1 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: Welcome, Welcome, Welcome back to the pot West That's Podcast. 2 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: My guest today is the one and only at Boon, 3 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,799 Speaker 1: Pat glad to be talking to well, glad to talk 4 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: to you, But I've got to correct what you just said. 5 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: I'm not the one and only Pat Boone. My brother 6 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 1: is married to another one. Really is life is Patricia 7 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 1: and that makes her another Pat Boon. Okay, hopefully there's 8 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: not too much confusion. A little bit of trivia, know 9 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:41,160 Speaker 1: though they can tell us apart for sure. Okay, you're 10 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: pretty active on social media. Do you have someone do 11 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: that for you or do you do it yourself? It 12 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:52,280 Speaker 1: takes a circus here for me, as you've noticed that, 13 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 1: I have to have people who actually know where the 14 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 1: buttons are how to push them. I'm trying to catch up. 15 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 1: I you know, I'm I'm in about I'm about up 16 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: to in tech, but I'm trying to get into one 17 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:07,959 Speaker 1: and I'm just I'm not there yet. Okay, do you 18 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: have a smartphone? Do you use it? Yeah? I do 19 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: I have that. I'm using that pretty well, although I 20 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:17,400 Speaker 1: lost it yesterday and I couldn't even figure out how 21 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:19,720 Speaker 1: to get to where it is. I had to call 22 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: my tech guy, and and he got on his computer 23 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 1: and located it. It was in my house up in 24 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: the bathroom, but I couldn't find it. So I am 25 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 1: not a tech whiz. Okay, let's go back. You grew 26 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 1: up in Nashville. I did. I was born in Jacksonville, Florida, 27 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:40,120 Speaker 1: but I grew up in Nashville. Yet, but what what 28 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:43,279 Speaker 1: age did you move to Nashville to age of two? 29 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: And my brother one year younger than me at the 30 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: age of one, and my dad a building contractor, architect, 31 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: Mama registered nurse, and they moved from uh, from Florida, 32 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: from from actually Tallahassee. Although I was born in Jacksonville 33 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 1: and and then to Nashville where I grew up. Yeah, 34 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: I'm I'm a I'm a homeboy in Nashville, but also 35 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:10,119 Speaker 1: in Florida. Okay, So what motivated them to move to Nashville. 36 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:13,920 Speaker 1: My dad, as I say, an architect and uh and 37 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:19,360 Speaker 1: it would be contractor, building contractor. His uncle, uncle Jack Boone, 38 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 1: had his own contracting company in Nashville, very successful. So 39 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: his nephew, Archie A. Boone, the first Boon in the 40 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 1: phone book. You can't get ahead of a A Boone 41 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: And so uh, he was offered the the job with 42 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 1: his uncle, and he moved to Nashville and Mom and 43 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:42,799 Speaker 1: his two boys and eventually two daughters as well. And uh, 44 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:49,240 Speaker 1: and he not only became a very valued partner employee, 45 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 1: but eventually when the time came for the opportunity, he 46 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 1: had junior partners with him when Uncle Jack retired, and 47 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: I was able to, thank God to help him obtain 48 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 1: ownership of his own company. It was called the Boon 49 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:08,640 Speaker 1: Contracting Company anyway, and his partners weren't Boone's. Okay, So 50 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 1: you're born in the middle of the depression, your father 51 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:15,960 Speaker 1: has a job. What was your economic situation growing up 52 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 1: in the family, I would say lower middle class. Uh. Daddy, 53 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: as I say he was, he worked for his uncle. 54 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 1: He didn't have it was not his own company for 55 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 1: a long time. And uh. And after my brother and me, 56 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: he and Mama had daughters, and soon he had four kids. 57 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 1: We did not have a car until I was in 58 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:43,560 Speaker 1: the eighth grade. We had to we had the company 59 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 1: pickup truck, Boon Contracting. Now you have to get six people, 60 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: my mom and dad and four kids into that. It 61 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: was not a big It was not a big pickup 62 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: truck like today, and so he built a wood uh 63 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 1: he was a carpenter as well, so he built nice 64 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: wooden bench in the back from my brother and me, 65 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 1: and we thought it was really fun during the earlier days, 66 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 1: riding in the back, the wind whipping us and all that. 67 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: When we were six, seven, eight years old, and the 68 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:14,880 Speaker 1: two girls got to ride up front with Mama. On 69 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:19,839 Speaker 1: rainy days though, and snowy days, really cold weather. Somehow 70 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:24,279 Speaker 1: we would cram Mama, Daddy, me, my brother and two 71 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 1: sisters into the cab of that little truck. So by 72 00:04:27,839 --> 00:04:31,359 Speaker 1: the time I was in the sixth grade, I kept begging, Daddy, 73 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 1: can't we have a car, just anything with doors on 74 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:36,240 Speaker 1: it that I we can, we can get out of 75 00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:39,840 Speaker 1: the back of the truck riding in the wind and 76 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: so on. Of course it was embarrassing. He takes us 77 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:46,279 Speaker 1: to school on rainy days. Of course we'd have raincoats 78 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 1: and hats but our umbrellas. But we were getting out 79 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:51,479 Speaker 1: of the back of a truck at the at the 80 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:55,719 Speaker 1: grammar school, and even kids were from I think poorer circumstances. 81 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 1: They come up or the church in cars of son 82 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:03,480 Speaker 1: some type. But Daddy was frugal and he said, we'll 83 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: buy a car when I can afford it. And you 84 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: boys are well taken care of on that bench in 85 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:12,040 Speaker 1: the back. And today, as I ride along the freeway 86 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:17,839 Speaker 1: and I see uh tenerants and laborers sitting in the 87 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:19,920 Speaker 1: back of trucks being whipped along the free we I 88 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 1: always want to lean and say, hey, I've been there, 89 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:27,480 Speaker 1: I've done that. Okay, I've been to Nashville. But obviously 90 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:31,080 Speaker 1: many years later, and there's downtown in the suburbs. How 91 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:34,680 Speaker 1: far did you live from downtown Nahville. We were outside 92 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: the city limits at that point. We were out on 93 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:41,560 Speaker 1: Granny White Pike. Granny White Pike, and it's still called 94 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,160 Speaker 1: that today. It is now in the city limits that 95 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 1: city of them as were greatly expanded, but we were 96 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 1: outside And and then off Granny White Pike was Lone 97 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 1: Oak Road, a little road off the side. It was 98 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:56,359 Speaker 1: called Lone Oak Road because during earlier days there was 99 00:05:56,400 --> 00:06:00,520 Speaker 1: a lone Oak that served as a hanging tree kremlins 100 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:03,920 Speaker 1: who sometimes hung on that Lone Oak well. That went 101 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:07,599 Speaker 1: eventually from Granny White Pike to a thriving part of 102 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:11,559 Speaker 1: Nashville called Green Hills, And it's one of the really 103 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:16,360 Speaker 1: prestigious places to live. That and Bell Mead in Nashville, 104 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:19,960 Speaker 1: the high class places. But it's a mile or two 105 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:23,840 Speaker 1: long Lone Oak Road until you get to Granny White Pike. 106 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:27,119 Speaker 1: And just off Granny White Pike is still that house 107 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:30,120 Speaker 1: where I grew up brother and two and two sisters. 108 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 1: And when I'm in Nashville, I don't go to a motel. 109 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:36,800 Speaker 1: I go right to the oh nine Lone Oak Road, 110 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 1: very close to the side of the road. Nice house, 111 00:06:40,279 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: but very modest and upstairs. Uh. After the two boys 112 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 1: and the two girls moved out, Uh, we you know, 113 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 1: went to school or married or whatever, and uh and Daddy, 114 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:56,560 Speaker 1: being a contractor and better off by then turned what 115 00:06:56,680 --> 00:07:00,480 Speaker 1: had been an attic uh into a set and floor 116 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:03,719 Speaker 1: where he created a nice bedroom in bathroom mama, and 117 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:06,280 Speaker 1: a guest room. And that's where I always stay. And 118 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 1: what had been the attic that I claimed when Nick 119 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: and I my brother were sixteen and fifteen, we were 120 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: sharing the same bed and we each wanted our own bed, 121 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 1: you know, and so I asked if I could have 122 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:22,240 Speaker 1: the attic. Well, it was just an unfinished attic where 123 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 1: you know, you put all this stuff you don't have 124 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 1: room for downstairs and old clothes and suitcases and boxes. 125 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:31,320 Speaker 1: But I put a cop mom and Daddy let me 126 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:35,880 Speaker 1: have the attic, and I called it my penthouse at sixteen, 127 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: and I slept on the attic and Nick could have 128 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:43,440 Speaker 1: the nice bed downstairs. So do you go to public 129 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:47,480 Speaker 1: school or religious school? And what kind of student are you? 130 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:50,120 Speaker 1: And how do you fit in with the people. Well, 131 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:56,240 Speaker 1: it's both. I was in a secular school called Burton Elementary, 132 00:07:56,880 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: and it was by road up your White Pike about 133 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:05,080 Speaker 1: half a mile, but if you go down Lon Oak 134 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: Road and up it's about three quarters of a mile. 135 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 1: Or if you cut across the back pasture behind our house, 136 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:16,200 Speaker 1: it's like a quarter of mine because Daddy had bought 137 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 1: ten acres and this little house for five thousand dollars 138 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:23,840 Speaker 1: in I guess it was and uh, And I was 139 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 1: six years old when he when he when we moved 140 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:29,240 Speaker 1: to that house. So when when I was running late, 141 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:33,080 Speaker 1: as I often was, I would just run across the 142 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:37,079 Speaker 1: back pasture, watching where I stepped because we had cows 143 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:40,200 Speaker 1: and um, and then go through the fence and get 144 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:43,640 Speaker 1: to my class on time. But otherwise I would either 145 00:08:44,679 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 1: let Daddy take me, or I would take a bike. 146 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,079 Speaker 1: I mean, by the time I was well, I was 147 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:51,760 Speaker 1: still in high school, I could ride my bike and 148 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:54,600 Speaker 1: I did, and so you know, I just got by. 149 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:56,880 Speaker 1: I figured out how to make it that way. That 150 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:00,400 Speaker 1: was a secular school, but when high school time came, 151 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:04,240 Speaker 1: we were strong Christians. We had Bible studies in our 152 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 1: home and went to church service every time, and the 153 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:10,679 Speaker 1: door was open. So I knew then and I wanted 154 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:14,000 Speaker 1: a my education, but in a Christian context, I mean, 155 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:18,920 Speaker 1: for me at thirteen, this was I think an unusual choice. 