Patrick Charles Eugene Boone[1] (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host and philanthropist.

[6] During the 1950s and the 1960s Boone was one of the most popular entertainers in the United States,[3] 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.

Many musical performers including Cliff Richard, Nat King Cole, Edie Adams, Andy Williams, Pearl Bailey, and Johnny Mathis made appearances on the show.

[8] His cover versions of rhythm and blues hits had a noticeable effect on the development of the broad popularity of rock and roll.

His younger brother Cecil (1935–2023), professionally known as Nick Todd, was born a year later to the day,[11] and was also a pop singer in the 1950s and later a church music leader.

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 American market.

[17] Randy Wood, the owner of Dot, had issued an R&B single by the Griffin Brothers in 1951 called "Tra La La-a"—a different song from the later LaVern Baker one—and he was keen to put out another version after the original had failed.

According to an opinion poll of high-school students in 1957, the singer was nearly the "two-to-one favorite over Elvis Presley among boys and preferred almost three-to-one by girls ..."[18] During the late 1950s, he made regular appearances on ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee, hosted by his father-in-law.

He cultivated a safe, wholesome, advertiser-friendly image that won him a long-term product endorsement contract from General Motors during the late 1950s, lasting through the 1960s.

These included: "Ain't That a Shame" by Fats Domino; "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally" by Little Richard;[19] "At My Front Door (Crazy Little Mama)" by The El Dorados; and the blues ballads "I Almost Lost My Mind" by Ivory Joe Hunter, "I'll be Home" by the Flamingos and "Don't Forbid Me" by Charles Singleton.

In one of his first films, April Love, the director, Henry Levin, wanted him to give co-star Shirley Jones a kiss, which was not in the script.

[22] He appeared as a regular performer on Arthur Godfrey and His Friends from 1955 through 1957, and later hosted his own The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, on Thursday evenings.

After making a special appearance on TBN with the president of the network, Paul Crouch, and his pastor, Jack Hayford, many fans accepted his explanation of the leather outfit being a "parody of himself".

They had four daughters: Cheryl "Cherry" Lynn, Linda "Lindy" Lee, Deborah "Debby" Ann, and Laura "Laury" Gene.

[44]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."

"[45] On August 29, 2009, Boone wrote an article comparing American political liberalism to cancer, likening it to "black filthy cells".

[46] In December 2009, Boone endorsed conservative Republican John Wayne Tucker's campaign in Missouri's 3rd congressional district against incumbent Russ Carnahan (D) in the 2010 midterm elections.

[47] 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, which critics have characterized as offensive stereotypes.

[48][49] Boone received a lifetime achievement award at the 38th annual Conservative Political Action Conference held in February 2011.

The Cooga Moogas included Bill Cosby, Rafer Johnson, Gardner McKay, Don Murray, and Denny "Tarzan" Miller.

[53] When the American Basketball Association began, Boone became the majority owner of the league's team in Oakland, California, on February 2, 1967.

Together, they supported the founding of Mercy Corps in 1981, a global humanitarian organization focused on crisis response and development in over 40 countries.

The couple also supported, through a multi-million dollar donation, the establishment of the Shirley and Pat Boone Center for the Family at Pepperdine University, which educates students on building moral and healthy relationships.

[65] Joining Boone and Eisley at the Project Prayer rally were Walter Brennan, Lloyd Nolan, Rhonda Fleming, Gloria Swanson, and Dale Evans.

The family then began attending The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, a Foursquare Gospel megachurch pastored by Jack Hayford.

[31] On an April 22, 2016, broadcast of Fox News Radio's The Alan Colmes Show, Boone discussed an episode of Saturday Night Live that included a sketch entitled God Is a Boob Man; the sketch parodied the film God's Not Dead 2, in which Boone had a role.

[66] He described the sketch as "blasphemy", stating that the Federal Communications Commission should forbid any such content, and that it should revoke the broadcast licenses of any "network, or whoever is responsible for the shows".

Boone had been reluctant to do it, and needed to be persuaded by being offered the chance to sing several songs and given a percentage of the profits, but was glad he did.

It was an unhappy experience for Boone as he disliked the implication his character had sex with Nancy Kwan's and he got into several public fights with the producers.

New management came in at the studio, which was unenthusiastic about the picture but because Boone had a pay or play deal, they decided to make it anyway, only with a much shorter budget.