05/31 Pat Boone!

Charles Eugene"Pat" Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, actor andwriter. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950sand early 1960s. Among his hit songs were cover versions of black R&B artists' songs (when parts of the countrywere segregated).He sold over 45 million albums, had 38 Top 40 hits and appeared in more than 12Hollywood movies. Boone's talent as a singer and actor, combined with hisold-fashioned values, contributed to his popularity in the early rock and rollera.

According to Billboard,Boone was the second biggest charting artist of the late 1950s, behind only Elvis Presley but ahead of Ricky Nelson and The Platters, and was ranked at No. 9—behind The Rolling Stonesand Paul McCartney but ahead of artists such as Aretha Franklin and The Beach Boys—in its listing of the Top 100 Top40 Artists 1955–1995.[1] Boone still holds the Billboardrecord for spending 220 consecutive weeks on the charts with one or more songseach week.

At the age oftwenty-three, he began hosting a half-hour ABC variety television series, The Pat BooneChevy Showroom, which aired for 115 episodes (1957–1960). Manymusical performers, including Edie Adams, Andy Williams, Pearl Bailey and Johnny Mathis made appearances on the show. Hiscover versions of rhythm and blueshits had a noticeable effect on the development of the broad popularity of rockand roll. During his tours in the 1950s, Elvis Presley was one of his opening acts.[2]

As a prolificauthor, Boone had a No. 1 bestseller in the 1950s (Twixt Twelve and Twenty,Prentice-Hall). In the 1960s, he focused on gospel music and is a member of the Gospel Music Hall ofFame. He continues to perform, and speak as a motivational speaker,a television personality, and a conservativepolitical commentator.