156 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: All my friends were going to secular high schools. But 157 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:24,360 Speaker 1: I wanted to go to Lipscomb High School, which was 158 00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: a Christian high school and college. And but but to 159 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,280 Speaker 1: do that, I had to help Daddy economically. And so 160 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:34,479 Speaker 1: my brother and I worked in the summertime as laborers 161 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 1: and the Boon Contracting company, digging ditches, pouring concrete, pushing wheelbarrows, 162 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:44,400 Speaker 1: toting lumber for the carpenters. And we earned the handsome 163 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 1: price I think that first year of a dollar quarter 164 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 1: an hour, and we would put that aside to help 165 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:54,880 Speaker 1: pay for clothes and books, and knew the truition in 166 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:57,720 Speaker 1: the Christian high school was not that great. But with 167 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:01,400 Speaker 1: Daddy with two boys and two girls, he was having 168 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:04,079 Speaker 1: to you know, really pinch pennies. He had to pay 169 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:07,600 Speaker 1: his taxes after all. And in the contracting business, by 170 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:12,320 Speaker 1: the way, uh, you you make bids on the jobs 171 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: you want to do, and you're competing with others who 172 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 1: want that same job. And at that point it was 173 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:23,800 Speaker 1: just houses. It went eventually to be high schools, college dorms, uh, 174 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:28,920 Speaker 1: military installations, churches. I mean he got big for Daddy eventually, 175 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:33,880 Speaker 1: but back then, to bid on a house, he had 176 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:36,120 Speaker 1: to try to make the lowest bid, but still a 177 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:38,160 Speaker 1: bid that he could do it for in that price, 178 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:42,440 Speaker 1: because if he didn't get it built well for what 179 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:45,040 Speaker 1: he bid it, he had to eat the rest himself. 180 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:50,440 Speaker 1: So Daddy, you know, with four kids, you know, Mama 181 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: was something of not a spendthrift. But I always compare 182 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 1: them to democrat in the Republican Mama wanted come one, 183 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:02,960 Speaker 1: come all, not just people, but pets, dogs, cats, come 184 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:06,079 Speaker 1: and come on eat. We got plenty. Daddy was the Republican. 185 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:08,199 Speaker 1: Wait a minute, I've got a budget here. I gotta 186 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 1: pay for this somehow. And that yin and yang was 187 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:15,120 Speaker 1: what we lived with. So you have ten acres. You 188 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 1: have cows. What else is going on that land? And 189 00:11:18,679 --> 00:11:22,320 Speaker 1: are you milking the cows? Who's doing all that work? Yes, yes, 190 00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:26,040 Speaker 1: to that, all of it. We also had pigs. Sometimes 191 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:30,559 Speaker 1: we had fenced off areas for pigs. We had to 192 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:34,679 Speaker 1: we had to slop the hogs. We had chickens. We 193 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:38,400 Speaker 1: had turkeys and rabbits. We had a vegetable garden on 194 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:41,400 Speaker 1: some of that, a big vegetable garden which Nick, my brother, 195 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:45,160 Speaker 1: and I and sometimes the sisters helped with. Daddy somehow 196 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:48,319 Speaker 1: found the time to take care of all that. But 197 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:50,680 Speaker 1: we had to work like we were really on a farm, 198 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:54,120 Speaker 1: which we were. I milked the cows and Nick and 199 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:56,480 Speaker 1: I took turns. We usually only had one cow to 200 00:11:56,520 --> 00:12:01,640 Speaker 1: milk because the rest we were either raising to sell. 201 00:12:02,679 --> 00:12:04,880 Speaker 1: But we only need one good milk cow. And the 202 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:08,960 Speaker 1: one that that I melt most was a milk a 203 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:13,960 Speaker 1: cow named Rosemary a Jersey, and she she was incredible 204 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:17,199 Speaker 1: milk producer. My brother and I were known to drink 205 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:20,640 Speaker 1: as much as a gallon a day a piece, because 206 00:12:20,679 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 1: we drink a quarter milk for breakfast, and a quarter 207 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:26,240 Speaker 1: milk with lunch if we were home, and then a 208 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:29,200 Speaker 1: quarter milk for dinner and then more doing our homework 209 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:31,280 Speaker 1: before we went to bed, I mean, and then we 210 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:34,840 Speaker 1: made butter and uh sometimes well we didn't make cottage 211 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:37,280 Speaker 1: cheese and we didn't have enough of that, but we 212 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:40,920 Speaker 1: could sometimes churn and make butter. And we learned what 213 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:46,600 Speaker 1: blue john milk was. If the if the cows eight onions, uh, 214 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:48,360 Speaker 1: and we had plenty of them growing out there in 215 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 1: the past. It infiltrated the milk and turned its sour. 216 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:58,440 Speaker 1: But we learned to use that and cooking, and sometimes 217 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:01,720 Speaker 1: we just drink it. Blue john milk it was called, 218 00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:05,199 Speaker 1: but you know it was it was really like a farm, 219 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:07,679 Speaker 1: and we milked Rosemary, my brother and I took turns. 220 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:10,520 Speaker 1: He would milk. We we worked it out this way. 221 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:13,520 Speaker 1: I would milk one night and the next morning, and 222 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:16,080 Speaker 1: then he would milk the next night and the next morning, 223 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:19,160 Speaker 1: so that we each milked only once a day. The 224 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:22,800 Speaker 1: only trouble was sometimes one of us would forget that 225 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 1: we hadn't done the milking on that particular occasion, and 226 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:31,040 Speaker 1: we met an angry cow whoever had to milk the 227 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:35,440 Speaker 1: next one that after one session had been skipped. But 228 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:37,600 Speaker 1: but it was that's what it was that cows would 229 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 1: get out once in a while go through the neighbor's 230 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,680 Speaker 1: yards who didn't have cows, and we'd have to go 231 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:46,160 Speaker 1: chase them. And sometimes they'd be going through the laundry 232 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:48,400 Speaker 1: hanging on the neighbor's lines, and I had to go 233 00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:51,760 Speaker 1: chase the family cow and get her back in, and 234 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:55,520 Speaker 1: we'd prepare the fence. But that was part of my 235 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:58,640 Speaker 1: growing up days. Until I was well into high school. 236 00:13:58,679 --> 00:14:02,080 Speaker 1: I was still milking rosemary while I was dating the 237 00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:06,200 Speaker 1: girl I was going to marry eventually. Okay, so in school, 238 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:11,240 Speaker 1: are you a popular kid? Are you a good student? Oh? Yes, 239 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 1: yes I can. I can truthfully say yes because I 240 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:19,640 Speaker 1: was insatiably curious active. I wanted to be involved in everything. 241 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:23,400 Speaker 1: When I got to be as a freshman, I laid 242 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:27,000 Speaker 1: out Not that I was that methodical, but but I 243 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:29,880 Speaker 1: did think about what I wanted to accomplish in high school. 244 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:32,480 Speaker 1: I wanted, first of all, to make straight A grades, 245 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:36,680 Speaker 1: which I did eventually. Somewhere along the line, they did 246 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:40,080 Speaker 1: an i Q test, And what they've told me Mama 247 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:42,720 Speaker 1: and others that were in school with me, is that 248 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:46,240 Speaker 1: that my i Q was reported at one seventy, which 249 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:50,560 Speaker 1: is very high. Well, that put a heavy responsibility on me, 250 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:53,840 Speaker 1: and so I did make straight a's in all my classes. 251 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:58,160 Speaker 1: I never made bees and anything. And uh I I 252 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:01,480 Speaker 1: was president of the of the secon the sophomore class, 253 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:04,320 Speaker 1: and then I set my sides to be president of 254 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:07,880 Speaker 1: the student body. And now it was a smallish Christian 255 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:11,600 Speaker 1: high school of maybe three students. That's not big, but 256 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:15,760 Speaker 1: it was our little world. And so when I was 257 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:20,360 Speaker 1: like sophomore and junior, I would try to make friends 258 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:23,360 Speaker 1: with the freshman coming in because I knew from experience 259 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,800 Speaker 1: that the juniors and seniors couldn't care less about the 260 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:31,920 Speaker 1: those ignorant little sophomores and freshmen, but they were going 261 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:35,920 Speaker 1: to vote on who was going to be the student 262 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:39,480 Speaker 1: body president towards the end of the junior year. So 263 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:43,120 Speaker 1: when the time I was a school UH cart I 264 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:46,280 Speaker 1: was on all the teams baseball, basketball, we didn't have football. 265 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:50,680 Speaker 1: I was captain the baseball team and UH and and 266 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:54,040 Speaker 1: I was I was good on the basketball team, but 267 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 1: not the star. But I was good and very active 268 00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 1: and on the A team. And then UH school cartoonists. 