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| Pat Boone |
Why is an old rocker including Pat Boone in his rock and roll blog ? That's simple. Pat Boone was a major player in rock and roll. Not only did he sell a gillion records but he was accepted by the adults. His "squeaky clean" persona made it o.k. for the white teenagers to participate in this new music, "rock and roll".
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| Pat Boone |
Without Pat Boone's involvement I don't know how the genre would have developed in such a short period. Here's an example. Elvis was frowned on and apparently didn't give a damn. Kids were under pressure from parent's not to buy his kind of music. We certainly were not supposed to be buying what was called, "race" records. That's where Pat comes in.
Pat was a good looking preppie kid from Nashville. No ducks ass hair cut. No hoodlum looking clothes. No Marlon Brando "Wild One" images. Just a good looking kid with a really great voice. That's plus one.
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| Pat Boone |
Plus two was the Nashville thing. Nashville to southerners meant one thing, the Grand Ole Opry. And that was about as American as mom and apple pie.
Three, Pat was religious and didn't hide it. This made him acceptable to preachers and parents alike.
Pat Boone recorded songs we weren't supposed to hear. He was covering black (race) music and making it palatable for all listeners. To the parents and even grand parents Pat Boone was the young Eddy Arnold. The anti-Elvis.
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| Pat Boone |
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| Pat Boone on the cover of Rolling Stone |
So, whether you or I think of Pat as a rocker doesn't matter. He was a very important part of rock and roll history. He was exactly the image we needed. He fit the concept of the ideal teen. He became the good face for rock and roll. He and Ricky Nelson were important figures in the making rock and roll acceptable. They opened markets for the genre. A lot of new buyers came into the market because of these two young men.
Now from the other angle. Did he sell records angle. Hell yeah !!! Check out these numbers.
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| A very patriotic Pat Boone |
Between 1955 and 1962, he was hot ! After that it was pretty much over for the rocking and rolling. He went on to be big in the gospel and country markets. He did television, movies, commercials and wrote lots of books. He did the corporate spokesman gig for Chevrolet and many other companies. He gave motivational speeches, did political commentary and lots and lots of church work. Pat Boone never looked over his shoulder when his rock and roll deal slowed down. He's 77 now and from what I understand, he's still busy as ever.
He's recorded 69 regular albums, 68 compilation albums and 63 singles.
1955 to 62 (7 years)
He had 56 Top 100 Hits (that's charting 8 per year)
He had 38 Top 40 Hits
He had 16 Top 10 Hits
He had 12 Top 5's
He had 6 Number One Hits (Three #1's in 1957 alone)
What did I tell you ? Pat Boone sold a ton of records. They say he out sold everybody but Elvis during those years.
Here are some links for his music and information. Enjoy !
Web site Info Videos Gospel
Pat Boone is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Nor is he in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Why ?
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| Pat Boone with nine gold records. |
Elvis opened for him, for goodness sakes. Oh, let me guess, he's a little too religious ? Or maybe too nice ? Maybe it's because he speaks his mind on politics and doesn't fit the left wing mold ? Maybe if he had died of a drug overdose or alcohol poisoning he would have fit.
Nice payback folks ! The guy was the best salesman the genre ever had and now he's given the cold shoulder. Good enough for the cover of Rolling Stone but not for the precious Hall (in Cleveland of all places) !
Hey Pat Boone, Tennessee boy ! Guess what ??? You are now officially in the one Hall of Fame that counts. The Fan's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame located in the fan's state of "mind".
Thanks for what you did for our generation ! John Boykin
Pat is a good friend of ours and I can tell you he hasn't lost even an ounce of his talent and exuberance, but more importantly his kindness and graciousness. Pat is simply one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. He just released a new album (Near) of love songs he's wanted to do for years, and he's currently traveling around the country with his one man show detailing his career. He is one of the greatest ambassadors of classic Pop and Rock that we could ask for!
ReplyDeleteYou just described his reputation among the home folks...A gentleman..Nuff said.
ReplyDeletePat Boone was too talented a singer a singer and entertainer to limit himself to being a pop star.
ReplyDeletePat was one of the best pop standard singers of the the 50s and 60s.
He recorded one of the best pop records of all time"Moody River"
He belongs in the Rock Hall.
Pat Boone is an American Icon and a national treasure. In addition to him being a major innovator of, and an introducer of rock and roll to the American culture, he is so much more. Like Elvis, Pat is a true American Patriot, who has spent many decades as a friend of the White House, the Pentagon and soldiers in the field. Like the Beatles, he is a dreamer, and has captured the hearts and minds of my generation of teenagers and young adults, And gave them new ways to express their creativity through the gift of music. Like the Rolling Stones, he was his own man, creating his own identity and image, and did not sell himself out to make a buck -- and like the Stones, his career has legs that won't quit --longevity among the longest in rock n roll and entertainment. And like U-2 & Bono, he spends a great amount of time and resources helping others. Among his most recent efforts in that direction is his pursuit of bring low cost, sustainable, limitless and non-polluting energy to the planet, that would be available to everyone regardless of their income or ability to pay..... and in his early years, he did sell more records than anyone else in the world, except maybe Elvis. If he is not inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, it will serve to discredit the legitimacy of that Institution, and further it will negatively effect their bottom line, as many millions of Pat Boone fans (call us the "BabyBooner" Generation) will refuse to visit, and refuse to recognize that Institution, except as a money making scam, with no objectivity or fairness in its methodology for determining it's inductees. To the so called Hall of Fame -- with Pat Boone on board, proceed at your own risk. -- you open the door to competion and become vunerable to increased competion from new and evolving Competitors, who have more transparent, legitimate and objective methodologies for determining who should be honored. By any criteria, PAT GETS MY VOTE, AND THAT OF MANY MORE MILLIONS OF FANS.
ReplyDeletePat Boone is an American Icon and a national treasure. In addition to him being a major innovator of, and an introducer of rock and roll to the American culture, he is so much more. Like Elvis, Pat is a true American Patriot, who has spent many decades as a friend of the White House, the Pentagon and soldiers in the field. Like the Beatles, he is a dreamer, and has captured the hearts and minds of my generation of teenagers and young adults, And gave them new ways to express their creativity through the gift of music. Like the Rolling Stones, he was his own man, creating his own identity and image, and did not sell himself out to make a buck -- and like the Stones, his career has legs that won't quit --longevity among the longest in rock n roll and entertainment. And like U-2 & Bono, he spends a great amount of time and resources helping others. Among his most recent efforts in that direction is his pursuit of bring low cost, sustainable, limitless and non-polluting energy to the planet, that would be available to everyone regardless of their income or ability to pay..... and in his early years, he did sell more records than anyone else in the world, except maybe Elvis. If he is not inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, it will serve to discredit the legitimacy of that Institution, and further it will negatively effect their bottom line, as many millions of Pat Boone fans (call us the "BabyBooner" Generation) will refuse to visit, and refuse to recognize that Institution, except as a money making scam, with no objectivity or fairness in its methodology for determining it's inductees. To the so called Hall of Fame -- with Pat Boone on board, proceed at your own risk. -- you open the door to competion and become vunerable to increased competion from new and evolving Competitors, who have more transparent, legitimate and objective methodologies for determining who should be honored. By any criteria, PAT GETS MY VOTE, AND THAT OF MANY MORE MILLIONS OF FANS.
ReplyDeletecorrection -- the second to last sentece should read, "withOUT Pat Boone onboard..."
DeleteAlso, please Pardon any typos or grammatical errors.... My android keyboard needs an upgrade.