There are two camps for aging musicians: those who keep creating music no matter the quality, and then those who bow out gracefully. Pat Boone belongs to the latter.
At age 80, the Los Angeles-based singer, actor and author has announced that his album “Legacy” (Lamb & Lion Records), released in September, is his last.
“I’ve done every kind of music I know and can think of to do — 10 times,” Boone said. “I’m the most diverse singer I think that’s ever been, more than Bing (Crosby) or Frank (Sinatra) or Ray Charles because I’ve had chart record success with country, gospel, rock ’n’ roll, patriotic, love themes, movie themes and, of course, heavy metal with big band jazz arrangements.”
Boone isn’t just bragging. He holds the Billboard record of having one or more songs on the charts for 220 consecutive weeks. He has recorded nearly 2,000 songs and more than 70 studio albums, with “Legacy” as his 20th gospel effort.
“I did this one because, over the years, being serious about my faith and worship, I’d written a number of songs I felt I’d like to share with people,” Boone said.
“This record is unique in that it goes back to his true foundation, which is his belief in Jesus Christ,” said Boone’s project manager, Dana McElwain. “ ‘Legacy’ has two or three different meanings here. Legacy is what you leave behind, legacy has to do with family and his legacy ties to the birth of Israel and the Judeo-Christian connection.”
McElwain designed the booklet for the “Legacy” CD, with the lyrics resembling Scripture in a Bible, accompanied by Boone’s notes about the songs in a daily devotional format.
“He wanted to leave some songs behind that are part of his musical legacy, and that would be the praise and worship tunes that he’s written for this record that he hopes will find a way into the church services,” McElwain said.
Boone was born in Florida and grew up in Nashville, Tenn. His father was a building contractor and Boone and his brother, Nick, worked for him during the summer to help pay for their tuition at David Lipscomb High School, a Christian institution. As a teen, Boone decided to leave the room he shared with Nick in the family home and cleared out space in the attic for a cot and nightstand.
“Looking out the window at night I’d say, ‘Lord, I don’t where I’m going or what my life’s going to be, but I want you to use me in some way that’s useful to other people and pleasing to you,’ ” Boone said. “I thought that I was going to be a schoolteacher and maybe a schoolteacher/preacher.”
After high school, things moved quickly for him. He started college and was married at age 19 to Shirley Lee Foley, daughter of country musician Red Foley. The couple moved from Nashville to the Fort Worth, Texas, area when Boone transferred to North Texas State University. He paid for his education by hosting two television shows and a radio show, while also preaching at a small country church. In between school and work, Boone won a couple of talent shows in Nashville and his career as a musician took off.
“When things started happening at such a burst of miraculous opportunity, I didn’t choose any of my songs. But every song put in front of me was a hit and it just kept going,” Boone said.
Although Boone admits he has stumbled occasionally as a Christian, he has forged a career in which he is noted for his faith. His devotion has led him to turn down movie opportunities, such as a role opposite Marilyn Monroe in which their characters would have had an illicit love affair. It also has been a source of jokes, like Dean Martin’s quip that his “whole right side sobered up” after shaking Boone’s hand. But it also has served as a shield.
Boone credits his reputation for protecting and aiding him in “living a right-living life,” which includes being faithful to his wife, a good father and good to other people. He also recognized early in his career that he was a role model to millions of teens.
Today, Boone is a strong conservative, active with the Tea Party, and can still regularly be found in church on Sunday.
Boone is also winding down his acting career and has just finished filming “Booneville Redemption,” a movie set in a small town in Northern California in 1906. The drama centers around a young girl uncovering clues about her father whom she has never met, and features Boone as the town doctor. The cast includes Ed Asner, Diane Ladd and Robert Hays.
Boone is not planning a tour in support of “Legacy.” Even though he is still being booked for concerts, he realizes that it’s time to cut back and be more selective about his performances.
“I’m leaving ‘Legacy’ to friends, family, church …” Boone said. “If I’m not remembered for anything else, I’d like to be remembered for this album and these songs.”
