Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (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.
Boone rivaled Elvis Presley in popularity during the 1950s and was ranked by Billboard as one of the top charting artists between 1955 and 1995. He spent 220 consecutive weeks on the Billboard charts with one or more songs each week.
Through the 1960s, Boone remained one of the most popular entertainers in the United States, becoming a teen idol positioned as an alternative to the perceived hedonism of rock and roll, owing to his work as a singer, writer, actor, and religious motivational speaker. In 1957, at age 23, Boone began hosting the half-hour ABC variety series The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, which aired 115 episodes from 1957 to 1960. Guests included Cliff Richard, Nat King Cole, Edie Adams, Andy Williams, Pearl Bailey, and Johnny Mathis. His cover versions of rhythm and blues songs contributed to the mainstream popularity of rock and roll. Elvis Presley opened for Boone in Cleveland in 1955, and the two later became close friends.
As an author, Boone published the 1958 advice book 'Twixt Twelve and Twenty, which became a number-one bestseller. In the 1960s, he turned his attention to gospel music and was later inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. He continues to perform, speak as a motivational speaker, and work as a television personality and conservative political commentator.
Early life
Charles Eugene Boone (known as Pat) was born on June 1, 1934, in Jacksonville, Florida, to Margaret Virginia (née Pritchard) and Archie Altman Boone. When he was two years old, the family moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he was raised. He graduated in 1952 from David Lipscomb High School in Nashville. His younger brother, Cecil Boone (1935–2023), who performed under the name Nick 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.
In a 2007 interview on The 700 Club, Boone stated that he is a great-great-great-great-grandson of American pioneer Daniel Boone.
Boone primarily attended David Lipscomb College (later Lipscomb University) in Nashville. He graduated in 1958 from the Columbia University School of General Studies magna cum laude, having previously attended North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) in Denton, Texas.
Career
Music
Boone began his career performing at Sunday concerts in Nashville’s Centennial Park. 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 with Dot Records. That year, his cover of Fats 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. 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 later LaVern Baker song of the same name, and sought to reuse it after the original failed to chart. It became the B-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" by Ivory Joe Hunter, which had previously been recorded by Nat King Cole. According to a 1957 opinion poll of high school students, Boone was favored nearly two-to-one over Elvis Presley among boys and almost three-to-one among girls. During the late 1950s, he was a regular on ABC-TV’s Ozark 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 with General Motors. In the late 1950s he succeeded Dinah 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" by Little Richard, "At My Front Door" by The El Dorados, the blues ballad "I Almost Lost My Mind" by Ivory Joe Hunter, "I'll Be Home" by the Flamingos, and "Don't Forbid Me" by Charles 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 of cultural whitewashing, arguing that it sanitized the music for white listeners and limited recognition for the original Black artists.
Boone wrote the lyrics to the instrumental theme of the 1960 film Exodus, composed by Ernest 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 with Marilyn Monroe. In his early film April Love (1957), director Henry Levin asked him to kiss co-star Shirley Jones; since it would be his first onscreen kiss, Boone first sought his wife’s approval before filming the scene. He founded his own production company, Cooga Mooga Productions.
From 1955 to 1957, Boone was a regular on Arthur Godfrey and His Friends, and later hosted the Thursday-night variety program The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom. In 1959, his likeness was licensed to DC Comics, appearing first in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane No. 9 (May 1959) before headlining his own five-issue comic series from September 1959 to May 1960. One of the artists on the series, Bob Oksner, was a fellow resident of Teaneck, New Jersey and was acquainted with Boone.
Boone popularized Speedy Gonzales in a 1962 single. It peaked at the No. 6 Billboard 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.
In the early 1960s, he authored a series of self-help books for adolescents, beginning with 'Twixt Twelve and Twenty. The British Invasion curtailed his run as a hitmaker, though he continued recording throughout the decade. In 1966, Boone competed in the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy, performing "Mai mai mai Valentina" with Giorgio Gaber and "Se tu non fossi qui" with Peppino Gagliardi. During the trip, he visited Ferrari headquarters in Maranello, intending to buy a Superamerica, but was persuaded by Enzo Ferrari to instead purchase a four-door Ferrari 2+2 for his family. Boone later recalled selling the car—"the Ferrari (I) didn't like"—to comedian Tom Smothers.
In the 1970s, he switched to gospel and country; 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 as The Pat Boone Family and The Family Who Prays.