269 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:05,000 Speaker 1: I wrote a sports column for the paper, and I 270 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 1: mean I was and when the day came along. We 271 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:10,440 Speaker 1: had to have a clean up day. I would volunteer 272 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:13,360 Speaker 1: to be the chairman of clean up day. I mean 273 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:17,960 Speaker 1: I was angling towards being the student body president. Well, 274 00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:21,920 Speaker 1: the day came but for the election, and I had 275 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:26,880 Speaker 1: made friends with all the sophomores and freshman But a 276 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:31,160 Speaker 1: guy was transferred from a from a reform school to 277 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:33,720 Speaker 1: our school. Who was he was? They brought him in, 278 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:38,000 Speaker 1: I thought, hoping they could redeem him. But all he 279 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:42,400 Speaker 1: was a great athlete and he became all state baseball basketball. 280 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:45,720 Speaker 1: Russ Wingo was his name, and he decided to run 281 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:50,400 Speaker 1: for student body president. Well guess what the athlete won 282 00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:55,400 Speaker 1: the election. I was. I was so taken back. I 283 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:58,480 Speaker 1: mean I was crushed. I had set my size for 284 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:02,040 Speaker 1: three years and and worked at it and did all 285 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:04,959 Speaker 1: these things. And then Rush Wingo comes along. And because 286 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:07,680 Speaker 1: he can we didn't have three point shots, but he could. 287 00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:10,000 Speaker 1: He could score, and he could. He was good in 288 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:12,840 Speaker 1: baseball A well, I so was I. But that wasn't 289 00:17:12,840 --> 00:17:18,720 Speaker 1: good enough. So the summertime came and I got over 290 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:22,160 Speaker 1: my initial pain and decided I would do the Christian thing. 291 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 1: And I went to Russ. I said, look, Russ uh, 292 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:28,080 Speaker 1: you're the you have the president student body, but you're 293 00:17:28,119 --> 00:17:32,879 Speaker 1: gonna have to represent us in the regular school associations 294 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:35,840 Speaker 1: with other high schools, and uh, I know you're gonna 295 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:37,480 Speaker 1: be busy. And I didn't want to say you don't 296 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:40,800 Speaker 1: know how to do it, and uh so if you want, 297 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:44,119 Speaker 1: I'll represent you as the president, but I'll do some 298 00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:46,960 Speaker 1: of that that grunt work for you. And he said, 299 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:48,920 Speaker 1: oh boy, okay, yeah, you do that. I don't know 300 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:51,760 Speaker 1: how to do any of that stuff. So I was 301 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:57,520 Speaker 1: willing to be his surrogate. But guess what happened during 302 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:01,480 Speaker 1: the summer. He was older, he was older than we were. 303 00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:03,760 Speaker 1: He had been in a reform school and so he 304 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:06,880 Speaker 1: was like eighteen, and he and one of the girls 305 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:12,160 Speaker 1: during the summertime got married. I'm not sure what caused 306 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 1: that to happen, but they did get married in the summertime. 307 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:18,400 Speaker 1: And then we come back to school. It turns out 308 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:22,080 Speaker 1: that our bylou by laws said you can't be married 309 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:24,919 Speaker 1: and be the student body president. So we had another 310 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:28,960 Speaker 1: election and I was elected. I became the student body 311 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:32,040 Speaker 1: president after all, and that unlikely. After I was willing 312 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:34,919 Speaker 1: to give up and serve him, and you know, there 313 00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:37,919 Speaker 1: was a great lesson than that. For me. It's stuck 314 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:40,639 Speaker 1: with me all my life. You know, you don't lose 315 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:45,280 Speaker 1: by by helping somebody else win. Okay, Now was there 316 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,439 Speaker 1: music in the house? And when did you realize you 317 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:53,160 Speaker 1: could sing well? I was asked that recently. I said, 318 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:57,320 Speaker 1: I was singing before I ever thought about being a singer, 319 00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:00,920 Speaker 1: because it was part of our emily. First of all, 320 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:04,000 Speaker 1: in church, we all sang in church and and and 321 00:19:04,119 --> 00:19:07,720 Speaker 1: our church background didn't even have piano, no instrumental music 322 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:09,480 Speaker 1: because we didn't see an example for it in the 323 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:12,760 Speaker 1: New Testament, so we didn't have piano Oregon. It was 324 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:18,159 Speaker 1: all acapella. So in all of our church experiences, Daddy 325 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:21,800 Speaker 1: was singing bass, Mama was singing soprano, and then my 326 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:24,560 Speaker 1: sisters would maybe learn how to sing an alto part, 327 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:28,159 Speaker 1: and my brother would sing tenor. And I tried to 328 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:32,680 Speaker 1: sing bass along with Daddy. So we were singing uh 329 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:34,919 Speaker 1: in church every church service, and then at home we 330 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:37,119 Speaker 1: would sing some of the church songs. And then at 331 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 1: school and Mama played a little ukulele and a few 332 00:19:41,359 --> 00:19:43,920 Speaker 1: chords that somebody had taught her. I learned those few 333 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:49,800 Speaker 1: chords so I could make them sort of uh fit 334 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:53,040 Speaker 1: any kind of song I wanted to sing, usually simple 335 00:19:53,119 --> 00:19:56,960 Speaker 1: songs or church songs. I could use those few chords 336 00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:01,560 Speaker 1: um to to accompany me my brother, And so we 337 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:04,520 Speaker 1: sang songs and our family gatherings like I want to 338 00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:09,560 Speaker 1: take he said, a middle journey. Well, I set my 339 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:12,800 Speaker 1: heart leddies said he could sing the harmony part, or 340 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:15,520 Speaker 1: I would too. I would either he could sing melody, 341 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:19,520 Speaker 1: I sing harmony, sentimental journey. And so we would sing 342 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:22,439 Speaker 1: those songs and our family gatherings. They loved it, you know, 343 00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:26,320 Speaker 1: pat Nick singing the songs and maybe Mama playing the 344 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:29,880 Speaker 1: ukulele or me doing it and then uh. And then 345 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:33,960 Speaker 1: at school, when anything came along for anybody to do 346 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:36,479 Speaker 1: some singing, I'd raise my hand because I knew I 347 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:39,560 Speaker 1: could and I liked it. And then if there was 348 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:43,360 Speaker 1: ever anything for a solo part in a school function, 349 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:45,679 Speaker 1: you know, well the teacher learned that I could carry 350 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:49,200 Speaker 1: the tune, carry the melody and do it. And even 351 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:51,960 Speaker 1: when I got into college, but in high school, I 352 00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:57,280 Speaker 1: became known as blue Moon Boone because whenever there was 353 00:20:57,440 --> 00:20:59,800 Speaker 1: some kind of anything going on in our Christian high 354 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:01,480 Speaker 1: sto cool and there was a lot of singing going 355 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:05,240 Speaker 1: on then, and you know, we put on little shows 356 00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 1: and have entertainments, and it's singing at parties and you know, 357 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:12,640 Speaker 1: packed and carry a tune, he can sing and uh. 358 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:15,440 Speaker 1: And so I became known as blue Moon Boone because 359 00:21:16,119 --> 00:21:19,840 Speaker 1: if at the drop of a hat, anybody, any if 360 00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:21,680 Speaker 1: you need a guy to sing a song, I would 361 00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:25,560 Speaker 1: sing blue Moon. You saw me standing alone, without a 362 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:29,280 Speaker 1: dream in my heart, without a love of my own. 363 00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:32,479 Speaker 1: And the girls liked it, and the guys put up 364 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:34,600 Speaker 1: with it. They thought it was fine it they didn't 365 00:21:34,600 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 1: have to do it, and so it was. It was 366 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: just a fun thing that I learned I could do now. 367 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:48,480 Speaker 1: When I was about twelve thirt um, mama or somebody 368 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:51,760 Speaker 1: took me to the bell Meat Happiness Club, which was 369 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:55,760 Speaker 1: in bell Meat, nice neighborhood, nice theater and and on 370 00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:59,080 Speaker 1: Saturday afternoons it was a place where mama's could bring 371 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:02,760 Speaker 1: all their kids for about three hours because there would 372 00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:06,760 Speaker 1: be cartoons. There would be if you can remember, cereals, 373 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:12,640 Speaker 1: I mean Westerns and Perils of Pauline and comed comedy, 374 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:18,359 Speaker 1: uh cereals and then uh and then a movie that 375 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:22,040 Speaker 1: was appropriate for kids, you know, and the manager of 376 00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:26,120 Speaker 1: that theater was Dr Jordan's. Ed Jordan's he was from 377 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:28,960 Speaker 1: vaudeville days, so he thought it'd be nice to have 378 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:34,320 Speaker 1: a little, uh, little vaudeville show before the movie started, 379 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:37,639 Speaker 1: to even make the thing a little longer. Now, you 380 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:40,960 Speaker 1: never tried to sing or perform for a more unruly 381 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 1: audience than a theater full of little kids, because they 382 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:49,000 Speaker 1: weren't really interested in what was going on in stage. 383 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:51,640 Speaker 1: But you know, sometimes it would be. But it would 384 00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:54,480 Speaker 1: be a pianist. God could play piano. Somebody could tap dance. 