People: After all these years, he’s not standing pat
Pat Boone calls it his museum. His office walls are covered with paintings and photos of the singer in his prime, plus covers of his albums, which sold in the millions – more than Elvis.
There’s a bronzed pair of his signature white buck shoes and a worn catcher’s mask he received after he was seriously injured while bicycling.
A note reads: “Dummy. Next time use this. I love you. Francis Albert” – as in Sinatra.
But Boone doesn’t live in the past. He just returned from Arizona where he gave concerts for retirees. Last year, he recorded five new albums, released under his own label. He and his wife, Shirley, remain active in church work.
And he’s promoting a new book, “Pat Boone’s America 50 Years.”
The 156-page coffee-table book is jammed with 200 photos and an autobiography, along with comments about such causes as anti-abortion.
“The book is part of a trilogy,” he says. “When I was 21-22, I was getting 5,000 letters a week from young people. Many asked for advice that they couldn’t get from other sources. I wanted to write a book that would answer those letters.”
He called it “Twixt 12 and 20.” Later, he wrote “My New Song,” about his spiritual journey.
With the new book, “I got on my soapbox. It seemed to me that it was an opportunity to say to my fellow citizens that America has become something different to the world.”
His dark hair slightly tinged with gray, Boone is a rugged 72, thanks to daily workouts and a sensible diet.
The Boone saga seems ideal: marrying at 19 to his high school sweetheart; father of four daughters by 23; graduating magna cum laude from college while selling millions of records; TV and movie star.
“We raised a family in Hollywood, which is quite a feat,” he said. “And we got four daughters married to good guys.”
Throughout his career, Boone has managed to maintain his wholesome persona – with one glaring exception.
In 1997, he recorded an album of hard-driving rock songs. Dick Clark, who was producing an American Music Awards TV special, asked if Boone would appear on the show as a heavy-metal rocker.
Boone agreed, figuring the appearance would help his album sales.
He went all-out: leather jacket and pants, black boots, dark glasses and paste-on tattoos on his arms and chest. He reveled in the resulting furor – until his weekly show was canceled by a Christian cable network.
Now Boone chooses his singing dates more carefully, appearing primarily at fairs, performing arts centers and an occasional convention. He has promised his wife that he’ll start cutting back, but he’s unlikely to quit completely.
“I have never wanted to just fade away,” he said. “I never wanted people to say, ‘Whatever happened to that fellow Pat Boone?’ “
The birthday bunch
Actor Barry Morse is 89. Actor Andrew Stevens is 52. Actress Gina Gershon is 45. Model-actress Elizabeth Hurley is 42. Singer Faith Evans is 34. Actor Shane West (“ER”) is 29. Actress Leelee Sobieski is 25.