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Pat Boone (born June 1 , 1934 ) is a Singer whose smooth style made him one of the most popular performers of the 1950s and 1960s . His Cover Version s of Rhythm And Blues hits had some impact on the development of the broad popularity of Rock And Roll . He is also an Actor and television personality, and a conservative political figure. BIOGRAPHY AND CAREER Born Charles Eugene Patrick Boone in Jacksonville, Florida , USA , Boone is a direct descendant of the legendary American pioneer Daniel Boone . He grew up in Nashville, Tennessee , attended David Lipscomb College and began recording in 1954 for Republic Records . His 1955 version of "Ain't That a Shame" was a hit, selling far better than Fats Domino 's original version. This set the stage for the early part of Boone's career, which focused on reworking R&B hits of Afro-ethnic musicians with a cleaner, tamer image. This brought Rock 'n' Roll tunes to a much wider audience, namely the Euro-ethnic majority population of the USA, while bringing little attention to most of the original artists. Little Richard once said "Pat Boone is the man who made me a millionaire." Little Richard is one of the few artists to become famous in his own right despite the policy of using people like Pat Boone to "rework" his songs. Little Richard also once said that the kids (his audience) would have Pat Boone in the top drawer and Little Richard hidden in the bottom drawer, which shows an understanding of the underlying prejudice of systemically using Euro-ethnic artists to "rework" the art of Afro-ethnic artists. Known as "The Kid in White Buck Shoes", Boone sported a clean-cut image that appealed to teens and parents alike. His singing style, a rich baritone, followed in the tradition of his idol, Bing Crosby . Preferring to carry on in the Crosby tradition, he soon began turning more and more to ballads. Some of his biggest hits included "Love Letters in the Sand" (with the instrumental break featuring Boone's whistling), "April Love", "Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)", and "Don't Forbid Me". His Teen Idol popularity in the late 1950s was second only to that of Elvis Presley , and, like Elvis, he soon tried his hand at acting. Boone's pictures were fewer in number than Elvis', but significantly higher in quality, including 1960 's '' Journey To The Center Of The Earth '' alongside Hollywood notable James Mason . His recording of the theme song from the 1957 film '' April Love '' topped the charts for six weeks and was nominated for an Academy Award . Pat also wrote the theme song for the movie '' Exodus ''. A devout Born-again Christian , he was raised in the conservative Church Of Christ but has been a member of the Pentecostal church for more than thirty years. Boone has refused both songs and movie roles that he felt might compromise his standards, including a role opposite the decade's reigning Sex Symbol , Marilyn Monroe . Among his other achievements, he hosted a TV series in the late 1950s , and began writing in the early 1960s , a series of self-help books for adolescents, including ''Twixt Twelve and Twenty''. The British Invasion effectively ended Boone's career as a hitmaker, though he continued recording throughout the 1960s. In the 1970s , he switched to Gospel and Country , and he continued performing in other media as well, most importantly Radio . He is currently working as the Deejay of a popular oldies show, and runs his own record company which provides a much-welcomed outlet for new recordings by 1950s greats who can no longer find a place with the major labels. Boone married Shirley Lee Foley, daughter of , and Laury. In the 1960s and 1970s the Boone family toured as gospel singers and made gospel albums, such as ''The Pat Boone Family'' and ''The Family Who Prays''. In the early 1990s, Boone joined Amway and spoke at many motivational seminars. He was also a distributor, and a 1994 copy of the Amway magazine shows him reaching the coveted Amway rank of Diamond. In '', a collection of Heavy Metal Covers revamped to fit his style. To promote the album, he appeared at the American Music Award s in black leather, shocking audiences and losing his respectability among his largest constituency, conservative Christians. He was then fired from '' Gospel America '', a TV show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network . About a year later, the controversy died down and many fans accepted his explanation of the leather outfit being a "parody of himself". He was re-hired by TBN and Gospel America was brought back. In 2003 , the Gospel Music Association of Nashville, Tennessee recognized his gospel recording work by inducting him in its Gospel Music Hall Of Fame . Boone lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife Shirley. They are influential and respected members of The Church On The Way in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley . When Boone was interviewed for the movie Fuck (documentary) , he claimed to use his own surname in lieu of curse words when upset. In 2006, Boone penned an article for WorldNetDaily in which he argued that Democrats and others who are against the Iraq War cannot, under any circumstances, be considered patriotic. {Link without Title} DISCOGRAPHY
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