385 00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:58,280 Speaker 1: You can imagine the hooting and howling that the kids 386 00:22:58,359 --> 00:23:01,639 Speaker 1: gave who I was trying to tap dan play an 387 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:03,760 Speaker 1: instrument of some sort. Well, of course I could sing 388 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:10,800 Speaker 1: a tune, so again I ed Jordan's The Vaudevillian took 389 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:13,040 Speaker 1: an interest. Now, the way I got involved in that 390 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:16,720 Speaker 1: was because the reason I did was not because I 391 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:20,600 Speaker 1: could sing so much, is because whoever performed. There were 392 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:23,760 Speaker 1: three performers every Saturday, and I learned this the first 393 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:27,439 Speaker 1: time I was there. And whoever the kids would vote 394 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:30,640 Speaker 1: for the most favorite, number one, number two, number three, 395 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 1: number one would get a banana split at the drug 396 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:39,639 Speaker 1: store next door pharmacy and and the second one coming 397 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:43,720 Speaker 1: in second would get a Sunday and the third place 398 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:47,359 Speaker 1: would get a nice cone with a double dip. Well, 399 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:50,960 Speaker 1: that's what enticed me, so I got MoMA to take 400 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:54,560 Speaker 1: me to downtown to the Elizabeth Bryant Combs Dance studio 401 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: where this dance instructor auditioned the kids from the various 402 00:23:58,359 --> 00:24:02,120 Speaker 1: high schools. And right away, because I could saying Blue Moon, 403 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:05,399 Speaker 1: you saw me standing alone, she put me on the 404 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:09,479 Speaker 1: on the show and and I went on. I forget 405 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:11,960 Speaker 1: who I was with, what the other performers were. I 406 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:15,240 Speaker 1: know I was very nervous, but at I think thirteen, 407 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:19,920 Speaker 1: I went on and saying something and ed Jordan's had 408 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:22,520 Speaker 1: hurt me in a rehearsal, and he says, now, kids, 409 00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:24,560 Speaker 1: you may not knew what I'm talking about. I think 410 00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:29,480 Speaker 1: this is the next Bing Crosby. Let's welcome Pat Boone. Well, 411 00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:30,960 Speaker 1: the kids said, you know, they give me a little 412 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:35,080 Speaker 1: shouts and applause, and for some reason they seem to 413 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 1: like me singing. And I got to Banana Split while 414 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:43,359 Speaker 1: I was hooked, and I went back as many times 415 00:24:43,359 --> 00:24:47,399 Speaker 1: on Saturdays for the next couple of years as Elizabeth 416 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:51,240 Speaker 1: Briant Combs would let me come and uh and sing 417 00:24:51,280 --> 00:24:55,679 Speaker 1: other songs. And I would stand backstage and nervous and 418 00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:57,879 Speaker 1: warming up, and you know, and now I was learning 419 00:24:57,920 --> 00:24:59,600 Speaker 1: what it was to go in front of an audience 420 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:03,360 Speaker 1: of un truly kids. But but but I found that 421 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:07,359 Speaker 1: if I sang well enough, they could they seem to 422 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:11,320 Speaker 1: enjoy it. Now mama's bringing their kids would sometimes be 423 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:14,920 Speaker 1: there at the beginning, and they heard me sing, and 424 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:17,200 Speaker 1: they had invite me to sing it their ladies clubs. 425 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:20,120 Speaker 1: And then and then the men, some of the men 426 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:22,600 Speaker 1: found out I could sing, and they I'd sing for 427 00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:27,119 Speaker 1: the Junior Chamber of Commerce, or the Elks Club or 428 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:30,919 Speaker 1: the the men's men's meetings. And I had a pianist 429 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:34,040 Speaker 1: who named Ruth Maori, who's a piano teacher. And I 430 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:36,280 Speaker 1: took about two lessons and got her hooked, and then 431 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:39,479 Speaker 1: I I never took any more lessons, but she she 432 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:43,119 Speaker 1: could play anything in any key, so she would accompany 433 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:45,880 Speaker 1: me to these meetings, and I was I became known 434 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:47,880 Speaker 1: as that kid out on Lone Oak Road that knows 435 00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:50,679 Speaker 1: all the pop songs and has somebody to play for him. 436 00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:54,240 Speaker 1: And by the way, he doesn't charge anything, Just feed him, 437 00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:56,919 Speaker 1: feed him a lunch and maybe you'll show up. Well, 438 00:25:57,040 --> 00:26:00,119 Speaker 1: I did it purely for the fun of it. Me 439 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:02,320 Speaker 1: and I was happy if I got fed. But and 440 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:06,600 Speaker 1: Ruth same thing. We just enjoyed what we were doing. 441 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:11,080 Speaker 1: She enjoyed singing it performing piano for me, and I 442 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:13,560 Speaker 1: enjoyed the singing and the applause. And it was just 443 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:17,040 Speaker 1: it was a hobby, like you know. And then in 444 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:21,359 Speaker 1: high school, the principal of the high school knew that 445 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:24,920 Speaker 1: I liked to sing, and he he talked to the 446 00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:29,640 Speaker 1: radio station w s i X, big station in Nashville, said, 447 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:33,080 Speaker 1: this kid out in our school likes to sing and 448 00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:34,880 Speaker 1: the and uh, and he he could be a host 449 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:38,360 Speaker 1: of a teen talent show with teen talent from all 450 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:42,600 Speaker 1: over Nashville and all over the Middle Tennessee. They'd come 451 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:44,960 Speaker 1: in and and audition for somebody, I don't know who 452 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:48,280 Speaker 1: the audition for. I just showed up on Saturday morning 453 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:53,879 Speaker 1: and I hosted the the Youth on Parade show on 454 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:56,280 Speaker 1: the local radio station. It was a It was a 455 00:26:56,280 --> 00:26:58,720 Speaker 1: big station though, and it got a big audience because 456 00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:01,480 Speaker 1: who who high school kid's gonna listen to on the radio, 457 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:05,560 Speaker 1: but other high school kids and so and so, I 458 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:11,920 Speaker 1: was hosting again piano players, instrumental players. I don't think 459 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:15,639 Speaker 1: we had tap dancers on radio, but that's another incident 460 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:19,320 Speaker 1: I'll tell you about in my life. But as a DJ. 461 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:23,400 Speaker 1: But but that show was very popular. So I got 462 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:27,960 Speaker 1: used to hosting UH Youth on parade and and doing 463 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:32,160 Speaker 1: commercials what we had. And Frank Bobo could he took 464 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:34,440 Speaker 1: over for Ruth Maray. He could play anything in any 465 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:37,680 Speaker 1: key and UH and so we had a good half 466 00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:40,960 Speaker 1: hour show. And I'd come down on Saturday's host that 467 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:43,159 Speaker 1: and then go back and shoot some baskets and whatever 468 00:27:43,160 --> 00:27:46,639 Speaker 1: else I was doing. That just became part of my life. 469 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:48,600 Speaker 1: But I became known as that kid out on Lone 470 00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:52,960 Speaker 1: Oak Road that knows all the singing all the songs 471 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:56,320 Speaker 1: in high school. Well, that takes you up to to 472 00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:59,480 Speaker 1: my high school graduation when I when I became the 473 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:05,439 Speaker 1: student body and president, and about a year later year 474 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:07,880 Speaker 1: and a half, became engaged to my high school sweetheart, 475 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:11,800 Speaker 1: Shirley Foley. But but all during this time when I 476 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:15,679 Speaker 1: was in chapel services, because it was a Christian high school, 477 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:20,520 Speaker 1: leading singing in church congregation. Now, because as I say, 478 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:24,679 Speaker 1: we didn't have instrumental music. We needed song leaders. So 479 00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:27,000 Speaker 1: by the time I was in high school, I was 480 00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:31,480 Speaker 1: going out to country churches and saying no One Druss 481 00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:37,000 Speaker 1: love of Jesus, singing his mercy and his grace. I 482 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:39,840 Speaker 1: didn't know what this was, but I was beating some 483 00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:42,320 Speaker 1: kind of time. I didn't know if it was correct time, 484 00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:45,840 Speaker 1: but I was leading the congregation of three or four people, 485 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:50,720 Speaker 1: sometimes with the mic, sometimes without a cappella song leading. 486 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:55,240 Speaker 1: It was part of our worship services. So again, uh, 487 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:59,320 Speaker 1: I was getting experience that I had no idea was 488 00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:00,880 Speaker 1: going to come in Andy. I was going to be 489 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:04,560 Speaker 1: a teacher, preacher. I thought that was sort of what 490 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:07,280 Speaker 1: I was headed towards, thinking of a way I could 491 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:11,120 Speaker 1: use my life and what would be useful and helpful 492 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:14,719 Speaker 1: and maybe pleasing to God and the ones that were 493 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:19,080 Speaker 1: influencing me. Right then, we're Christian high school teachers, and 494 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:21,360 Speaker 1: I thought, and they were preachers too on Sundays in 495 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:24,760 Speaker 1: many churches. So I thought, well, that's the most worthwhile 496 00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:28,040 Speaker 1: thing I could do with my life. I mean, being 497 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:31,240 Speaker 1: a singer, a pop singer, was the farthest thing. I 498 00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:33,680 Speaker 1: mean I dreamed about it, how fun it would be 499 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:38,360 Speaker 1: when I was milking Rosemary you know, I was thinking, boy, 500 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:40,120 Speaker 1: if I was on the Art of God Free show 501 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:44,800 Speaker 1: like Julius Lorosa was at the time, you know, I 502 00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:47,480 Speaker 1: could I could do that show in the morning, I 503 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:50,480 Speaker 1: could go to college in the afternoon, and I could 504 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:54,320 Speaker 1: do things for worthy charities, as I knew some entertainers did, 505 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:57,360 Speaker 1: and boy, that would be great. I didn't voice it 506 00:29:57,400 --> 00:30:00,320 Speaker 1: in a prayer, but I was thinking it out loud 507 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:03,520 Speaker 1: kind of during that those days. The day came when 508 00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:06,560 Speaker 1: I replaced Julius the Rosa on the Arthur Godfrey Show, 509 00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:10,320 Speaker 1: and it didn't take much much. It wasn't much time 510 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:13,920 Speaker 1: after I was last milking the Rosemary the cow, which 511 00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:17,320 Speaker 1: is another story, a dizzying two or three years after 512 00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:28,120 Speaker 1: I married Shirley. Now most people see Nashville as a 513 00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:34,800 Speaker 1: country music town. Was it country music? And was it integrated? Integrated? 514 00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:38,480 Speaker 1: Let's see that was there also popular music? What was 515 00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:40,960 Speaker 1: the feel for the music? Into What degree were you 516 00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:44,440 Speaker 1: listening to the radio and what stations? A very good 517 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:48,320 Speaker 1: question because it was already known as Music City, USA. 518 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:51,600 Speaker 1: But that was largely country. The Grand Old Opry was 519 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:54,680 Speaker 1: there and that went out over all over the country 520 00:30:54,680 --> 00:30:57,760 Speaker 1: on Saturday nights. The Grand Old opry and institution in 521 00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:01,520 Speaker 1: country music and country music for farmers. Were they were it, 522 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:04,640 Speaker 1: I mean they were. They were ensconced and beautiful homes 523 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:07,960 Speaker 1: all over town, you know, web peers and uh and 524 00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:10,560 Speaker 1: all the ones you can think of had lovely homes 525 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:14,320 Speaker 1: in the loveliest neighborhoods. And they were doing you know, 526 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:18,600 Speaker 1: shows all over town. And they were on local TV 527 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:22,080 Speaker 1: though not national television, but it was mainly country, but 528 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:26,680 Speaker 1: a show. A guy named Snooky Lanson was a pop 529 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:31,600 Speaker 1: singer and orchestras around town in Nashville, and uh, he 530 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:34,000 Speaker 1: became one of the singers on the Lucky Strike Hit 531 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:37,200 Speaker 1: Parade on Saturday nights on h I forget which network 532 00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:44,560 Speaker 1: on national television, and he and Michelle mackenzie and a 533 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:48,760 Speaker 1: couple of others became