Born in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Boone is a direct descendant of the American pioneer Daniel Boone. He grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, attended David Lipscomb College and began recording in 1954 for Republic Records. His 1955 version of "Ain't That a Shame" was a huge hit, selling far better than Fats Domino's original version. This set the stage for the early part of Boone's career, which focused on covering R&B songs by black artists for a white market. Previously, rock 'n' roll had had only limited exposure outside of the African American community. Pat Boone's pale covers gave attention to the more authentic original artists, such as Little Richard and Fats Domino and to rhythm and blues in general. In addition, the songwriters and copyright holders benefited even when individual artists did not.
In fact, only six of Boone's many hit singles were R&B covers, and only four of those were rockers. All were released in the first two years of his long career. These were "Ain't That a Shame" by Fats Domino and "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally" by Little Richard, and "At My Front Door (Crazy Little Mama)" by the El Dorados. The other two R&B covers were well-chosen blues ballads, "I Almost Lost My Mind" by Ivory Joe Hunter and "Chains of Love," a hit for Big Joe Turner and later B.B. King that had been written by Ahmet Ertegun. By 1957, Boone was concentrating on the middle-of-the-road music that dominated his career. He never recorded another R&B cover.
Known as "The Kid in White Buck Shoes", Boone sported a clean-cut image that appealed to white [teens]] and parents. His singing style, a rich baritone, followed in the tradition of his idol, Bing Crosby. Preferring to carry on in the Crosby tradition, he soon began turning more and more to ballads. Some of his biggest hits included "Love Letters in the Sand" (with the instrumental break featuring Boone's whistling), "April Love", "Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)", and "Don't Forbid Me".
His teen idol popularity in the late 1950s was second only to that of Elvis Presley, and, like Presley, he soon tried his hand at acting. Boone's pictures included 1960's Journey to the Center of the Earth alongside Hollywood notable James Mason.
His recording of the theme song from the 1957 film April Love topped the charts for six weeks and was nominated for an Academy Award. Pat also wrote the theme song for the movie Exodus.
A devout born-again Christian, he was raised in the conservative Church of Christ, but has been a member of a Pentecostal church for more than thirty years. Boone has refused both songs and movie roles that he felt might compromise his standards, including a role opposite the decade's reigning sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe. Among his other achievements, he hosted a TV series in the late 1950s and began writing in the early 1960s, a series of self-help books for adolescents, including Twixt Twelve and Twenty.
The British Invasion effectively ended Boone's career as a hitmaker, though he continued recording throughout the 1960s. In the 1970s, he switched to gospel and country, and he continued performing in other media as well, most importantly radio. He is currently working as the disc jockey of a popular oldies radio show and runs his own record company which provides a much-welcomed outlet for new recordings by 1950s greats who can no longer find a place with the major labels.
Boone married Shirley Lee Foley, daughter of country music great Red Foley and singer Judy Martin, in 1953 and they had four daughters: Cherry, Lindy, Debby, and Laury. In the 1960s and 1970s the Boone family toured as gospel singers and made gospel albums, such as The Pat Boone Family and The Family Who Prays.
In the early 1990s, Boone joined Amway and spoke at many motivational seminars. He was also a distributor. He never reached the coveted Amway rank of Diamond.
In 1997, Boone released In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, a collection of heavy metal covers revamped to fit his style. To promote the album, he appeared at the American Music Awards in black leather, shocking audiences and losing his respectability among his largest constituency, conservative Christians. He was then fired from Gospel America, a TV show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. About a year later, the controversy died down and many fans, including Jack Hayford, accepted his explanation of the leather outfit being a "parody of himself". He was re-hired by Trinity Broadcasting and Gospel America was brought back.
In 2003, the Gospel Music Association of Nashville, Tennessee recognized his gospel recording work by inducting him into its Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Boone and his wife live in Los Angeles, California. They are members of The Church on the Way in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley. His one-time neighbor was Ozzy Osbourne and his family. Boone's cover of Osborne's song "Crazy Train" became the theme song for The Osbornes. (It appears on The Osbornes Soundrack.) Osborne said that Boone "never complained once" about living next door to his less-than-traditional family.
Boone once claimed to use his own surname in lieu of curse words when upset.
