Pat Boone: The Anti-Elvis Scores Another #1

The comparisons are unavoidable—it’s the mid 50’s and two young men are launching their careers. Both are white, raised in the south and influenced heavily by gospel music while growing up. One is from Tupelo, Mississippi----something of a “bad boy”—but this one, Elvis Presley—goes on to become the King of Rock and Roll.

The other guy is Pat Boone.

He’s the “good boy” from Nashville, Tennessee. Clean-cut, handsome and wholesome, he’s the dream of many a young girl—and their Moms too!
Unlike Elvis, Pat Boone’s style was strictly conservative—and mainstream.

It was on this date in 1957 that Pat would score his second chart-topper with the ballad “April Love”. He actually rivaled Elvis on the charts for a short time—and was a huge star-albeit of a different sort. A movie star too, here he is performing that hit song in the movie of the same name:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLaKFpMoRt0

Although Pat Boone played a juvenile delinquent in the film, it’s hard to imagine him pulling it off (but then again I haven’t seen the movie!) Looks like he lands the girl (Shirley Jones) in the end—and isn’t that how all mainstream 1950’s movies were supposed to end?

Completely embraced by establishment advertisers, Pat Boone was a big star for quite a few years—and oddly became enamored with the R&B music that black musicians couldn’t get radio airplay for at the time. Although perhaps best known for songs like “April Love” and “Love Letters In The Sand”, Pat Boone also covered more than a few R&B hits. In fact, his “whitewashed” versions of Little Richard’s “Tutti Fruitti” and Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That A Shame” actually charted higher and were bigger hits than the original recordings by these legendary artists.

And that IS a shame.

Nothing against Pat Boone—he was on the trailing edge of entertainers who catered to the conservative mainstream for their success. The soon-to-come parade of Elvis, the Beatles, Rolling Stones—as well as movie stars like James Dean proved that a counter-culture angle that defies the status quo also had a ready market.

Years later, Pat Boone released a CD of heavy-metal classics. Funny—and in fact a bit disturbing.

His time had passed—and his image would never withstand an effort to modify it. While not necessarily my cup of tea, he was an icon for many—and holds a unique place in music and entertainment history.

If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com