Whatever happened to Pat Boone?

oh

My story sounded better!

There are some things about Pat that don't sit well with me, but I like the man and own a collection of his vinyl records.

Eva, the perfect grammar made me think the same thing a little while ago.

Born: June 01, 1934, Jacksonville, FL
Active: '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, 2000s
Genres: Vocal Music
Instrument: Vocals
Representative Albums: "Pat Boone's Greatest Hits," "White Christmas," "Fifties: Complete"
Representative Songs: "Love Letters in the Sand," "Ain't That a Shame," "I Almost Lost My Mind"
Biography
In the years immediately prior to the British Invasion, only one performer rivaled the chart dominance of Elvis Presley, and that was Pat Boone. With his trademark white buck shoes, perfectly combed hair and gleaming smile, Boone was the very essence of wholesome American values, and at a time when the rise of rock & roll was viewed as a sign of the apocalypse, he made the music appear safe and non-threatening, earning some 38 Top 40 hits in the process. It's fitting that his achievements rank closest to those of Presley; after all, both claimed the sound of the black R&B culture for their own, in the process straddling both sides of the color line and popularizing a form of music which otherwise might never have gained widespread acceptance. Of course, while Elvis -- with his flashy suits, swiveling hips and suggestive leer -- remained persona non grata throughout many corners of mainstream America, Boone was embraced by teens and parents alike; his music polished rock's rough edges away, making songs like "Tutti Frutti" and "Ain't That a Shame" palatable to white audiences raised on the soothing pop traditions of a vanishing era.

Charles Eugene Patrick Boone was born June 1, 1934 in Jacksonville, Florida; a descendant of American frontier hero Daniel Boone; he attended high school in Nashville, and was voted student body president. After graduating, Boone married Shirley Foley, the daughter of country star Red Foley, and after a period at Nashville's David Lipscomb College, he transferred to North Texas State University. There, after taking top honors at a local talent show, he earned the right to appear on the The Ted Mack Amateur Hour, leading to a year-long tenure on The Arthur Godfrey Show. In 1954, Boone made his first recordings for the small Republic label, followed a year later by his Dot Records debut "Two Hearts, Two Kisses." As 1955 drew to a close, he notched his first number one hit, a sedate rendition of Fats Domino's aforementioned "Ain't That a Shame"; in the years to come he would record numerous cover versions of songs first credited to black performers, among them Little Richard, the El Dorados, the Flamingos and Ivory Joe Hunter -- indeed, to the chagrin of purists, for many listeners Boone's records remain better-known than the original performances.

Between 1956 and 1963, Boone made some 54 chart appearances, many of them with two-sided hits; his biggest smashes included the number one records "Don't Forbid Me," "Love Letters in the Sand" and "April Love," all three issued in 1957. That year he also began hosting his own ABC television series, The Pat Boone-Chevy Showroom; he also conquered film, starring in 15 features including 1957's Bernadine and April Love. Although his TV program ceased production in 1960, Boone remained a major star as the new decade dawned, and in 1961 again topped the charts with "Moody River." He even became an author, writing a series of self-help books for adolescents including Twixt Twelve and Twenty, Between You, Me and the Gatepost and The Care and Feeding of Parents. Although the rise of Beatlemania put the brakes on Boone's run as a teen idol -- after 1962, he failed to again crack the Top 40 -- he continued recording for Dot through the late 1960s, and in his live performances regularly appeared with his wife and their four daughters, further reinforcing his family-friendly image.

By the 1970s, Boone had shifted almost exclusively to recording gospel material, although he later scored a handful of country hits (on, of all places, Motown); in 1977, his daughter Debby topped the charts with a smash of her own, the wedding perennial "You Light Up My Life." In 1981, Boone published Pray to Win, and in 1983 he began hosting a long-lived contemporary Christian syndicated radio show, all in addition to his extensive charity work. While his recording career continued to taper off, he did issue "Let Me Live," which became an anthem for the anti-choice movement. By and large, Boone spent much of the 1980s and 1990s out of the secular media spotlight, but in 1997 he made a splash with the LP No More Mr. Nice Guy, a tongue-in-cheek collection of covers of heavy metal tunes like "Smoke on the Water" and "Stairway to Heaven." Much of the singer's Christian contingent failed to get the joke, however, and after Boone appeared at the American Music Awards clad in black leather and sporting temporary tattoos, he was dismissed from his Trinity Broadcasting Network program Gospel America. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

Pat Boone was the second most popular singer of the late 50's [behind Elvis Presley] and sold many, many records. His trademark was his white bucks, an unusual style of shoes that became fashionable for a time in the 50's.


He was born Charles Eugene Boone in 1934 in Jacksonville, Florida, and moved with his family to Tennessee in 1936. He began his professional singing career while a student at North Texas State College. In 1953, while still in his teens, Pat married Shirley Lee Foley, a marriage that has endured to this day. The following year he appeared on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts and Ted Mack's Amateur Hour, winning both. He signed his first recording contract with Republic Records in 1954.