In 2006, Boone penned an article for WorldNetDaily in which he argued that Democrats and others who are against the Iraq War cannot, under any circumstances, be considered patriotic. He also recently was interviewed by Neil Cavuto on Fox News, where he expressed his outrage against the opponents of George W. Bush (namely the Dixie Chicks) that their criticisms of the President showed they did not "respect their elders". Another article defended Mel Gibson after the actor was recorded making an anti-Semitic rant. Despite their differing political views, Pat Boone is friends with the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
Alabam
Pat Boone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turkey roast down the street
The people down there
Eat like wild geese
I'm on my way
I'm going back to Alabam
Have a whale of a time
Eatinh up the chicken
And drinking their wine
I'm on my way
I'm going back to Alabam
Pick it for me one time, Jim
Now some folks say that
A tramp won't steal
But I caught three
In my corn field
I'm on my way
I'm going back to Alabam
One had a bushel
The other had a peck
And one had a roasting ear
Tied around his neck
I'm on my way
I'm going back to Alabam
Now just put a little
Knuckle grease in there
That gets it
There comes Sal
Walking down the street
With the run down shoes
Tied on her feet
Good morning, honey
My, don't you look casual
You just stand there
And let me look at you
Hello Sal, why, I know you
With a run down slipper
And a tore up shoe
I'm on my way
I'm going back to Alabam
I'll be right back, Jim
Don't go way
When I get ready
To leave this earth
I'm gonna look on
My money's worth
I'm on my way
I'm going back to Alabam
I'm going back to Alabam
The lyrics of Pat Boone’s “Alabam” evoke a sense of southern hospitality, community and warmth. The song begins with the singer heading to a turkey roast down the street where he is taken by the people’s ability to eat and drink with abandon. The chorus, that repeats twice in the song, refers to the singer's desire to return to Alabama, his home. The second verse seems to deviate from the song’s initial theme of a turkey roast, and talks of tramps stealing from the singer's corn field, and the chorus repeats his desire to go back to Alabama.
The final verse is perhaps the most interesting and nostalgic. The singer talks of his desire to look back on his life and feel as though he lived it fully. He expresses his plan to go back to Alabama when he is ready to die, hinting that Alabama is where he feels most at home and where he would want to bid his final goodbye to the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I went to a Turkey roast down the street
I attended a community gathering centered around a turkey roast nearby
The people down there Eat like wild geese
The attendees of this event were eating with great enthusiasm and voracity
I'm on my way I'm going back to Alabam
I am heading back to my hometown of Alabama
Talk about your people Have a whale of a time Eatinh up the chicken And drinking their wine
The folks in Alabama know how to have a good time, reveling in eating chicken and drinking wine
Pick it for me one time, Jim
Play a guitar riff for me, Jim
Now some folks say that A tramp won't steal But I caught three In my corn field
While some might argue that homeless people won't commit theft, I personally witnessed three of them stealing from my corn field
One had a bushel The other had a peck And one had a roasting ear Tied around his neck
These thieves were carrying an assortment of corn, including a bushel and peck, as well as one who had a corn cob tied around their neck
Now just put a little Knuckle grease in there That gets it
Use a bit of elbow grease to really get things done, that should do the trick
There comes Sal Walking down the street With the run down shoes Tied on her feet
Here comes Sal, walking around with shoes that have seen better days and are tied on her feet
Good morning, honey My, don't you look casual You just stand there And let me look at you
Morning, Sal, you're looking quite relaxed and at ease. Stand there for a moment while I admire you
Hello Sal, why, I know you With a run down slipper And a tore up shoe
Hello again, Sal. I recognize you with your worn-out slipper and torn shoe
I'm on my way I'm going back to Alabam
Once again, I'm making the trip back to Alabama
I'll be right back, Jim Don't go way
I'll be back shortly, Jim. Don't go anywhere
When I get ready To leave this earth I'm gonna look on My money's worth
When it's my time to depart this world, I want to be able to look back on my life with a sense of financial accomplishment
I'm on my way I'm going back to Alabam I'm going back to Alabam
One last time, I'm returning to Alabama
Contributed by Skyler A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lee Presley
I Like Pat Boones version of this song the best !! ( Chris Harper
Peter Emmert
Could it be that the person who played guitar on this record (referenced as "Roy") was Roy Clark?