| PAT BOONE (ARTIST BIOGRAPHY)
Charles Eugene Patrick Boone (known as Pat Boone) (born
June 1, 1934) is a singer whose smooth style made him a popular
performer of the 1950s. His cover versions of African-American
rhythm and blues hits had a noticeable impact on the development of
the broad popularity of rock and roll. He is also an actor, a
motivational speaker, a television personality, and a conservative
political commentator.
Born in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Boone is a direct descendant of
the American pioneer Daniel Boone. He grew up in Nashville,
Tennessee, attended David Lipscomb College and began recording in
1954 for Republic Records. His 1955 version of “Ain’t That a Shame”
was a huge hit, selling far better than Fats Domino’s original
version. This set the stage for the early part of Boone’s career,
which focused on covering R&B songs by black artists for a white
market. Previously, rock ‘n’ roll had had only limited exposure
outside of the African American community. Pat Boone’s pale covers
gave attention to the more authentic original artists, such as
Little Richard and Fats Domino and to rhythm and blues in general.
In addition, the songwriters and copyright holders benefited even
when individual artists did not.
In fact, only six of Boone’s many hit singles were R&B covers, and
only four of those were rockers. All were released in the first two
years of his long career. These were “Ain’t That a Shame” by Fats
Domino and “Tutti Frutti” and “Long Tall Sally” by Little Richard,
and “At My Front Door (Crazy Little Mama)” by the El Dorados. The
other two R&B covers were well-chosen blues ballads, “I Almost Lost
My Mind” by Ivory Joe Hunter and “Chains of Love,” a hit for Big Joe
Turner and later B.B. King that had been written by Ahmet Ertegun.
By 1957, Boone was concentrating on the middle-of-the-road music
that dominated his career. He never recorded another R&B cover.
Known as “The Kid in White Buck Shoes”, Boone sported a clean-cut
image that appealed to white [teens]] and parents. His singing
style, a rich baritone, followed in the tradition of his idol, Bing
Crosby. Preferring to carry on in the Crosby tradition, he soon
began turning more and more to ballads. Some of his biggest hits
included “Love Letters in the Sand” (with the instrumental break
featuring Boone’s whistling), “April Love”, “Friendly Persuasion (Thee
I Love)”, and “Don’t Forbid Me”.
His teen idol popularity in the late 1950s was second only to that
of Elvis Presley, and, like Presley, he soon tried his hand at
acting. Boone’s pictures included 1960’s Journey to the Center of
the Earth alongside Hollywood notable James Mason.
His recording of the theme song from the 1957 film April Love topped
the charts for six weeks and was nominated for an Academy Award. Pat
also wrote the theme song for the movie Exodus.
A devout born-again Christian, he was raised in the conservative
Church of Christ, but has been a member of a Pentecostal church for
more than thirty years. Boone has refused both songs and movie roles
that he felt might compromise his standards, including a role
opposite the decade’s reigning sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe. Among his
other achievements, he hosted a TV series in the late 1950s and
began writing in the early 1960s, a series of self-help books for
adolescents, including Twixt Twelve and Twenty.
The British Invasion effectively ended Boone’s career as a hitmaker,
though he continued recording throughout the 1960s. In the 1970s, he
switched to gospel and country, and he continued performing in other
media as well, most importantly radio. He is currently working as
the disc jockey of a popular oldies radio show and runs his own
record company which provides a much-welcomed outlet for new
recordings by 1950s greats who can no longer find a place with the
major labels.
Boone married Shirley Lee Foley, daughter of country music great Red
Foley and singer Judy Martin, in 1953 and they had four daughters:
Cherry, Lindy, Debby, and Laury. In the 1960s and 1970s the Boone
family toured as gospel singers and made gospel albums, such as The
Pat Boone Family and The Family Who Prays.
In the early 1990s, Boone joined Amway and spoke at many
motivational seminars. He was also a distributor. He never reached
the coveted Amway rank of Diamond.
In 1997, Boone released In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, a
collection of heavy metal covers revamped to fit his style. To
promote the album, he appeared at the American Music Awards in black
leather, shocking audiences and losing his respectability among his
largest constituency, conservative Christians. He was then fired
from Gospel America, a TV show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network.
About a year later, the controversy died down and many fans,
including Jack Hayford, accepted his explanation of the leather
outfit being a “parody of himself”. He was re-hired by Trinity
Broadcasting and Gospel America was brought back.
In 2003, the Gospel Music Association of Nashville, Tennessee
recognized his gospel recording work by inducting him into its
Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Boone and his wife live in Los Angeles, California. They are members
of The Church on the Way in Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley. His
one-time neighbor was Ozzy Osbourne and his family. Boone’s cover of
Osborne’s song “Crazy Train” became the theme song for The Osbornes.
(It appears on The Osbornes Soundrack.) Osborne said that Boone
“never complained once” about living next door to his less-than-traditional
family.
Boone once claimed to use his own surname in lieu of curse words
when upset.
In 2006, Boone penned an article for WorldNetDaily in which he
argued that Democrats and others who are against the Iraq War cannot,
under any circumstances, be considered patriotic. He also recently
was interviewed by Neil Cavuto on Fox News, where he expressed his
outrage against the opponents of George W. Bush (namely the Dixie
Chicks) that their criticisms of the President showed they did not
“respect their elders”. Another article defended Mel Gibson after
the actor was recorded making an anti-Semitic rant. Despite their
differing political views, Pat Boone is friends with the Reverend
Jesse Jackson. |