In 1973, he released S-A-V-E-D, a gospel-studio album. Two songs of the album were written by his friend Johnny 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
In the early 1970s, Boone founded the record label Lamb & Lion Records, with himself, the Pat Boone Family, Debby Boone, Dan Peek, DeGarmo and Key, and Dogwood as the principal artists. In 1974, Boone was signed to the Motown country subsidiary Melodyland.
In 1978, Boone became the first target in the Federal 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."
Boone hosts a weekly radio show, the Pat Boone hour, on the 50s Gold channel on SiriusXM.
Later work
In 1994, Boone played the title role in The Will Rogers Follies in Branson, Missouri. In 1997, he released In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, a collection of heavy metal covers. To promote it, he appeared at the American Music Awards in black leather, which resulted in his dismissal from Gospel America, a TV show on the Trinity 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, and Gospel America returned on air.
In 2003, the Nashville Gospel Music Association recognized his gospel career by inducting him into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. In 2006, Boone released We 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.
In 2010, plans were announced for the Pat Boone Family Theater at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but the attraction was never built.
In 2011, Boone acted as spokesperson for Security One Lending, a reverse mortgage company. 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".
In 2023, Boone was a guest vocalist on Born to Be Wild, an album by Ann-Margret, for a duet, "Teach Me Tonight". The following year, at 90, he released a single, "Where Did America Go?"
In 2025, Boone set the record for the longest span between entries on Billboard'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.
Personal life
In 1953, Boone married Shirley Lee Foley, the daughter of Red Foley and Judy 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 of Teaneck, New Jersey. 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 into Mercy Corps. She died in 2019, aged 84, at the couple's Beverly Hills home.
Politics
Boone has been a close friend to many U.S. presidents, including Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. Boone supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election.
At a 1961 gathering at Pepperdine 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."
Boone is a staunch supporter of Israel and he shares a close relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial election, Boone campaigned unsuccessfully for incumbent Republican Ernie Fletcher with a recorded automated telephone message stating that the Democratic Party candidate Steve 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?" In 2009, during Barack Obama's first term in office, Boone wrote an article comparing liberalism to cancer, likening it to "black filthy cells". In December 2009, Boone endorsed conservative Republican John Wayne Tucker in Missouri's 3rd congressional district against incumbent Russ Carnahan in the 2010 midterm elections. In 2010, Boone endorsed Republican Clayton Trotter in the race for Texas's 20th congressional district with an ad campaign referencing his song "Speedy Gonzales", about the Looney Tunes character. Boone received a lifetime achievement award at the 38th annual Conservative Political Action Conference held in 2011.
In 2016, Boone, with Mike Huckabee and executive producer Troy Duhon, all of whom were involved in the film God's Not Dead 2, sent a letter to California Governor Jerry Brown in opposition to Senate Bill 1146, 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".
Basketball
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 included Bill Cosby, Rafer Johnson, Gardner McKay, Don Murray, and Denny "Tarzan" Miller. When the American Basketball Association launched in 1967, Boone was the majority owner of the league's team in Oakland, California. The team was first named the Oakland Americans, but was soon renamed the Oakland Oaks, the name under which it played from 1967 to 1969. The Oaks won the 1969 ABA championship.
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, and Boone sold the team to a Washington, D.C.-based investment group, and the team became the Washington Caps.
Boone later played for the Virginia Creepers, an 80–84 age group Senior Olympics team that narrowly lost to the gold medal-winning team; Boone aged out at 85 in 2019.
Philanthropy
Boone and his wife have been active in charitable endeavors. Together, they supported the founding of Mercy 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 the Cambodian crisis.
The Boones also contributed to the creation of the Shirley and Pat Boone Life Center in Tanzania 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 at Pepperdine University, which educates students on building moral and healthy relationships.
Artistry and influence
Boone has performed in many musical genres such as pop, country music, rock and roll, R&B, gospel, and soul.
Popularity
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. 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 the Top 100, totaling 220 weeks.
No. 1 singles in the United States (Billboard Hot 100):
"Ain't That a Shame" (1955)
"I Almost Lost My Mind" (1956)
"Don't Forbid Me" (1957)
"Love Letters in the Sand" (1957)
"April Love" (1957)
"Moody River" (1961)
No. 1 singles in the United Kingdom (UK Singles Chart):
"I'll Be Home" (1956)
Religion
Boone grew up in the Church of Christ. 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 the Charismatic Movement, Shirley focused on her religion and eventually influenced Pat and their daughters to have a similar religious focus. At the time they attended the Inglewood Church of Christ in Inglewood, California.