regular singers on the Lucky Strike 534 00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:52,760 Speaker 1: Hit Parade and had to sing all the current tunes 535 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:55,640 Speaker 1: that were, you know, in the top ten and they 536 00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:59,680 Speaker 1: would yes or orchestra and dancers and they would produce 537 00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:03,880 Speaker 1: those songs on television and one a hometown boy, Snook 538 00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:07,200 Speaker 1: Snooky Lanson was one of the singers. Well, of course, 539 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:14,080 Speaker 1: that became a big, a big show in Nashville and gradually, Uh, 540 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:17,920 Speaker 1: there were artists who were crossing over from country into 541 00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:22,760 Speaker 1: pop to some extent, and songs like Tennessee Waltz Patti Page, 542 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:25,880 Speaker 1: but it had been a big hit by read somebody 543 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:28,200 Speaker 1: I've forgotten his name first but as a country hit. 544 00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:32,800 Speaker 1: And then Tony Bennett recorded Your Cheating Heart, and Hank 545 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:35,920 Speaker 1: Williams and then Hank Williams tunes were being picked up 546 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:40,640 Speaker 1: off country music and becoming pop hits in one form 547 00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:45,000 Speaker 1: or another. So now some of the pop artists were 548 00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:49,120 Speaker 1: coming to Nashville to record there. And of course we 549 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:51,760 Speaker 1: had the studios, and we had to muse the technicians, 550 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:56,000 Speaker 1: and we had everything. And so record companies began to 551 00:32:56,880 --> 00:33:02,600 Speaker 1: have their satellite offices. Decca, r c A, Victor Columbia 552 00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:07,480 Speaker 1: all had their setups in Nashville to record country, yes, 553 00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:11,240 Speaker 1: but also pop artists who began to come along, sometimes 554 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:14,520 Speaker 1: singing country songs. That's the way it all happened, the integration. 555 00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:18,040 Speaker 1: As you were saying, okay, I got to ask, because 556 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:20,480 Speaker 1: I always used to ask my mother what was it 557 00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:25,480 Speaker 1: like when television arrived? Now I know because the internet arrived, 558 00:33:25,760 --> 00:33:28,920 Speaker 1: But I have to ask you when did your family 559 00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:32,760 Speaker 1: get a television? Was television a big deal? Give me 560 00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:37,000 Speaker 1: your take on that. It was a tremendous deal. I mean, 561 00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:41,760 Speaker 1: we had a radio and that's what most everybody listen 562 00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:45,160 Speaker 1: to for entertainment and news whatever. Not for news so much, 563 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:49,720 Speaker 1: but some news. But but the radio was it. And 564 00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:52,800 Speaker 1: and I listened to Fibrum McGhee and Molly, I listened 565 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:57,400 Speaker 1: to Red Skelton. I remember to all these radio shows 566 00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:01,440 Speaker 1: and and they were even tal that shows Ted Max Amateur. 567 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:04,680 Speaker 1: Well it was first it was the Major Bows which 568 00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:08,160 Speaker 1: was big on radio. Frank Sinatra was on Major Bos 569 00:34:08,719 --> 00:34:12,759 Speaker 1: television radio show. It was it wasn't on TV, but 570 00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:15,000 Speaker 1: it was on radio with a big stut, big big 571 00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:19,080 Speaker 1: theater audience. Frank Sinatra and the Hoboken Four and you 572 00:34:19,120 --> 00:34:21,319 Speaker 1: know they sang. I've got a tape of their of 573 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:26,520 Speaker 1: their first introduction on the Major Bos show. And he 574 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:30,600 Speaker 1: became famous before Ted Mac took over his shows, and 575 00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:34,239 Speaker 1: Major Bos had the Frank Sinatra who was sort of 576 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:38,680 Speaker 1: their spokesman, and the Hoboken Four. They danced, they danced, 577 00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:42,960 Speaker 1: tap danced and sang on radio. Frank Sinatra and the 578 00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:46,600 Speaker 1: Hoboken forth shine and you know it's about shining shoes 579 00:34:46,680 --> 00:34:49,319 Speaker 1: it was sort of could have been considered a racist song, 580 00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:51,439 Speaker 1: but it was. It was a big, big pop song. 581 00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:55,319 Speaker 1: They sang shine and dadad um Shine and Da Da Da. 582 00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:58,080 Speaker 1: I can't remember all the words. But then rump rump 583 00:34:58,080 --> 00:35:01,919 Speaker 1: bump bump tap dancing, and he won and he went 584 00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:06,919 Speaker 1: over so well that the major bows was doing live 585 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:10,520 Speaker 1: shows across the country, like in the summertime, and he 586 00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:14,200 Speaker 1: he included Frank Sinatra in the Hoboken Forth. So all 587 00:35:14,239 --> 00:35:17,040 Speaker 1: these things were big on radio, and I could I 588 00:35:17,080 --> 00:35:20,439 Speaker 1: could see Fibruy McGee's closet open and everything fall out 589 00:35:20,440 --> 00:35:23,160 Speaker 1: of it, and Jack Benny when he went to the 590 00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:27,560 Speaker 1: safe to get some money, you know, and the footsteps 591 00:35:27,640 --> 00:35:31,759 Speaker 1: and it was all and gun smoke on radio. You 592 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:35,399 Speaker 1: you know, it was all incredible on radio. But now 593 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:38,400 Speaker 1: people that we knew got TV sets, and they were 594 00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:43,160 Speaker 1: a little circular screens, little oval or circular screens, and 595 00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:45,360 Speaker 1: if you were lucky, you could go to somebody else's 596 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:49,040 Speaker 1: house and see TV. And that's when I first saw 597 00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:52,000 Speaker 1: Ed Sullivan show. Literally every dream I would be on 598 00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:56,200 Speaker 1: his show twelve times in the coming years. But but 599 00:35:56,280 --> 00:35:59,239 Speaker 1: then I was watching from a sofa and my girlfriend's 600 00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:01,480 Speaker 1: house she was not really a girlfriend, but she was 601 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:05,719 Speaker 1: a friend who was a girl. And uh, we did 602 00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:09,000 Speaker 1: play spend the bottle a couple of times, some of 603 00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:11,200 Speaker 1: our friends at her house. But then we would stop 604 00:36:11,280 --> 00:36:15,480 Speaker 1: that and watch the little circular TV. So it was 605 00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:18,560 Speaker 1: it took a little time to do well. We didn't 606 00:36:18,600 --> 00:36:23,959 Speaker 1: have a TV set. I don't remember having a TV 607 00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:29,480 Speaker 1: set to regret, till I graduated from high school. I 608 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:32,279 Speaker 1: just don't remember having a set in our home. We 609 00:36:32,280 --> 00:36:36,160 Speaker 1: we watched I watched it other people's houses because it 610 00:36:36,239 --> 00:36:39,080 Speaker 1: was a big deal. Just a big deal. So how 611 00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:44,719 Speaker 1: did you end up on the Arthur Godfrey Show. It's 612 00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:49,680 Speaker 1: a it's a it's a circuitous route. But but I 613 00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:53,920 Speaker 1: I have won a contest in Nashville, just a local 614 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:57,560 Speaker 1: high school contest. And I had entered a number of 615 00:36:57,560 --> 00:37:01,120 Speaker 1: those and I didn't necessarily I didn't win. I didn't 616 00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:04,120 Speaker 1: win one of them. I'd come in second usually because 617 00:37:04,160 --> 00:37:08,000 Speaker 1: and I understood, because the judges were usually adults. The 618 00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:11,160 Speaker 1: kids could applaud and cheer if they wanted, but they 619 00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:15,399 Speaker 1: were polite and that the judges would would decide who 620 00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:19,640 Speaker 1: were the winners of the talent contest. And obviously a pianist, 621 00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:22,960 Speaker 1: or a tap dancer, or a trumpet player, an accordionist, 622 00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:26,160 Speaker 1: or somebody who obviously had to take lessons to learn something, 623 00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:30,200 Speaker 1: and they did well deserve to win more than a 624 00:37:30,239 --> 00:37:32,239 Speaker 1: guy who could just walk out and sing a pop song. 625 00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:35,759 Speaker 1: I mean, anybody could do that, but the Ted Mac. 626 00:37:36,160 --> 00:37:40,120 Speaker 1: There was a contest at at East Nashville High and 627 00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:43,960 Speaker 1: I went over just to do it for fun of it. Again, 628 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:45,839 Speaker 1: I did all of my singing just for the fun 629 00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:49,440 Speaker 1: of it. So and I enjoyed the applause of the audience, 630 00:37:49,480 --> 00:37:52,399 Speaker 1: but I didn't expect it to lead to anything. So 631 00:37:52,440 --> 00:37:54,600 Speaker 1: I went over expecting, maybe if I was lucky, to 632 00:37:54,680 --> 00:37:57,799 Speaker 1: come in second. But the first prize was a trip 633 00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:01,040 Speaker 1: to New York and an audition with the Ted Mac 634 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:04,239 Speaker 1: Amateur Hour. Well I knew this was special. I did. 635 00:38:04,320 --> 00:38:07,840 Speaker 1: I couldn't make up my mind whether the singer a 636 00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:11,280 Speaker 1: ballad because I could do those well, or an up tune. 637 00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:14,759 Speaker 1: And you know, something got people clapping. So I put 638 00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:18,359 Speaker 1: together a weird little medley of Oh you ain't God, 639 00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:22,320 Speaker 1: Oh we ain't got a better love money? Maybe ragged 640 00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:26,720 Speaker 1: and funny, but we're traveling along singing a song side 641 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:29,520 Speaker 1: by side that was the up tune, but I would 642 00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:32,600 Speaker 1: I did a chorus of that, then segued into I 643 00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:37,760 Speaker 1: Believe for every drop of rain that falls a flower groves. 644 00:38:38,160 --> 00:38:42,200 Speaker 1: It was a big pop song, religious from Side by Side, 645 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:47,759 Speaker 1: jumpy too, I Believe, a weird medley, but I enjoyed it. 646 00:38:47,840 --> 00:38:51,680 Speaker 1: The audience really liked it, and there was The judges 647 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:55,680 Speaker 1: included a disc jockey named Hugh Cherry, who must have 648 00:38:55,719 --> 00:38:58,120 Speaker 1: been influential in this because he had taken a liking 649 00:38:58,160 --> 00:39:02,120 Speaker 1: to me singing on radio just in youth, on parade, 650 00:39:02,160 --> 00:39:04,959 Speaker 1: those shows around town, and he thought I had could 651 00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:07,440 Speaker 1: have a future as a singer, but he couldn't make 652 00:39:07,480 --> 00:39:10,080 Speaker 1: it happen. However, he was one of the judges. Now 653 00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:13,560 Speaker 1: I sang my song, I thought a young girl named 654 00:39:13,920 --> 00:39:18,120 Speaker 1: Shirley mcgoy was gonna win that night because she sang operatically, 655 00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:21,839 Speaker 1: she trained, She sang, you know, one of those great 656 00:39:21,880 --> 00:39:25,360 Speaker 1: opera songs, and I thought she's gonna win. And I 657 00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:27,120 Speaker 1: don't care if I come in second or third, it 658 00:39:27,120 --> 00:39:30,440 Speaker 1: doesn't matter, I told Mom and Daddy. They parked the 659 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:33,200 Speaker 1: car in the in the parking lot outside the high school. 