Teens in the 50s had several different "idols" to choose from. My mom didn't pick Elvis, she chose Pat Boone. A few years ago Pat gave a concert in Michigan. Ma dragged along several of her record albums to get them autographed. Pat Boone did not give out autographs. Ma wasn't heartbroken, she was livid that her favorite wouldn't do that for her!
It seems like people have been upset at poor Pat Boone for a while now. While researching this nostalgic rambler entry, I read comments about how wrong Pat was for recording songs by blacks in the early days of rock and roll. Pat had several cover hits of songs that black folks like Little Richard did.
At the time I think no one really gave it much thought. Pat Boone's version of "Tutti Frutti" (listen here) went right along with the pop music of the day. I don't think my mom would have gone for the rougher original black version. Pat Boone sang with the crooner style of Bing Crosby and Perry Como. See how Pat Boone affected the teenage girls of the day as he appeared here on The Lawrence Welk Show for heaven sakes! I love that song Moody River...
I'm sorry, but I don't see anything wrong with that and I don't see anything wrong with him recording versions of "black" songs of the day (I don't think the term African American had even been coined back then). One Youtube user commented saying Pat was the "scourge of the music business...." That person obviously wasn't in tune to the 1950s pop music scene. He had lots of fans and hits and the people loved him. Sorry but you can't revise history....although fans of 1950s rock and roll often try. Sirus/XM radio's 1950s station almost ignores the original pop music of the fifties, as if rock and roll/doo wop were the only thing people listened to back then.
I'd like to hear Little Richard do Pat's version of "Angel on My Shoulder." Then we'll see who does it best....
A tip of the hat today to Pat as he is involved in keeping the music of our past alive on the "Music of Your Life" radio network.
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