Boone, Pat

Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, actor, author, television personality, philanthropist, and composer. During his recording career, he sold nearly 50 million records and had 38 Top 40 hits; he also appeared in various Hollywood films. According to Billboard, Boone was the only singer that could compete in popularity with Elvis Presley during the 1950s. Billboard has ranked Pat as one of the biggest charting artists in the period 1955–1995. Until the 2010s, Boone held the record for spending 220 consecutive weeks on the Billboard charts with one or more songs each week. During the 1950s and the 1960s Boone was one of the most popular entertainers in the United States, becoming a teen idol as a valid alternative to the perceived hedonism of rock and roll, due to his activities as singer, writer, actor and religious motivational speaker. In 1957, at the age of 23, Boone began hosting a half-hour ABC variety television series, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, which aired for 115 episodes (1957–1960). Many musical performers including Cliff Richard, Nat King Cole, Edie Adams, Andy Williams, Pearl Bailey, and Johnny Mathis made appearances on the show. His cover versions of rhythm and blues hits had a noticeable effect on the development of the broad popularity of rock and roll. Elvis Presley was the opening act for a 1955 Pat Boone show in Brooklyn, Ohio. The two later became close friends. As an author, Boone had a number-one bestseller in the 1950s ('Twixt Twelve and Twenty, Prentice-Hall). In the 1960s, he focused on gospel music. Later, he became a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Today, he continues to perform and speak as a motivational speaker, a television personality, and a conservative political commentator.