Pat Boone performed for two sold out audiences in Drendel Ballroom on Oct. 16. (Photo Provided)
SUN CITY – When he finished the first of two wondrously creative concerts in Drendel Ballroom last week, Pat Boone, the legendary singer/actor, now age 79, told reporters he is working on a project called “Legacy,” an album of gospel songs he wants to leave with his many fans as a final gift.
Actually, Boone is not creating his legacy now. He has been building it during a diverse 60-year career that has made him a true Renaissance entertainer.
He brought his talents and vibrant personality to Sun City on Oct. 16 and kept two sold-out audiences clapping, toe-tapping, and singing right along with him. He still tours regularly.
“I know a lot of folks in Del Webb, and I’ve appeared at a number of Sun Cities,” he said after wowing his first audience. “Let’s face it, I’m 79. A few younger people are still interested in the career of a long-time pop music singer but mostly now it’s folks of later vintage, meaning Sun Citians and seniors that enjoy reminiscing about their favorite songs.”
While he has seen immense changes in entertainment styles and content in his lifetime, Boone has not changed his own approach one bit. Introduced by Renee Swanson, special events coordinator for the Sun City activities staff, he strolled out clad all in white, from a fringed country-western coat to high-top shoes. (Remember, one of his most famous trademarks is white buck shoes). He also is openly frank about today’s entertainment environment.
“Back when I started, we were almost naive in movies and musical styles,” he said. “We never touched subjects that today are common everywhere. We’ve slid downward a long way, and I’m saddened by it.”
Boone combines an “aw shucks” wholesome attitude with Christian faith, old-fashioned values, a golden voice that still packs power and impressive range, and bucketfuls of stories and memories from a career as a singer, songwriter, actor, motivational speaker, political commentator, and educational philanthropist.
Performing on risers in front of the Drendel stage, Boone used a piano player and several instrumental soundtracks to sing his favorite tunes. He mixed those with “show and tell” clips of his numerous concert, television, and movie appearances, and often-humorous stories about his life and family.
Starting with “April Love” and “Love Letters in the Sand” and ending with gospel favorite “You and I,” he presented a 90-minute potpourri of American rock-and-roll, rhythm and blues, gospel, and pop music from the 1950s to the present. He also belted out “I Believe,” a song he said won him his first competition at the Ted Mack Amateur Hour.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Boone was on top of the charts. In addition to 45 million albums sold, he had 38 top-40 hits and appeared in more than a dozen Hollywood movies, including “State Fair,” “April Love,” “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” and “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” Giving voice to dozens of popular romantic and religious songs in an era when popular music was king, he is credited with broadening the popularity of rock-and-roll.
Boone’s religious and moral views have led to several interesting situations and current stories. When asked to do a kissing scene in a movie with Shirley Jones, he said he needed to clear it first with his wife Shirley.
“When I spoke to her about it, she said it was okay, but she made me promise I wouldn’t enjoy it,” Boone said. “When we got to the scene in the movie, they decided to interrupt our kiss, and we never actually did it. Fifty years later, Shirley Jones and I met at an event and she told me I owed her a kiss. We did it then, and I enjoyed it.”
“His appearance here is a reprise for me, because I met him once,” said Sun City resident Shirley Brown. “It was in Evansville, Indiana, at a religious youth event. He showed up at a reception and I took his picture. I brought it to this concert.”
“We have been Pat Boone fans for all of his career,” residents David and Carol Langseth, said. “I need to be close up because I am a bit hearing-impaired,” David said.
Boone’s outspoken conservative views on politics have been controversial at times but have kept his traditional values and morals in the forefront of political discourse. He is a staunch supporter of the Republican Party and is a Tea Party organizer.
“All my life, I’ve been vocal on political issues and personalities, and I continue that today,” Boone said. “I also make sure that my faith comes across in my concerts. Even though I never became a teacher, I’ve kept active in education by helping establish a Christian school (Northeast Institute for Christian Education) and contributing to the support of others.”
On a personal level, Boone looks forward to celebrating his 60th wedding anniversary with Shirley on Nov. 7.
