps.[60]
Boone later played for the Virginia Creepers, an 80–84 age groupSenior Olympics team that narrowly lost to the gold medal-winning team; Boone aged out at 85 in 2019.[61]
Boone and his wife have been active in charitable endeavors. Together, they supported the founding ofMercy Corps in 1981, a global humanitarian organization focused on crisis response and development in over 40 countries. This initiative stemmed from an earlier project,Save the Refugees, which Shirley launched in 1979, during theCambodian crisis.[62]
The Boones also contributed to the creation of the Shirley and Pat Boone Life Center in Tanzania[63] which provides clean drinking water, medical care, and education to local communities. The couple also created, through a multi-million dollar donation, the Shirley and Pat Boone Center for the Family atPepperdine University, which educates students on building moral and healthy relationships.[64][65]
Boone has performed in manymusical genres such as pop,country music,rock and roll, R&B,gospel, andsoul.[36]
It is estimated that over the course of his career, he has recorded more than 2,600 official tracks, making him one of the most prolific artists in music history.[66] He has 38 hits on the U.S. Top 40, securing the number one spot six times. Until the 2010s, he held the record for the most consecutive weeks in the U.S. charts with at least one single in theTop 100, totaling 220 weeks.[67]
No. 1 singles in the United States (Billboard Hot 100):
No. 1 singles in the United Kingdom (UK Singles Chart):
Boone grew up in theChurch of Christ.[68] In the 1960s, Boone's marriage to Shirley Foley nearly came to an end because of his use of alcohol and his predilection to attend parties. However, after coming into contact with theCharismatic Movement, Shirley focused on her religion and eventually influenced Pat and their daughters to have a similar religious focus.[69] At the time they attended the Inglewood Church of Christ inInglewood, California.
In 1964, Boone spoke at a "Project Prayer" rally at theShrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The gathering, which was hosted byAnthony Eisley, a star of ABC'sHawaiian Eye series, sought to flood theUnited States Congress with letters in support of mandatoryschool prayer, following two decisions in 1962 and 1963 of theUnited States Supreme Court that struck down mandatory prayer as conflicting with theEstablishment Clause of theFirst Amendment to the United States Constitution.[70] Joining Boone and Eisley at the Project Prayer rally wereWalter Brennan,Lloyd Nolan,Rhonda Fleming,Gloria Swanson, andDale Evans. Boone declared, "(W)hat the communists want is to subvert and undermine our young people... I believe in the power of aroused Americans, I believe in the wisdom of our Constitution.... the power of God."[70] It was reported thatRoy Rogers,John Wayne,Ronald Reagan,Mary Pickford,Jane Russell,Ginger Rogers, andPat Buttram endorsed the goals of the rally and would have attended had their schedules not been in conflict.[70]
In the early 1970s, the Boones hostedBible studies for such celebrities asDoris Day,Glenn Ford,Zsa Zsa Gabor, andPriscilla Presley. The Boones attendedThe Church on the Way inVan Nuys, aFoursquare Gospel megachurch pastored byJack Hayford.[32]
On a 2016 broadcast ofFox News Radio'sThe Alan Colmes Show, Boone discussed an episode ofSaturday Night Live that included a sketch entitledGod Is a Boob Man; the sketch parodied the filmGod's Not Dead 2, in which Boone had a role.[71] Boone described the sketch as "blasphemy", stating that theFederal Communications Commission should forbid such content and revoke the broadcast licenses of any "network, or whoever is responsible for the shows".[71]
In 1956, Boone was one of the biggest recording stars in the US. Several studios pursued him for movies. He went with20th Century Fox, which had madeElvis Presley's first movie.[66] Fox reworked a play he had bought,Bernardine, into a vehicle for Boone. It was a hit, earning $3.75 million in the US.[72]
Even more popular wasApril Love (1957), a remake ofHome in Indiana. Boone regards it as one of his favourites, "the kind of movie I wish I could have made 20 more of: a musical, appealing characters, some drama, a good storyline, a happy ending, it's the kind of film which makes you feel good. I never wanted to make a depressing or immoral film."[73]
Less popular was a musical comedyMardi Gras (1958), which was the last movie directed byEdmund Goulding. However,Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959), a science fiction adventure tale, was a huge hit. Boone had been reluctant to do it, and needed to be persuaded by being offered the chance to sing several songs and getting a percentage of the profits, but was glad he did.[74]
He produced and starred in a documentary,Salute to the Teenagers (1960), but did not make a film for a while, studying acting withSanford Meisner. He returned with a military comedy,All Hands on Deck (1961), a mild hit.[75]
He was one of several names in another remake,State Fair (1962), which disappointed at the box office. Musicals were becoming less fashionable in Hollywood, so Boone took on a dramatic role in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer-distributedThe Main Attraction (1962) forSeven Arts Productions, his first movie outside Fox. It was an unhappy experience for Boone as he disliked the implication his character had sex withNancy Kwan's and he got into several public fights with the producers.[76] He had a deal with Fox to make three films at $200,000 each with his production company. This was meant to start with a thriller,The Yellow Canary (1963), in which Boone would play an unsympathetic character. New management came in at the studio, which was unenthusiastic about the picture but because Boone had a pay or play deal, it was made, but with a much-reduced budget. Boone paid some money out of his own pocket to help complete it.[77]
Boone's next movie at Fox was another low-budget effort,The Horror of It All (1963), shot in England. He made a comedy in Ireland,Never Put It in Writing (1964), for Allied Artists. Boone's third film for Fox was an "A" production,Goodbye Charlie (1964), but he was supportingDebbie Reynolds andTony Curtis. He was one of the many names inThe Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) and appeared inThe Perils of Pauline (1967), a pilot for a TV series that did not eventuate, which was screened in some theatres. Boone's last film of note wasThe Cross and the Switchblade (1970).
Studio albums
Boone was considered one of the top box-office stars in the U.S. as judged by the Quigley Poll of Movie Exhibitors in its Annual "Top Ten MoneyMakers Poll":[78]
The folks are shown where Pat Boone attended school and told how Pat got his start with the Sunday concerts in Centennial Park
euronet was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).
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