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| "Pat Boone is the man who made me a millionaire." -- Little Richard |
| In 1956, the disturbing image Elvis Presley presented to adult America was offset by the clean-cut version of rock and roll: Pat Boone. In his white buck shoes, Pat Boone was the “king of the cover.” He had won first prize on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts in 1954. In 1955 he recorded a cover version of the Charms’ “Two Hearts, Two Kisses” and then released a cover version of Fats Domino’s “Aint That A Shame” that reached #1. In 1956, he would reach #4 with “I’ll Be Home” and cover two of Little Richard’s recordings, “Tutti Frutti” (#12) and “Long Tall Sally” (#8). In the summer of ‘56 he would achieve his second #1 recording with a cover of “I Almost Lost My Mind,” originally recorded by Ivory Joe Turner in 1949. In September of 1956, “Friendly Persuasion,” the theme song from the Gregory Peck movie would enter the chart, eventually rising to #5. Pat Boone would have two additional number one hits, “Loveletters in the Sand” and “April Love” in 1957. Pat Boone was the third most successful recording artist of The Elvis Era (behind Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson) with 22 top twenty records and 6 number ones. |
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