PAT BOONE
Name: Pat Boone
Birth name: Charles Eugene Boone
Also known as Pat Boone
Born: 1 June 1934 Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Charles Eugene Patrick "Pat" Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American 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, Pat Boone has said that he is a direct descendant
of the American pioneer Daniel Boone. He grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and
graduated from Columbia University magna cum laude in 1958 after a period at
David Lipscomb College and North Texas State University (now the University of
North Texas).
Boone began recording in 1954 for Republic Records. His 1955 version of Fats
Domino's "Ain't That a Shame" was a huge hit. 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.
Six of Boone's hit singles were R&B covers. 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 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 middle-of-the-road music.
Although he would continue to record R&B songs (such as "Two Little Kisses," a
non-alcoholic version of "One Mint Julep"), and his version of The Capris' song,
"There's a Moon Out Tonight" as cover versions.
The handprints of Pat Boone in front of The Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney
World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.
Boone sported a clean-cut image that appealed to white Americans. His singing
style 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 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 lyrics
for the instrumental theme song for the movie Exodus (Ernest Gold wrote the
music.)
A devout born-again Christian, he was raised in the conservative Church of
Christ, but has been a member of a Pentecostal church since the late 1960s.
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. In his first film, April Love, he refused to give co-star/film love
interest Shirley Jones an onscreen kiss, because the actress was married in real
life.
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 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. He is currently working as
the disc jockey of a popular oldies radio show and runs his own record company
which provides an 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 1970s, Pat founded the record label Lion & Lamb Records. It
featured artists such as Pat, The Pat Boone Family, Debby Boone, Dan Peek,
DeGarmo & Key and Dogwood.
In 1978, Boone was the first target in the Federal Trade Commission's crackdown
on false claim product endorsements by celebrities. He had appeared with
daughter Debbie on TV to claim that all four of his daughters had found a
preparation named Acne-Statin a "real help" in keeping their skins 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 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."
In 1997, Boone released In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, a collection of
heavy metal covers. 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. In
September 2006, Boone released Pat Boone R&B Classics - We Are Family, 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.
In 2007 Pat Boone was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
Boone and his wife live in Los Angeles, California. They are members of The
Church on the Way in the San Fernando Valley. His one-time neighbor was Ozzy
Osbourne and his family. Boone's cover of Osbourne's song "Crazy Train" became
the theme song for The Osbournes. (It appears on The Osbournes Soundtrack.)
Sharon Osbourne once said that Boone "never complained once" about living next
door to their less-than-traditional family.
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 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". However, another article defended Mel Gibson
after the actor was recorded making an anti-Semitic rant.
In early 2007, Boone wrote two articles claiming that the theory of evolution is
an "absurd," "nonsensical" "bankrupt false religion." He later wrote an
editorial in the form of a fairy tale where a young Prince Charming was seduced
by a dwarf, got AIDS, and then overdosed.
In the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial election, Pat Boone campaigned for incumbent
Republican Ernie Fletcher with a prerecorded automated telephone message stating
that the Democratic Party candidate Steve Beshear would support "every
homosexual cause." "Now do you want a governor who'd like Kentucky to be another
San Francisco?" Boone asked.
Name: Pat Boone
Birth name: Charles Eugene Boone
Also known as Pat Boone
Born: 1 June 1934 Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Charles Eugene Patrick "Pat" Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American 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, Pat Boone has said that he is a direct descendant
of the American pioneer Daniel Boone. He grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and
graduated from Columbia University magna cum laude in 1958 after a period at
David Lipscomb College and North Texas State University (now the University of
North Texas).
Boone began recording in 1954 for Republic Records. His 1955 version of Fats
Domino's "Ain't That a Shame" was a huge hit. 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.
Six of Boone's hit singles were R&B covers. 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 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 middle-of-the-road music.
Although he would continue to record R&B songs (such as "Two Little Kisses," a
non-alcoholic version of "One Mint Julep"), and his version of The Capris' song,
"There's a Moon Out Tonight" as cover versions.
The handprints of Pat Boone in front of The Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney
World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.
Boone sported a clean-cut image that appealed to white Americans. His singing
style 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 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 lyrics
for the instrumental theme song for the movie Exodus (Ernest Gold wrote the
music.)
A devout born-again Christian, he was raised in the conservative Church of
Christ, but has been a member of a Pentecostal church since the late 1960s.
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. In his first film, April Love, he refused to give co-star/film love
interest Shirley Jones an onscreen kiss, because the actress was married in real
life.
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 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. He is currently working as
the disc jockey of a popular oldies radio show and runs his own record company
which provides an 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 1970s, Pat founded the record label Lion & Lamb Records. It
featured artists such as Pat, The Pat Boone Family, Debby Boone, Dan Peek,
DeGarmo & Key and Dogwood.
In 1978, Boone was the first target in the Federal Trade Commission's crackdown
on false claim product endorsements by celebrities. He had appeared with
daughter Debbie on TV to claim that all four of his daughters had found a
preparation named Acne-Statin a "real help" in keeping their skins 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 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."
In 1997, Boone released In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, a collection of
heavy metal covers. 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. In
September 2006, Boone released Pat Boone R&B Classics - We Are Family, 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.
In 2007 Pat Boone was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
Boone and his wife live in Los Angeles, California. They are members of The
Church on the Way in the San Fernando Valley. His one-time neighbor was Ozzy
Osbourne and his family. Boone's cover of Osbourne's song "Crazy Train" became
the theme song for The Osbournes. (It appears on The Osbournes Soundtrack.)
Sharon Osbourne once said that Boone "never complained once" about living next
door to their less-than-traditional family.
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 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". However, another article defended Mel Gibson
after the actor was recorded making an anti-Semitic rant.
In early 2007, Boone wrote two articles claiming that the theory of evolution is
an "absurd," "nonsensical" "bankrupt false religion." He later wrote an
editorial in the form of a fairy tale where a young Prince Charming was seduced
by a dwarf, got AIDS, and then overdosed.
In the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial election, Pat Boone campaigned for incumbent
Republican Ernie Fletcher with a prerecorded automated telephone message stating
that the Democratic Party candidate Steve Beshear would support "every
homosexual cause." "Now do you want a governor who'd like Kentucky to be another
San Francisco?" Boone asked.