Pat Boone

In his two-and-a-half-hour interview, Pat Boone describes his upbringing in Nashville and how winning a local singing contest led him to successful appearances on both Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour and on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. Boone details his success as a singer and how at 20 years old he became television's youngest host of a hit musical variety show, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom. He discusses how he refused to represent products on the show that he did not personally use or recommend, and recalls the difficulties he encountered from sponsors and Southern television stations when he attempted to book African American guests on his show. Boone also talks about his television specials and speaks about his two subsequent television programs: The Pat Boone Show and Pat Boone in Hollywood. He shares tales of some of his favorite performances and guest stars, explains what it was like to sing on stage immediately following Elvis Presley, and divulges the impetus behind his surprisingly successful heavy metal album. Stephen J. Abramson conducted the interview on September 10, 2010 in Boone's home in Los Angeles, CA.