660 00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:37,400 Speaker 1: Look after I've sung, I'll go out to the car 661 00:39:37,760 --> 00:39:39,840 Speaker 1: so we can get away and not get caught up 662 00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:42,799 Speaker 1: in all the traffic. So that's what I did. I 663 00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:46,799 Speaker 1: sang my Medley and then Surety mcgoy standing in the wing, 664 00:39:46,880 --> 00:39:49,600 Speaker 1: she had already sung I can't. I went out to 665 00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:52,200 Speaker 1: the car and I hear somebody yelling from the back 666 00:39:52,239 --> 00:39:54,759 Speaker 1: door of the gym, Pat boone, where are you? Where 667 00:39:54,760 --> 00:39:57,360 Speaker 1: are you? I'm over here. I was by the cars. 668 00:39:57,440 --> 00:39:59,960 Speaker 1: I was ready to go home. Get in here, you've 669 00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:04,719 Speaker 1: one you want what? I came running into into the 670 00:40:04,760 --> 00:40:09,319 Speaker 1: backstage and here Shirley mcgoy crying on the side. You know, 671 00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:11,320 Speaker 1: she thought she was gonna win, and I did too, 672 00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:14,480 Speaker 1: and the crowd has gotten tired of wait wonder where 673 00:40:14,520 --> 00:40:17,239 Speaker 1: in the world Pat boone as he's our winner. And 674 00:40:17,280 --> 00:40:18,919 Speaker 1: so I went to the mic and I said, thank 675 00:40:18,960 --> 00:40:21,200 Speaker 1: you so much. I you know, I really appreciate this. 676 00:40:21,280 --> 00:40:24,920 Speaker 1: But I said, you know, this first prize is a 677 00:40:24,920 --> 00:40:27,879 Speaker 1: trip to New York and audition with with Ted Mack. 678 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:30,080 Speaker 1: And I think Shirley mcgoy should do it, because I 679 00:40:30,080 --> 00:40:32,719 Speaker 1: think she's got a better chance of getting on the 680 00:40:32,719 --> 00:40:35,080 Speaker 1: Ted Max Show than than I would. So and they 681 00:40:35,080 --> 00:40:38,439 Speaker 1: would saying no, no, no, you're our winner, you've got 682 00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:42,040 Speaker 1: to go. So I had to go. I mean, I 683 00:40:42,080 --> 00:40:45,440 Speaker 1: felt terrible about it for her sake, But but I 684 00:40:45,520 --> 00:40:48,960 Speaker 1: was in flown to New York and a d C three. Okay, 685 00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:52,280 Speaker 1: had you been anywhere before? Did anybody you know about 686 00:40:52,280 --> 00:40:54,960 Speaker 1: a plane or anything? No, I've never been on a plane. 687 00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:58,680 Speaker 1: I was driven to Florida and the summers, my dad 688 00:40:58,680 --> 00:41:01,440 Speaker 1: would drive our two to our car. After we finally 689 00:41:01,440 --> 00:41:03,840 Speaker 1: got a two door Chevy, which I thought was the 690 00:41:03,840 --> 00:41:07,040 Speaker 1: most magnificent card. It had two doors, it had a heater, 691 00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:09,360 Speaker 1: didn't have a radio, but it had a heater and 692 00:41:09,400 --> 00:41:11,759 Speaker 1: two doors and a back seat so my brother and 693 00:41:11,840 --> 00:41:13,560 Speaker 1: I could sit and then one of the girls could sit. Now, 694 00:41:13,600 --> 00:41:16,520 Speaker 1: I mean, we would drive the six miles whatever it 695 00:41:16,560 --> 00:41:21,200 Speaker 1: is from Nashville to Jacksonville every summer. And but no, 696 00:41:21,280 --> 00:41:23,759 Speaker 1: I've never been on a plane. So I went on 697 00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:25,840 Speaker 1: this d C three and flew to New York to 698 00:41:25,880 --> 00:41:28,840 Speaker 1: put me in a seedy little hotel off Times Square, 699 00:41:29,719 --> 00:41:32,120 Speaker 1: and uh and I went on the show. They had 700 00:41:32,120 --> 00:41:35,359 Speaker 1: a I didn't have music. I didn't have my own 701 00:41:35,560 --> 00:41:39,680 Speaker 1: sheet music or anything, but they had a little a pianist. Really, 702 00:41:39,680 --> 00:41:42,439 Speaker 1: I think it was just piano to play for me, 703 00:41:42,760 --> 00:41:47,400 Speaker 1: but he knew I believe. So I sang I believe 704 00:41:47,600 --> 00:41:50,919 Speaker 1: for every drop of rain that falls, and I could 705 00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:54,520 Speaker 1: really sing it with heart and enthusiasm, and I won. 706 00:41:55,280 --> 00:41:57,759 Speaker 1: I won. The Ted mcameitur Just to be clear, this 707 00:41:57,840 --> 00:42:01,279 Speaker 1: is now television, not radio. It's television and radio, I think. 708 00:42:01,360 --> 00:42:05,920 Speaker 1: But it was television for sure, and I won, and 709 00:42:05,960 --> 00:42:09,120 Speaker 1: I was stunned, you know, And so they flew me 710 00:42:09,160 --> 00:42:12,520 Speaker 1: back home. Of course, the newspapers took pictures and local 711 00:42:12,560 --> 00:42:16,920 Speaker 1: boy wins, but I it was summertime, and again I 712 00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:20,399 Speaker 1: was not when minded. I didn't think I was gonna win. 713 00:42:20,880 --> 00:42:23,120 Speaker 1: I mean, there was some other talented people on that 714 00:42:23,200 --> 00:42:26,680 Speaker 1: amateur hour show and the guy singing a pop song. 715 00:42:26,760 --> 00:42:30,640 Speaker 1: I mean, anybody can do that. So I was leading 716 00:42:30,719 --> 00:42:34,320 Speaker 1: singing in a gospel meeting that summer. Uh. And that 717 00:42:34,480 --> 00:42:38,400 Speaker 1: was out in the country Beardstown, Tennessee. They there was 718 00:42:38,440 --> 00:42:42,279 Speaker 1: some of the farmhouses didn't even have phones, and so 719 00:42:43,360 --> 00:42:48,640 Speaker 1: I was out in this farmer's house on Thursday because 720 00:42:48,640 --> 00:42:51,360 Speaker 1: the vote, it was the votes were cards and letters 721 00:42:51,360 --> 00:42:55,480 Speaker 1: that would stream in to the TV network. And by 722 00:42:55,560 --> 00:42:58,080 Speaker 1: Thursday they they're counting all the cards and letters and 723 00:42:58,120 --> 00:43:01,439 Speaker 1: they determined who was the winner. Now they were trying 724 00:43:01,480 --> 00:43:03,440 Speaker 1: to reach me, but I was out in the country 725 00:43:03,440 --> 00:43:06,759 Speaker 1: and had no phones because I made no provision to 726 00:43:06,800 --> 00:43:10,680 Speaker 1: be reached. And the truck drove up in the in 727 00:43:10,760 --> 00:43:16,040 Speaker 1: the yard of this farmat's and I could hear boots 728 00:43:16,040 --> 00:43:18,719 Speaker 1: stomping on the porch and knocking on the screen door. 729 00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:21,319 Speaker 1: And I'm in. They're having lunch with the preacher and 730 00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:24,320 Speaker 1: the family that had ad us over for lunch. There's 731 00:43:24,360 --> 00:43:26,520 Speaker 1: a guy named Boone in there. Yeah, he's eating us 732 00:43:26,520 --> 00:43:30,759 Speaker 1: out of house and home here. Why uh, there's a 733 00:43:30,800 --> 00:43:33,920 Speaker 1: switchboard in the in Beardstown. We got to get him over. 734 00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:37,319 Speaker 1: Somebody from New York is trying to reach him. This 735 00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:40,120 Speaker 1: was the first time it The thought entered my mind. 736 00:43:41,000 --> 00:43:43,120 Speaker 1: Wait a minute, they might call me want me to 737 00:43:43,160 --> 00:43:46,680 Speaker 1: come back, which was true. Oscar Schoon marker from the 738 00:43:47,960 --> 00:43:50,040 Speaker 1: from the Ted Max Shows. Where are you? When I 739 00:43:50,080 --> 00:43:53,279 Speaker 1: got to the switchboard in this lady's house, Where are 740 00:43:53,320 --> 00:43:56,440 Speaker 1: you where? I said, I'm in Beardstown. When we got 741 00:43:56,520 --> 00:43:58,400 Speaker 1: to get you to New York Sun, You're our winner. 742 00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:01,000 Speaker 1: We gotta be have you here Saturday night. Right, got 743 00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:04,000 Speaker 1: to get you on a plane tomorrow Friday. So I 744 00:44:04,040 --> 00:44:06,920 Speaker 1: had to call my friend who came up to Beardstown 745 00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:09,399 Speaker 1: and drove me back to Nashville. There was a photographer 746 00:44:09,840 --> 00:44:12,560 Speaker 1: from the Nashville, Tennessee and taken a picture of me 747 00:44:12,680 --> 00:44:15,880 Speaker 1: packing going back to New York. Homeboy again, going to 748 00:44:16,000 --> 00:44:19,799 Speaker 1: be on the Ted mcamateur ar again. And so I 749 00:44:19,840 --> 00:44:23,800 Speaker 1: flew back. I sang a Perry Como song, No arms 750 00:44:23,840 --> 00:44:27,320 Speaker 1: will ever hold you like these arms of mine Perry 751 00:44:27,360 --> 00:44:31,759 Speaker 1: Como song, and uh, and I you know I was. 752 00:44:31,840 --> 00:44:34,759 Speaker 1: I was nervous, but I had had experienced singing on 753 00:44:34,880 --> 00:44:38,960 Speaker 1: radio and on local TV and the talent shows. I mean, gosh, 754 00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:42,319 Speaker 1: I wasn't a total newcomer. When the red light came on, 755 00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:45,920 Speaker 1: I knew what to do. So I sang and and 756 00:44:45,920 --> 00:44:50,080 Speaker 1: and Ted Max Show with just piano accompaniment. But uh, 757 00:44:50,239 --> 00:44:52,520 Speaker 1: I went home this time. I made sure I was reaching, 758 00:44:53,719 --> 00:44:55,759 Speaker 1: and I was. I went back the third time and 759 00:44:55,840 --> 00:44:59,600 Speaker 1: won three times in a row. Sang an Eddie Fisher song, 760 00:44:59,640 --> 00:45:03,439 Speaker 1: I'm behind you on your wedding day, on our wedding day, 761 00:45:03,800 --> 00:45:06,680 Speaker 1: only he's not walking down the aisle, he's in the 762 00:45:06,800 --> 00:45:12,800 Speaker 1: in the audience. And and so I won three times 763 00:45:12,880 --> 00:45:17,120 Speaker 1: and thinking that's got to lead to something, But it didn't. 764 00:45:18,239 --> 00:45:21,320 Speaker 1: I didn't it didn't lead to anything. I I flew 765 00:45:21,360 --> 00:45:24,719 Speaker 1: home from New York and uh, and it was in 766 00:45:24,760 --> 00:45:28,560 Speaker 1: the papers locally. And the one thing it did lead 767 00:45:28,600 --> 00:45:32,360 Speaker 1: to was an invitation from a guy named Bill Beasley 768 00:45:32,360 --> 00:45:36,480 Speaker 1: who had a little recording company, and he had me 769 00:45:36,520 --> 00:45:38,680 Speaker 1: come in and make a record on the rainy night 770 00:45:38,719 --> 00:45:42,239 Speaker 1: in the Owen Bradley studio. Two songs. One of them 771 00:45:42,239 --> 00:45:46,160 Speaker 1: I had written myself, a country song, the other would 772 00:45:46,160 --> 00:45:48,360 Speaker 1: be pop song. And neither one of them became hits, 773 00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:51,279 Speaker 1: but they got paid, played locally. But it didn't lead 774 00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:55,480 Speaker 1: to anything except in in the near future, which I 775 00:45:55,520 --> 00:45:58,000 Speaker 1: didn't know yet, there was a guy named Randy Wood 776 00:45:58,040 --> 00:46:02,600 Speaker 1: at Dot Records, who had a big dependent label based 777 00:46:02,640 --> 00:46:06,359 Speaker 1: in Gallatin, Tennessee, outside Nashville, and he was taking all 778 00:46:06,440 --> 00:46:09,920 Speaker 1: this in. Well. A few months went by, surely, and 779 00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:14,040 Speaker 1: I married, moved to Texas, and we're expecting our first 780 00:46:14,160 --> 00:46:17,759 Speaker 1: baby already when I got a call from Okay, just 781 00:46:17,840 --> 00:46:20,040 Speaker 1: to be clear, you moved to Texas to go to college. 782 00:46:20,320 --> 00:46:24,160 Speaker 1: To go to college, Yeah, by Texas, well, Denton, Texas, 783 00:46:24,320 --> 00:46:27,720 Speaker 1: North Texas State had a big music school, and because 784 00:46:27,760 --> 00:46:30,799 Speaker 1: I was doing a lot of musical things, I thought 785 00:46:30,840 --> 00:46:32,960 Speaker 1: I would learn to play an instrument. You know, I 786 00:46:32,960 --> 00:46:35,400 Speaker 1: could play a few chords in the ukulele. Maybe I 787 00:46:35,400 --> 00:46:38,400 Speaker 1: should maybe take piano or take some music courses. And 788 00:46:38,480 --> 00:46:40,480 Speaker 1: even if I'm just going to be a preacher teacher 789 00:46:41,560 --> 00:46:44,480 Speaker 1: like I thought I was, I gotta do something. I'm 790 00:46:44,480 --> 00:46:47,120 Speaker 1: married now and I've got to know I'm I'm gonna 791 00:46:47,239 --> 00:46:50,120 Speaker 1: be able to make a living being a singer, ain't it. 792 00:46:50,560 --> 00:46:55,799 Speaker 1: And so by my experience up go then so uh 793 00:46:56,440 --> 00:46:59,400 Speaker 1: new music school. We had dear friends we could stay 794 00:46:59,440 --> 00:47:01,959 Speaker 1: with in the big inning that would sort of help 795 00:47:02,040 --> 00:47:06,840 Speaker 1: us get settled into Denton, Texas great music school. And uh, 796 00:47:07,040 --> 00:47:09,719 Speaker 1: and when I get the call from New York, Hey, 797 00:47:09,760 --> 00:47:13,040 Speaker 1: you're we're having a shootout, not a shootout, but a 798 00:47:13,080 --> 00:47:17,520 Speaker 1: showdown with all the three time winners, which they would 799 00:47:17,560 --> 00:47:20,760 Speaker 1: have periodically whenever they would have enough three time winners, 800 00:47:20,880 --> 00:47:25,200 Speaker 1: which was very rare. Not many people would win twice 801 00:47:25,320 --> 00:47:28,800 Speaker 1: or three times. I mean, there were such odd kinds 802 00:47:28,840 --> 00:47:33,600 Speaker 1: of talent. There was I think Connie Francis No and 803 00:47:33,800 --> 00:47:36,600 Speaker 1: Margaret was on the show as a young girl from 804 00:47:36,600 --> 00:47:40,000 Speaker 1: Illinois and she got beat out. She sang beautifully. I've 805 00:47:40,040 --> 00:47:43,759 Speaker 1: got the videotape of her performance, but she got beat 806 00:47:43,840 --> 00:47:45,960 Speaker 1: that night by a guy who could play a classical 807 00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:53,839 Speaker 1: melody in a leaf in the hands, and people were 808 00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:56,160 Speaker 1: you know, the audience was so intrigued with this guy 809 00:47:56,719 --> 00:48:00,200 Speaker 1: they could play opportunes on a leaf that they they 810 00:48:00,200 --> 00:48:03,600 Speaker 1: didn't vote for Ann Margaret. I mean, you never knew 811 00:48:03,600 --> 00:48:07,279 Speaker 1: who was gonna win. But anyway, they called me and said, 812 00:48:07,280 --> 00:48:08,839 Speaker 1: you got to come back. You're one of about three 813 00:48:08,880 --> 00:48:11,440 Speaker 1: time winners. So I had to leave Shirley and the 814 00:48:11,480 --> 00:48:17,759 Speaker 1: baby were expecting and go to New York and and 815 00:48:17,760 --> 00:48:20,600 Speaker 1: and be away from school for a few days. And 816 00:48:20,680 --> 00:48:24,520 Speaker 1: I was on that show with the three time winners, 817 00:48:25,239 --> 00:48:28,359 Speaker 1: and uh, I don't remember what I sang that night. 818 00:48:28,440 --> 00:48:31,680 Speaker 1: I wish I did, but it was it went well, 819 00:48:31,800 --> 00:48:33,640 Speaker 1: I would say it did. It did go very well, 820 00:48:34,200 --> 00:48:36,399 Speaker 1: and and that they told me later, the people from 821 00:48:36,400 --> 00:48:40,480 Speaker 1: the show, that I was winning. However, something else happened 822 00:48:41,080 --> 00:48:45,920 Speaker 1: that I wasn't expecting. Arthur Godfrey, that's how you the question. 