Legendary Entertainer, Pat Boone- part one // July 16, 2025

Legendary entertainer, Pat Boone shares his 70-year journey in music, television, and movies. He has sold nearly 50 million records and had 38 Top 40 hits. Pat was Elvis Presley’s main competition back in the 1950’s too. Today at ninety, Pat Boone is the #10 all-time top recording artist. He is host of two nationally syndicated radio shows, “The Pat Boone Hour” on SiriusXM’s ‘50s Gold channel 72, and “The Pat Boone Show,” which features contemporary gospel music on many local stations across America. Pat was married to Shirley (Foley) Boone (daughter of Country star ‘Red’ Foley) for over 65 years before her passing. Pat Boone’s made his first appearance nationally on “The Ted Mack Amateur Hour” (in which he became the original American Idol, selected week after week by the viewers), and later appeared on “The Arthur Godfrey Show.” Those appearances would introduce his talent to record producer Randy Wood of Dot Records who thought Pat Boone could sing rock ‘n roll. He became the youngest person in history to have his own weekly musical variety show (ABC), at times the number one show in television featuring many first time-on-TV artists like Sammy Davis, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat ‘King’ Cole. Elvis Presley once opened for Pat Boone at a big disc jockey “sock hop” in Cleveland in 1956. “I had to follow him,” recollects Pat. “Thank God I had 3 million-selling hit records already and I was the star that night. But I never wanted to follow Elvis again!” Pat Boone is also a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.