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Biography
Born Charles Eugene Patrick Boone in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Boone is a direct descendent of the legendary 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 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 reworking R&B hits of Afro-ethnic musicians with a cleaner tamer image. This brought rock 'n' roll tunes to a much wider audience, namely the Euro-ethnic majority population of the USA, while bringing little attention to most of the original artists. Little Richard once said "Pat Boone is the man who made me a millionaire." Little Richard is one of the few artists to become famous in his own right despite the policy of using people like Pat Boone to "rework" his songs. Little Richard also once said that the kids (his audience) would have Pat Boone in the top drawer and Little Richard hidden in the bottom drawer, which shows an understanding of the underlying prejucide of systemically using Euro-ethnic artists to "rework" the art of Afro-ethnic artists.
Known as "The Kid in White Buck Shoes", Boone sported a cleancut image that appealed to teens and parents alike. 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 secondary only to that of Elvis Presley, and like Elvis, soon tried his hand at acting. Pat's pictures were fewer in number than Elvis', but significantly higher in quality, including 1960's Journey to the Center of the Earth along with 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 the 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 60s. In the 1970s, he switched to gospel and country, and he continued performing in other media as well, most importantly radio. He's currently working as the deejay of a popular oldies 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 Red Foley in 1953, and they had four daughters: Cherry, Lindy, Debby Boone, and Laury. In the '60s and '70s 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, and a 1994 copy of the Amway magazine shows him reaching the coveted Amway rank of Diamond.
In 1997, Boone released No More Mr. Nice Guy, a collection of heavy metal covers revamped to fit Pat Boone's 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 accepted his explanation of the leather outfit being a "parody of himself". He was re-hired by TBN and Gospel America was brought back.
In 2003 the Gospel Music Association of Nashville, Tennessee recognized his gospel recording work by inducting him in its Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Boone lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife Shirley. They are influential and respected members of The Church on the Way in LA's San Fernando Valley.
Discography
1955: "Two Hearts, Two Kisses" (#16); "Ain't That A Shame" (#1); "At My Front Door (Crazy Little Mama)" (#7); "No Arms Can Ever Hold You" (#26)
1956: "Gee Whittakers!" (#19); "I'll Be Home" (#4); "Tutti Fruitti" (#12); "Just As Long As I'm With You" (#76); "Long Tall Sally" (#8); "I Almost Lost My Mind" (#1); "Friendly Persuasion" (#5); "Chains of Love" (#20); "Howdy!"(#14)
1957: "Don't Forbid Me" (#1); "Anastasia" (#37); "Why Baby Why" (#5); "I'm Waiting Just For You" (#27); "Love Letters In The Sand" (#1); "Bernadine" (#14); "A Closer Walk With Thee" (#13); "Remember You're Mine" (#6); "There's A Gold Mine In The Sky" (#20); "When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano" (#90); "April Love" (#1); Albums: Pat (#19); Four By Pat (#5); Pat Boone (#20); Pat's Great Hits (#3); Hymns We Love(#21); April Love (soundtrack) (#12)
1958: "A Wonderful Time Up There" (#4); "It's Too Soon To Know" (#11); "Cherie, I Love You" (#63); "Sugar Moon" (#5); "If Dreams Came True" (#7); "That's How Much I Love You" (#39); "Stardust" (#2); "For My Good Fortune" (#21); "Gee But It's Lonely" (#31); "Yes Indeed!" (#13); "I'll Remember Tonight" (#34)
1959: "With The Wind And The Rain In Your Hair" (#21); "Good Rockin' Tonight" (#49); "For A Penny" (#23); "The Wang Dang Taffy-Apple Tango" (#62); "Twixt Twelve And Twenty" (#17); "Fools Hall Of Fame" (#29); "Beyond The Sunset" (#71); Album: Tenderly (#17)
1960: "(Welcome) New Lovers" (#18); "Words" (#94); "Walking The Floor Over You" (#44); "Spring Rain" (#50); "Moonglow" (#26); "Candy Sweet" (#72); "Delia Gone" (#66); "Dear John" (#44); "Alabam" (#47)
1961: "The Exodus Song(This Land Is Mine)" (#64); "Moody River" (#1); "Big Cold Wind" (#19); Albums: Moody River (#29); White Christmas (#39)
1962: "Johnny Will" (#35); "Pictures In The Fire" (#77); "I'll See You In My Dreams" (#32); "Quando Quando Quando" (#95); "Speedy Gonzales" (#6); "Ten Lonely Guys" (#45); "White Christmas" (#116); Albums: Pat Boone's Golden Hits (#66); State Fair (soundtrack) (#12);
1976: Albums: Texas Woman
Films
Bernadine, April Love (1957)
Mardi Gras (1958)
Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (1960)
State Fair (1962) featuring Pat's only on-screen kiss
The Cross and the Switchblade (1970) starring Pat as David Wilkerson
Roger & Me (1989)