823 00:48:46,680 --> 00:48:50,680 Speaker 1: He had this big daytime show on every morning on 824 00:48:50,680 --> 00:48:53,640 Speaker 1: on CBS, and it was he was it on on 825 00:48:53,719 --> 00:48:56,520 Speaker 1: TV because he also had a Monday night talent show. 826 00:48:57,080 --> 00:49:01,879 Speaker 1: Monday nights, Arthur Godfrey's talents got shows. And then uh, 827 00:49:01,960 --> 00:49:05,280 Speaker 1: sometimes you'd be doing specials, big specials with his people 828 00:49:05,320 --> 00:49:09,320 Speaker 1: from his morning show. Uh, doing things on a specials 829 00:49:09,360 --> 00:49:12,879 Speaker 1: on Wednesday nights. I mean he was Mr TV. So 830 00:49:13,360 --> 00:49:16,759 Speaker 1: I'm there. After I sang my song that with the 831 00:49:16,840 --> 00:49:20,279 Speaker 1: three time winners, I couldn't. I didn't have money to 832 00:49:20,400 --> 00:49:22,920 Speaker 1: fly back home till Thursday to find out if I 833 00:49:22,960 --> 00:49:25,480 Speaker 1: was going to be the winner. So I went over 834 00:49:25,480 --> 00:49:28,440 Speaker 1: to CBS on my own and just went into the 835 00:49:28,560 --> 00:49:31,480 Speaker 1: to the studios on on whatever the street was. I 836 00:49:31,560 --> 00:49:35,080 Speaker 1: learned what which avenue it was CBS, and I just 837 00:49:35,200 --> 00:49:37,600 Speaker 1: asked if I could meet with the producer of the 838 00:49:37,640 --> 00:49:40,960 Speaker 1: Godfrey Show. I would like to audition, thinking maybe I 839 00:49:40,960 --> 00:49:43,200 Speaker 1: could get on the god Free Show since I'd won 840 00:49:43,239 --> 00:49:47,360 Speaker 1: the Ted Max Show before and he was gone, he 841 00:49:47,360 --> 00:49:50,680 Speaker 1: had already done his daytime show. But his producer, a lady, 842 00:49:50,800 --> 00:49:52,600 Speaker 1: was there, and she said come on in the studio. 843 00:49:53,480 --> 00:49:55,480 Speaker 1: And it was just a studio with an engineer and 844 00:49:55,520 --> 00:49:58,720 Speaker 1: no miss new music. So she said, well singing something, 845 00:49:59,320 --> 00:50:02,479 Speaker 1: So I sang I believe for every drop of rain 846 00:50:02,600 --> 00:50:05,640 Speaker 1: that falls of fly. I could have sung blue Moon, 847 00:50:06,080 --> 00:50:08,960 Speaker 1: but no, I sang I Believe, which comes to a 848 00:50:08,960 --> 00:50:11,919 Speaker 1: big finish. She said, very nice can you come back 849 00:50:11,960 --> 00:50:16,040 Speaker 1: in three weeks. I said, no, ma'am, I'm expecting our 850 00:50:16,080 --> 00:50:19,759 Speaker 1: first child. I didn't mention anything about the Ted Max show. 851 00:50:20,440 --> 00:50:23,120 Speaker 1: I should have maybe, but I said no, I'm expecting 852 00:50:23,120 --> 00:50:25,359 Speaker 1: our first child. So I've I've got to go home. 853 00:50:25,440 --> 00:50:29,000 Speaker 1: She said, oh, well, then that we'll put you on tonight. 854 00:50:30,680 --> 00:50:33,520 Speaker 1: So she put me on that night, and I had 855 00:50:33,520 --> 00:50:36,160 Speaker 1: to have a talent scout to represent me introduce me. 856 00:50:36,200 --> 00:50:38,680 Speaker 1: And I called our high school principal who had a 857 00:50:38,719 --> 00:50:41,319 Speaker 1: sister in a who lived on Long Island, and she 858 00:50:41,480 --> 00:50:43,359 Speaker 1: was on the show and introduced me like we were 859 00:50:43,400 --> 00:50:47,600 Speaker 1: old friends, and and said I sang around Nashville and 860 00:50:47,600 --> 00:50:51,799 Speaker 1: and then I sang I believe for every drop of 861 00:50:51,960 --> 00:50:55,480 Speaker 1: rain that falls. I mean, it was my favorite song, 862 00:50:55,560 --> 00:50:58,440 Speaker 1: which is I think not an accident. It was a 863 00:50:58,480 --> 00:51:01,800 Speaker 1: song of faith and I could sing it very well 864 00:51:01,840 --> 00:51:04,880 Speaker 1: into a big finish and I won that night the 865 00:51:05,040 --> 00:51:07,319 Speaker 1: Arthur Godfrey Show. There were three time, there were three 866 00:51:07,320 --> 00:51:12,359 Speaker 1: other two other part contestants, but I won, and so 867 00:51:12,440 --> 00:51:14,799 Speaker 1: I all I got for it was appearing on his 868 00:51:14,880 --> 00:51:18,719 Speaker 1: morning show the next four mornings Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. 869 00:51:18,880 --> 00:51:21,600 Speaker 1: And then see you later, Pat, if you're ever back 870 00:51:21,640 --> 00:51:24,839 Speaker 1: in New York. Give us a call, and I flew 871 00:51:24,880 --> 00:51:28,720 Speaker 1: back to Denton, but stopped in Nashville. Nothing happened, nobody, 872 00:51:28,760 --> 00:51:33,399 Speaker 1: no cause, no invitations to do anything. And and I 873 00:51:33,520 --> 00:51:35,959 Speaker 1: and I, but I was canceled off the Ted Max 874 00:51:35,960 --> 00:51:40,960 Speaker 1: show because you can't win a professional show on Monday 875 00:51:41,120 --> 00:51:45,759 Speaker 1: and an amateur show Friday the following Saturday. So they 876 00:51:45,840 --> 00:51:48,360 Speaker 1: just scratched me off the show as if I had 877 00:51:48,400 --> 00:51:51,440 Speaker 1: never been on. And uh, and I blew it. I 878 00:51:51,480 --> 00:51:54,120 Speaker 1: blew that was a college scholarship which I would have won. 879 00:51:55,200 --> 00:51:58,680 Speaker 1: It would have helped me get through my schooling with 880 00:51:58,800 --> 00:52:01,839 Speaker 1: a baby on the way. But I blew it by 881 00:52:01,920 --> 00:52:06,120 Speaker 1: being over eager. I went on audition for Arthur Godfril 882 00:52:06,160 --> 00:52:09,239 Speaker 1: who knew I would get on that night? But I 883 00:52:09,280 --> 00:52:13,960 Speaker 1: did and one but that blew the Ted mcamateur our 884 00:52:14,040 --> 00:52:18,040 Speaker 1: winning in the scholarship. So I'm feeling really downcast and Nashville, 885 00:52:18,040 --> 00:52:22,000 Speaker 1: seeing my folks on the way back to Dentn' and 886 00:52:23,160 --> 00:52:25,840 Speaker 1: a phone rings guy named Randy Wood, who owns the 887 00:52:25,880 --> 00:52:31,440 Speaker 1: record company in Gallatin outside Nashville, said, have been listening. 888 00:52:31,440 --> 00:52:33,480 Speaker 1: You're a homeboy. You can sing, said, would you like 889 00:52:33,520 --> 00:52:36,600 Speaker 1: to make a record? I said, well, yes, sir, I would. 890 00:52:37,480 --> 00:52:39,760 Speaker 1: I made a couple, but you know, not much happened 891 00:52:39,760 --> 00:52:42,400 Speaker 1: with it. He said, well, wait, did he know you 892 00:52:42,520 --> 00:52:45,279 Speaker 1: from Nashville or he senior on Arthur Godfrey. Oh no, 893 00:52:45,400 --> 00:52:48,360 Speaker 1: from Nashville. He he knew he was in the record business. 894 00:52:48,760 --> 00:52:50,960 Speaker 1: He I'm sure he had heard my records on on 895 00:52:51,080 --> 00:52:55,520 Speaker 1: Republic Records, but they had not been hits. All he 896 00:52:55,560 --> 00:52:59,120 Speaker 1: knew was I could sing, but there's lots of singers around. 897 00:52:59,760 --> 00:53:01,360 Speaker 1: But when he heard me on the Arthur god For 898 00:53:01,480 --> 00:53:03,680 Speaker 1: Show and the Ted Mcamateur Hour and saw that I 899 00:53:03,719 --> 00:53:07,040 Speaker 1: was winning, he said, look, you're going back and have 900 00:53:07,160 --> 00:53:09,440 Speaker 1: your baby, and I'll look for a song I think 901 00:53:09,520 --> 00:53:12,600 Speaker 1: and be a hit and i'll call you. Yes, sir, Okay. 902 00:53:12,640 --> 00:53:15,280 Speaker 1: I went back. We had our baby, Cherry, our first child, 903 00:53:16,360 --> 00:53:18,640 Speaker 1: and it was eight months before he called. I mean 904 00:53:18,880 --> 00:53:22,200 Speaker 1: eight months. I thought he'd forgotten all about me. And 905 00:53:22,239 --> 00:53:25,960 Speaker 1: I was leading singing and acapella and leading singing in 906 00:53:26,000 --> 00:53:30,360 Speaker 1: a little country church out and and also preaching in 907 00:53:30,400 --> 00:53:32,120 Speaker 1: the little country church because I was going to be 908 00:53:32,160 --> 00:53:36,239 Speaker 1: a preacher in Sliddale, Texas. But when the phone call 909 00:53:36,400 --> 00:53:39,680 Speaker 1: came from Randy Wood, it would saying I've got a 910 00:53:39,719 --> 00:53:42,960 Speaker 1: song I think you could make a hit with, and 911 00:53:43,239 --> 00:53:45,400 Speaker 1: I'll send you the ticket you come to Chicago. And 912 00:53:45,480 --> 00:53:49,319 Speaker 1: we recorded a song called two Hearts, two Kisses Make 913 00:53:49,400 --> 00:53:52,840 Speaker 1: One Love. And I said, well, that sounds like a 914 00:53:52,840 --> 00:53:56,480 Speaker 1: Perry Como song, maybe the two Hearts two Kisses or 915 00:53:56,480 --> 00:53:59,680 Speaker 1: something like that. No, No, one hearts not enough, baby be. 916 00:54:00,080 --> 00:54:03,480 Speaker 1: He plays the original Charms record on the phone rhythm 917 00:54:03,560 --> 00:54:08,640 Speaker 1: and blues. It was called race music, and and I 918 00:54:08,680 --> 00:54:11,880 Speaker 1: hadn't sung anything like that, but listen, He's given me 919 00:54:11,960 --> 00:54:14,840 Speaker 1: a chance to make a record. So he flew me 920 00:54:14,880 --> 00:54:19,280 Speaker 1: to Chicago. I stayed in the hotel room all afternoon 921 00:54:19,320 --> 00:54:22,920 Speaker 1: and evening till that night when we recorded two Hearts, 922 00:54:22,920 --> 00:54:28,280 Speaker 1: two Kisses, and it instantly overnight became a million seller. 923 00:54:29,040 --> 00:54:33,560 Speaker 1: I say overnight that we learned the next day after 924 00:54:33,640 --> 00:54:37,319 Speaker 1: I recorded that song, covering R and B songs were 925 00:54:37,400 --> 00:54:41,440 Speaker 1: starting to happen. Other artists. Frank Sinatra recorded that same song. 926 00:54:42,239 --> 00:54:45,720 Speaker 1: DRIs Day recorded two Hearts, two Kisses. The the Castro 927 00:54:45,880 --> 00:54:50,480 Speaker 1: Sisters and the Lancers groups all recorded that same song. 928 00:54:51,160 --> 00:54:54,920 Speaker 1: So Randy would put me on planes for eighteen days. 929 00:54:54,960 --> 00:54:58,680 Speaker 1: I went to twenty cities in eighteen days at his expense, 930 00:54:58,680 --> 00:55:02,000 Speaker 1: went to radio stations, TV stations. It was starting to 931 00:55:02,080 --> 00:55:07,120 Speaker 1: do dance party shows, um to see the buyers, the 932 00:55:07,239 --> 00:55:13,720 Speaker 1: jukebox operators. I mean, it was an incredibly taxing eighteen days. 933 00:55:14,280 --> 00:55:16,240 Speaker 1: And I thought, boy, if this is the record business, 934 00:55:16,280 --> 00:55:18,640 Speaker 1: this is not for me. Calling home to see how 935 00:55:18,680 --> 00:55:23,200 Speaker 1: Shirley and our little baby were doing. And and uh, 936 00:55:23,640 --> 00:55:26,080 Speaker 1: I thought, this, if this is the record business, I mean, 937 00:55:26,680 --> 00:55:29,400 Speaker 1: this is not for me. But the record became a 938 00:55:29,440 --> 00:55:31,919 Speaker 1: million seller, and you know, it was a top ten 939 00:55:32,000 --> 00:55:34,920 Speaker 1: million seller. I went back to Denton. Now all of 940 00:55:34,960 --> 00:55:37,880 Speaker 1: a sudden, I'm a big cheese around campus, you know, 941 00:55:37,960 --> 00:55:41,160 Speaker 1: at North Texas State. I'm starting to go back to 942 00:55:41,239 --> 00:55:44,319 Speaker 1: my my TV shows I was doing on the w 943 00:55:44,400 --> 00:55:48,239 Speaker 1: B A P. But but now I was getting calls 944 00:55:48,320 --> 00:55:52,680 Speaker 1: to come perform. And Randy called me in March, not yeah, 945 00:55:52,800 --> 00:55:57,359 Speaker 1: March of that March was too harsh to kisses. Then 946 00:55:58,680 --> 00:56:01,600 Speaker 1: May of that same or he caused me to come 947 00:56:01,600 --> 00:56:04,600 Speaker 1: back to Chicago and record. Ain't that a shame? Past 948 00:56:04,680 --> 00:56:07,440 Speaker 1: Dominoes big number one R and B hit which became 949 00:56:07,480 --> 00:56:10,919 Speaker 1: a million seller, number one hit for me. And then 950 00:56:11,040 --> 00:56:14,120 Speaker 1: and then October of that same year, a million selling 951 00:56:14,200 --> 00:56:18,160 Speaker 1: hit with a song called Crazy Obama coma knocking knocking 952 00:56:18,239 --> 00:56:21,360 Speaker 1: at my front door, door door, and all of a sudden, 953 00:56:21,719 --> 00:56:25,279 Speaker 1: everything I was doing it was a million seller. I 954 00:56:25,320 --> 00:56:28,600 Speaker 1: had to move to New York eventually to New Jersey. 955 00:56:28,920 --> 00:56:33,920 Speaker 1: We were expecting our second child already, and I mean emminently, 956 00:56:35,200 --> 00:56:37,520 Speaker 1: because it had been just a little over a year. 957 00:56:38,360 --> 00:56:40,839 Speaker 1: And uh. And so we moved first to New York 958 00:56:40,880 --> 00:56:45,120 Speaker 1: and then to New Jersey, where the next two kids, 959 00:56:46,320 --> 00:56:48,560 Speaker 1: well one was born in New York and the other 960 00:56:48,600 --> 00:56:51,440 Speaker 1: two in New Jersey before we moved to California. But 961 00:56:51,480 --> 00:56:55,600 Speaker 1: the career, which I had not anticipated at all, just 962 00:56:55,760 --> 00:56:58,560 Speaker 1: took off. And for a record, I hold in the 963 00:56:58,640 --> 00:57:04,160 Speaker 1: record business, Bob, Is that for from fifty not from 964 00:57:04,200 --> 00:57:09,520 Speaker 1: fifty seven, I'm sorry, through fifty nine. I was never 965 00:57:09,640 --> 00:57:13,560 Speaker 1: off the singles chart in Billboard for two d and 966 00:57:13,600 --> 00:57:17,360 Speaker 1: twenty weeks consecutively. It's a record I hold. Elton John 967 00:57:17,400 --> 00:57:20,640 Speaker 1: came the closest with a hundred fifty seven weeks, but 968 00:57:20,720 --> 00:57:24,240 Speaker 1: I lived on the charts for over four years after that, 969 00:57:24,480 --> 00:57:28,680 Speaker 1: went back to school, graduating from Columba University with four kids. 970 00:57:29,320 --> 00:57:32,840 Speaker 1: But it all took off like crazy. All of this 971 00:57:32,960 --> 00:57:44,640 Speaker 1: and response to your question about Arthur Godfrey. So you know, 972 00:57:44,760 --> 00:57:47,080 Speaker 1: this is the fifties and the music business. Are you 973 00:57:47,280 --> 00:57:52,680 Speaker 1: making any money? Yes, because hey, I wasn't making any 974 00:57:52,720 --> 00:57:56,200 Speaker 1: money from records yet, because I was on the lowest 975 00:57:57,360 --> 00:58:02,320 Speaker 1: royalty level for several years. Randy was only given me 976 00:58:02,360 --> 00:58:06,439 Speaker 1: three percent per records. But instantly I was being asked 977 00:58:06,440 --> 00:58:10,200 Speaker 1: to be on everybody else's TV shows. And then I 978 00:58:10,240 --> 00:58:14,520 Speaker 1: was making my own performances, asked to come perform in 979 00:58:14,600 --> 00:58:20,160 Speaker 1: supper clubs and and and shows that people were putting on. 980 00:58:20,280 --> 00:58:24,720 Speaker 1: I was getting paid to perform. Yes, And uh, and 981 00:58:24,800 --> 00:58:29,439 Speaker 1: so I will let's see that was this was that 982 00:58:29,440 --> 00:58:34,840 Speaker 1: that was fifty nine into the sixties. Yes, I was 983 00:58:34,920 --> 00:58:39,400 Speaker 1: being paid to come do shows sometimes with other performers. 984 00:58:40,000 --> 00:58:43,240 Speaker 1: But but I was making money, and uh, you know, 985 00:58:43,280 --> 00:58:45,320 Speaker 1: I I'd have to think back as to how I 986 00:58:45,400 --> 00:58:51,040 Speaker 1: was until I started on TV on seven forgetting TV 987 00:58:51,200 --> 00:58:54,560 Speaker 1: for a second. Why do you think the hits dried up? Well, 988 00:58:54,600 --> 00:58:57,400 Speaker 1: they didn't. Well, I mean you had this string, yeah, 989 00:58:57,480 --> 00:59:01,000 Speaker 1: and then you were an artist. Then the Beatles came long. Yeah, 990 00:59:01,040 --> 00:59:04,000 Speaker 1: you're jumping ahead a few years because I lived on 991 00:59:04,040 --> 00:59:08,160 Speaker 1: the charts for four years, for two hundred twenty weeks. Uh, 992 00:59:08,200 --> 00:59:12,040 Speaker 1: And and I was I matched Elvis during that period, 993 00:59:12,280 --> 00:59:16,760 Speaker 1: uh in in fifties, seven, eight and nine, uh a 994 00:59:16,800 --> 00:59:20,120 Speaker 1: record for record. I had forty one chart records in 995 00:59:20,200 --> 00:59:25,000 Speaker 1: the in the fifties and UH sixteen chart records in 996 00:59:25,040 --> 00:59:28,720 Speaker 1: the sixties. Right up to the Beatles. I mean I was. 997 00:59:29,040 --> 00:59:32,840 Speaker 1: I just lived on the charts. Everything I recorded hit 998 00:59:32,920 --> 00:59:35,200 Speaker 1: the charts, and and I mean I did things like 999 00:59:35,280 --> 00:59:38,880 Speaker 1: record the first million selling Him album in the fifties, 1000 00:59:38,920 --> 00:59:40,640 Speaker 1: right in the middle of rock and roll. It's sold 1001 00:59:40,640 --> 00:59:43,560 Speaker 1: a million copies, over a million church songs that I've 1002 00:59:43,600 --> 00:59:46,840 Speaker 1: been singing all my life, because I knew the kids 1003 00:59:47,080 --> 00:59:50,280 Speaker 1: would buy anything at that point that I recorded, And 1004 00:59:50,320 --> 00:59:53,080 Speaker 1: so I recorded a Him album, and sure enough it's 1005 00:59:53,120 --> 00:59:56,360 Speaker 1: so well over a million copies, which you know, sort 1006 00:59:56,400 --> 00:59:59,760 Speaker 1: of fulfilled part of my early ambition to be a 1007 01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:03,960 Speaker 1: eat your preacher. I mean that really all along the 1008 01:00:04,000 --> 01:00:08,320 Speaker 1: way my early ambitions were answered and in manifold ways. 1009 01:00:09,080 --> 01:00:12,760 Speaker 1: But but I was now appearing in uh in school functions. 