A short while later Pat was signed to the Dot label, one that he would stay with throughout his run on the charts from 1955 to 1962. His first top forty song was Two Hearts, a cover of an R&B hit for the Charms which went to number sixteen for Pat in 1955. It was common at the time for white artists to cover R&B hits, and more often than not the disc jockeys would play the cover version. Pat Boone had a smooth style, a clean-cut image, and of course, his white bucks. His next offering was a cover of Fats Domino's Ain't That A Shame, a song that propelled both Fats and Pat to stardom. Both versions entered the charts in July, 1955 with the former's going to number ten, and Pat Boone's version going all the way to number one. He followed with another cover of a song from a black artist, this time the El Dorados' At My Front Door [Crazy Little Mama], which quickly became his second record to reach the top ten.

Pat Boone was doing good R&B songs, and doing them in his own smooth style, which was quite different from the way they had been done originally. Some found it laughable, but the formula worked and the records sold well. He took on Little Richard, recording Tutti Frutti and Long Tall Sally, both of which he made into big hits. He was successful with the Five Keys' Gee Whittakers! and Ivory Joe Hunter's I Almost Lost My Mind, the latter of which in 1956 became Boone's second number one hit. He covered Joe Turner's Chains Of Love, and had another number one with Don't Forbid Me.

By 1957 Pat Boone's popularity had skyrocketed and the movie and television producers began to come calling. He appeared in 15 films, including Bernardine, April Love, and State Fair. From 1957 to 1960 he hosted his own television series The Pat Boone/Chevy Showroom. He somehow managed to finish his degree, graduating from Columbia University in New York City in 1958. And all the while, the hits kept coming: Why Baby Why, Love Letters In The Sand [which held the number one spot for seven weeks], and April Love [number one for six weeks] were huge hits in 1957. The following year he continued to put records in the top ten, including A Wonderful Time Up There and Sugar Moon.

In 1959 and 1960 Pat Boone continued to sell many records, although his production of top ten songs slowed down a bit. Some of his songs during this period included With The Wind And The Rain In Your Hair and Twixt Twelve and Twenty. In 1961 he came back with Moody River, which was to be his fifth and final number one song. His final top forty song was a novelty record, Speedy Gonzalez in 1962. The female backing voice on this song was Robin Ward, and it peaked at number six.

Pat had always been a very religious person. After fading from the pop music scene in the mid-60's, he made some bad investments and had some marital difficulties. He credited his faith with seeing him through some hard times. Pat and his wife Shirley had four daughters: Cherry, Lindy, Debby, and Laury. In the 60's and 70's the Boone family toured as gospel singers and made gospel albums, such as The Pat Boone Family and The Family Who Prays. From 1975 to 1980 he recorded more gospel albums on the Lamb & Lion label, such as Born Again and Golden Hymns. Pat also had a number of country hits in the 70's, with singles Indiana Girl and Texas Woman and albums I Love You More And More Each Day and The Country Side Of Pat Boone. Pat has always been popular in the UK, where he had 27 records reach the top forty, only one of which made number one. That was I'll Be Home in 1956.

Pat Boone is related by blood or marriage to a number of well known people. He is a direct descendant of pioneer Daniel Boone. His wife Shirley is the daughter of legendary country music singer Red Foley and the sister of singer Betty Foley. Pat's younger brother is singer Nick Todd, who had a top forty song of his own with At The Hop in 1958. Pat's daughter Debby married Gabriel Ferrer, who is the son of Jose Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney. Debby had an illustrious singing career for a brief time, winning Grammy awards for her tremendously successful You Light Up My Life, which was the biggest selling record of 1977 and held the number one position for ten weeks.

Pat Boone surprised some people when he appeared at the American Music Awards in 1997 dressed in chains and a leather vest and sporting fake tattoos, but without his trademark white bucks this time. He was promoting a new album that he had made of covers of heavy metal music. The songs were recorded in his original Pat Boone style. It was a formula that had worked quite well for him in the 50's.

Ha! I' ve been wondering that since about his second post.
Great minds and all that, Eva...

I think you all are missing the punch line (or are you).

Pat Boone has drank the Tea Party Kool-aid--- as seen by his latest exclusive article on World Net Daily.



(Yep, this is really a quote from a recent Pat Boone commentary -- http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=114547 )


That's some scary stuff...

Good grief.

So what the hell did happen to Pat Boone?

This sort of twisted, poisonous crappola is a long, long way from being the harmless & "wholesome alternative" ( ) to Elvis da pelvis!

I met him a few times, at political meetings, tho not recently.

Maybe during the Barry Goldwater campaign in 1964 and Ronald Reagan, subsequently.





David

I think Richard Boone was a better actor. I remember him in "HoMBRE".

That Derringer of his was scary. U coud get carpal tunnel syndrome from that, in my opinion,
tho a very nice woman of my acquaintance denies that.





David

I like many of Pat's records. His religion and politics are a different issue. I also prefer Richard Boone.

Me too - the poor sap just wanted to know if the dude was dead or alive and now I want to also...

I thought he was dead.

And well? Know him personally, eh?

Abel Conklin is a **** ass for starting the thread and then abandoning us with it.

yeah bast*rd.

That is indicative of LIFE

let's not forget when mr. boone went metal



actually it looks like he might have been staring in a remake of cruising