1010 01:00:12,800 --> 01:00:15,440 Speaker 1: I would be asked to appear at the youth rallies 1011 01:00:15,480 --> 01:00:18,640 Speaker 1: and things like this and and telethons, and you know, 1012 01:00:18,760 --> 01:00:22,800 Speaker 1: wherever I went and whatever I did, I was always 1013 01:00:22,840 --> 01:00:27,480 Speaker 1: trying to to set what I hoped was a good example. Well, 1014 01:00:27,520 --> 01:00:30,400 Speaker 1: in fact, while I was in college, when I was 1015 01:00:30,600 --> 01:00:33,320 Speaker 1: making my first movie in fifty seven, and I was 1016 01:00:33,600 --> 01:00:36,520 Speaker 1: still making record after record, hit after hit, because I 1017 01:00:36,560 --> 01:00:39,840 Speaker 1: recorded April Love and Bernadine and my movie songs in 1018 01:00:39,960 --> 01:00:43,440 Speaker 1: fifty seven and I started my own television show. Okay, okay, 1019 01:00:43,480 --> 01:00:46,200 Speaker 1: a little bit slower. Let's go back to those first hips. 1020 01:00:47,200 --> 01:00:52,800 Speaker 1: History was written years later that these tracks were originally 1021 01:00:53,520 --> 01:00:56,320 Speaker 1: black music, as you said, reached music, and you made 1022 01:00:56,360 --> 01:00:59,800 Speaker 1: the white versions. They're blowback in that starting in the 1023 01:00:59,840 --> 01:01:03,960 Speaker 1: lead sixties. What was it like living in that era? 1024 01:01:04,680 --> 01:01:08,600 Speaker 1: And two, as a deeply religious man, how did you 1025 01:01:08,640 --> 01:01:13,320 Speaker 1: feel about singing rock and roll? Well, I I called 1026 01:01:13,360 --> 01:01:17,320 Speaker 1: myself Elvis, and I'm midwives at the birth of rock 1027 01:01:17,400 --> 01:01:20,720 Speaker 1: and roll because there was no quote rock and roll. 1028 01:01:20,880 --> 01:01:24,480 Speaker 1: That phrase in the mid fifties was you was a 1029 01:01:24,600 --> 01:01:27,760 Speaker 1: race music phrase. And that's what they call R and 1030 01:01:27,800 --> 01:01:31,840 Speaker 1: B was race music, all black performers and rock and roll. 1031 01:01:31,960 --> 01:01:34,480 Speaker 1: This rock and roll all night long, baby, I mean, 1032 01:01:34,560 --> 01:01:38,280 Speaker 1: it was not dancing. But when Bill Haley and the 1033 01:01:38,360 --> 01:01:41,520 Speaker 1: Comments recorded Rock around the Clock, and I've just recently 1034 01:01:41,600 --> 01:01:46,200 Speaker 1: learned that when I met Elvis that first, that first 1035 01:01:46,320 --> 01:01:57,560 Speaker 1: night in uh in nineteen fifty six, in October fifty six, Yeah, 1036 01:01:57,600 --> 01:02:01,080 Speaker 1: October fifty six, when he was unknown, and he was 1037 01:02:01,120 --> 01:02:03,320 Speaker 1: the opening act on this sock cop and I was 1038 01:02:03,360 --> 01:02:06,200 Speaker 1: the headliner because I was having hit records. I've had 1039 01:02:06,200 --> 01:02:11,760 Speaker 1: three hit records, um already million sellers. And he was unknown, 1040 01:02:11,800 --> 01:02:15,080 Speaker 1: but Bill Randall, the DJ, brought him up from Shreport 1041 01:02:15,120 --> 01:02:18,360 Speaker 1: where he was known as a rockabilly appearing on the 1042 01:02:18,440 --> 01:02:21,600 Speaker 1: Louisiana Hay Ride, and Bill wanted to see what he 1043 01:02:21,680 --> 01:02:25,280 Speaker 1: was like. So anyway, that same night, I had forgotten 1044 01:02:25,320 --> 01:02:28,320 Speaker 1: till till a few nights ago, because I left after 1045 01:02:28,440 --> 01:02:31,600 Speaker 1: I did my part that night, lip sinking my three 1046 01:02:31,640 --> 01:02:36,440 Speaker 1: records to the screams of the kids. Uh that. The 1047 01:02:36,480 --> 01:02:38,680 Speaker 1: two acts that followed me were Bill Haley and the 1048 01:02:38,720 --> 01:02:41,760 Speaker 1: Comments doing their new record of Rock around the Clock 1049 01:02:42,320 --> 01:02:50,680 Speaker 1: and the Four Lads doing a song called Memory. Um, 1050 01:02:50,680 --> 01:02:53,520 Speaker 1: this will have these moments to remember. We'll have these 1051 01:02:53,560 --> 01:02:56,400 Speaker 1: moments to remember. But they were unknown. They were just 1052 01:02:56,480 --> 01:03:01,600 Speaker 1: coming along right me, just becoming known that night. And 1053 01:03:01,840 --> 01:03:04,680 Speaker 1: so that was in In in the fall October of 1054 01:03:04,720 --> 01:03:08,600 Speaker 1: fifty seven. But by then I was I was making 1055 01:03:08,640 --> 01:03:11,520 Speaker 1: money and I was recording these r and B songs. Now, 1056 01:03:12,640 --> 01:03:14,400 Speaker 1: see what you have to know If you didn't live 1057 01:03:14,440 --> 01:03:17,280 Speaker 1: through that time, and many of the critics who came 1058 01:03:17,320 --> 01:03:22,640 Speaker 1: along later didn't, They didn't realize that race music R 1059 01:03:22,720 --> 01:03:26,760 Speaker 1: and B had their own shows, their own artists, their 1060 01:03:26,800 --> 01:03:30,200 Speaker 1: own radio stations, their own charts. It was a separate genre. 1061 01:03:31,040 --> 01:03:35,640 Speaker 1: But gradually in the in the mid fifties, UH pop 1062 01:03:35,800 --> 01:03:39,479 Speaker 1: record producers began to hear some of these hooky fun 1063 01:03:39,640 --> 01:03:42,720 Speaker 1: songs recorded by some of these R and B artists 1064 01:03:43,640 --> 01:03:46,080 Speaker 1: and do pop versions of them, and they were calling 1065 01:03:46,080 --> 01:03:48,920 Speaker 1: it rock and roll. There was no rock and roll. 1066 01:03:48,960 --> 01:03:51,720 Speaker 1: In fact, there was hardly a teen market until the 1067 01:03:51,760 --> 01:03:56,040 Speaker 1: mid fifties because kids just they liked whatever their parents like, 1068 01:03:56,120 --> 01:03:59,840 Speaker 1: what they've been exposed to. But now this music was 1069 01:04:00,040 --> 01:04:02,000 Speaker 1: and long, and their parents weren't sure they liked it, 1070 01:04:02,160 --> 01:04:06,040 Speaker 1: which made the kids like it more. And uh and 1071 01:04:06,120 --> 01:04:10,800 Speaker 1: these songs that I recorded because I was acceptable to 1072 01:04:10,920 --> 01:04:14,720 Speaker 1: the parents as a clean cut white guy from Nashville, 1073 01:04:15,120 --> 01:04:20,680 Speaker 1: and I was singing uh eventually two D Fruity and 1074 01:04:20,680 --> 01:04:24,280 Speaker 1: and uh long Tall Sally, and Ain't that a shame? 1075 01:04:24,360 --> 01:04:28,600 Speaker 1: And and crazy little Mama come knocking knocking at my 1076 01:04:28,800 --> 01:04:32,400 Speaker 1: front door door door, Well, I was somehow making it acceptable. 1077 01:04:33,480 --> 01:04:37,800 Speaker 1: And the artists knew that because I've got tapes audio 1078 01:04:37,840 --> 01:04:39,960 Speaker 1: tapes with Little Richard and Fats and some of the 1079 01:04:40,080 --> 01:04:44,520 Speaker 1: performers who were being asked by black DJ's early in 1080 01:04:44,560 --> 01:04:46,800 Speaker 1: their careers, how did you feel when Pat Boone did 1081 01:04:46,840 --> 01:04:50,880 Speaker 1: your songs? Little Richard? I've got a tape of him 1082 01:04:50,920 --> 01:04:53,120 Speaker 1: saying when he when I heard Pat Boone had done 1083 01:04:53,120 --> 01:04:56,080 Speaker 1: my song too, d fruity, I was still washing dishes 1084 01:04:56,120 --> 01:04:59,040 Speaker 1: in a bus station and making Georgia. I wasn't making 1085 01:04:59,080 --> 01:05:00,760 Speaker 1: no money yet they would play and my record on 1086 01:05:00,760 --> 01:05:03,160 Speaker 1: the radio, but I wasn't get me making no money. 1087 01:05:03,200 --> 01:05:05,400 Speaker 1: But when bat Boone did my song, I threw the 1088 01:05:05,440 --> 01:05:07,240 Speaker 1: towel down and I walked out of here because I 1089 01:05:07,280 --> 01:05:09,880 Speaker 1: was gonna make some money now, I mean, that's a 1090 01:05:09,880 --> 01:05:15,680 Speaker 1: little Richard. At the time, Fats Domino had written, Ain't 1091 01:05:15,680 --> 01:05:17,800 Speaker 1: that a shame? And he had He sold a hundred 1092 01:05:17,840 --> 01:05:20,000 Speaker 1: fifty thousand when he was number one R and B 1093 01:05:20,560 --> 01:05:23,880 Speaker 1: in their charts and in that genre. But when I 1094 01:05:23,920 --> 01:05:27,240 Speaker 1: recorded his song, my version, which was more rock, his 1095 01:05:27,360 --> 01:05:31,560 Speaker 1: was more roll. His was you me boom boom, me 1096 01:05:31,720 --> 01:05:34,840 Speaker 1: cry boom boom When you said bomp, mine was you 1097 01:05:35,080 --> 01:05:38,760 Speaker 1: made bump, bump me cry. Mine was a rock sound. 1098 01:05:39,040 --> 01:05:41,600 Speaker 1: His was a roll sound. We put them together and 1099 01:05:41,600 --> 01:05:45,280 Speaker 1: it was rock and roll, but he said many times. 1100 01:05:45,280 --> 01:05:47,400 Speaker 1: In fact, there was a time I went to see 1101 01:05:47,480 --> 01:05:50,760 Speaker 1: him in Louisiana, New Orleans, at al Hurts Place where 1102 01:05:50,760 --> 01:05:54,080 Speaker 1: he was performing. He didn't talk much, but he he 1103 01:05:54,160 --> 01:05:56,640 Speaker 1: had me come. It was theater in the round kind 1104 01:05:56,640 --> 01:05:59,080 Speaker 1: of thing, and he and his little band, Fats, was 1105 01:06:00,000 --> 01:06:02,120 Speaker 1: at the piano. He asked me to come down and 1106 01:06:02,160 --> 01:06:04,080 Speaker 1: sit with him on the piano bench, which I did. 1107 01:06:05,360 --> 01:06:07,440 Speaker 1: He didn't talk much, as I say, said, you folks 1108 01:06:08,240 --> 01:06:11,280 Speaker 1: see this ring and on his one of his stubby fingers, 1109 01:06:11,280 --> 01:06:15,120 Speaker 1: he had this piano shaped diamond ring. This man bought 1110 01:06:15,160 --> 01:06:18,360 Speaker 1: me this ring. With this song, you made both both 1111 01:06:18,520 --> 01:06:22,360 Speaker 1: meet cry, and we sang Ain't That Ashamed? Together? And 1112 01:06:22,480 --> 01:06:25,480 Speaker 1: he said many times he made more money because my 1113 01:06:25,680 --> 01:06:29,560 Speaker 1: record of his song, which he wrote and published. Little 1114 01:06:29,640 --> 01:06:32,000 Speaker 1: Richard didn't publish his own songs. He didn't know enough, 1115 01:06:32,120 --> 01:06:34,880 Speaker 1: didn't know what a copyright was, but Fats and his 1116 01:06:34,960 --> 01:06:39,760 Speaker 1: people did. I sold immediately a million and a half 1117 01:06:39,800 --> 01:06:42,480 Speaker 1: of Ain't That a Shame, which was ten times more 1118 01:06:42,520 --> 01:06:46,320 Speaker 1: than his record had sold, and that helped him cross over, 1119 01:06:46,400 --> 01:06:50,920 Speaker 1: as they all acknowledged in very short order into into 1120 01:06:50,960 --> 01:06:53,240 Speaker 1: the pop world that at that point they had no 1121 01:06:53,400 --> 01:06:57,520 Speaker 1: entrance to and they weren't known even the DJ's. Most DJs, 1122 01:06:57,520 --> 01:07:00,520 Speaker 1: they were just playing pop music Patty page A Combo, 1123 01:07:01,160 --> 01:07:05,760 Speaker 1: Vic Domone, show Tunes, Tin Pan Alley. But now this 1124 01:07:05,800 --> 01:07:12,080 Speaker 1: guy Pat Boone. In fact, Jesse Jackson said recently, when 1125 01:07:12,080 --> 01:07:14,320 Speaker 1: I did a song of R and B classics with 1126 01:07:14,400 --> 01:07:18,080 Speaker 1: the original performers, that's another story. But I was talking 1127 01:07:18,120 --> 01:07:22,560 Speaker 1: to Santida Jackson on the Rainbow Coalition station and she 1128 01:07:22,640 --> 01:07:25,600 Speaker 1: said to the about recording, Papa's got a brand new 1129 01:07:25,640 --> 01:07:29,080 Speaker 1: bag with James Brown, And she says, uh, is that 1130 01:07:29,120 --> 01:07:30,640 Speaker 1: who I think it is? On the phone. Yeah, put 1131 01:07:30,720 --> 01:07:34,400 Speaker 1: him on and it was her dad, Jesse Jackson, and 1132 01:07:34,440 --> 01:07:37,560 Speaker 1: he said, you know, I've never said this publicly before, 1133 01:07:38,400 --> 01:07:40,720 Speaker 1: but he said, we we came to love Pat Boone 1134 01:07:40,760 --> 01:07:43,240 Speaker 1: in in the Chicago partly because if his father and 1135 01:07:43,320 --> 01:07:45,920 Speaker 1: are read fully the big country star who he used 1136 01:07:45,960 --> 01:07:49,240 Speaker 1: to sing our hymns and our gospel songs piece in 1137 01:07:49,240 --> 01:07:52,040 Speaker 1: the valley close to walk with the then Pat Boone 1138 01:07:52,040 --> 01:07:54,040 Speaker 1: came along his son and Are and he was singing 1139 01:07:54,600 --> 01:07:57,880 Speaker 1: our our rhythm and blues songs and not just singing 1140 01:07:57,920 --> 01:08:01,720 Speaker 1: them and having big records, but bringing the original artists 1141 01:08:01,760 --> 01:08:05,320 Speaker 1: on TV with him. And he says, you're making it 1142 01:08:05,400 --> 01:08:09,040 Speaker 1: popular and acceptable to all this big white audience. And 1143 01:08:09,040 --> 01:08:11,560 Speaker 1: he said, I I'm gonna say that I think Pat 1144 01:08:11,600 --> 01:08:14,600 Speaker 1: Boone did more for race relations in the fifties than 1145 01:08:14,640 --> 01:08:18,639 Speaker 1: any other singer. Now that's coming from Jesse Jackson. Let's 1146 01:08:18,640 --> 01:08:22,200 Speaker 1: go back to the fifties. Seems like you met everybody. 1147 01:08:22,240 --> 01:08:27,200 Speaker 1: What were they like? They were wonderful people. I mean, 1148 01:08:28,160 --> 01:08:31,400 Speaker 1: that's see. I grew up, as I told you, in Nashville, 1149 01:08:32,439 --> 01:08:37,000 Speaker 1: and I worked alongside with my dad's company in the summertimes. 1150 01:08:37,040 --> 01:08:40,120 Speaker 1: I was a laborer and he had some other high 1151 01:08:40,160 --> 01:08:44,280 Speaker 1: school kids, black kids also working for him. And together 1152 01:08:44,400 --> 01:08:46,840 Speaker 1: we were we were pushing wheel bears for a cement, 1153 01:08:46,920 --> 01:08:51,920 Speaker 1: we were pouring concrete, digging ditches, a total lumber with 1154 01:08:51,960 --> 01:08:55,960 Speaker 1: our shirts off in the hot summertime. And and we 1155 01:08:55,960 --> 01:09:00,280 Speaker 1: were friends. I mean we were buddies. Uh. And the 1156 01:09:00,320 --> 01:09:03,360 Speaker 1: black guys, we were just laborers together, earning a dollar 1157 01:09:03,439 --> 01:09:07,160 Speaker 1: quarter an hour. And and maybe some of them folks, 1158 01:09:07,200 --> 01:09:09,559 Speaker 1: they might have had a car. We didn't. My dad 1159 01:09:09,600 --> 01:09:13,320 Speaker 1: had to pick up truck. But uh, but so now, 1160 01:09:13,360 --> 01:09:16,479 Speaker 1: when I started recording and I met Little Richard, and 1161 01:09:16,520 --> 01:09:18,240 Speaker 1: I met Fats, and I met and then I had 1162 01:09:18,280 --> 01:09:20,960 Speaker 1: them come on TV with me. They came on as 1163 01:09:21,000 --> 01:09:23,800 Speaker 1: my fellow performers that they in fact, we had a 1164 01:09:23,840 --> 01:09:28,960 Speaker 1: symbiotic relationship, of course, because their music was good for me. 1165 01:09:29,320 --> 01:09:32,599 Speaker 1: I was good for their music and for their for 1166 01:09:32,680 --> 01:09:37,000 Speaker 1: their careers because they did not they were not known 1167 01:09:37,120 --> 01:09:40,479 Speaker 1: or accepted on pop radio until I, Elvis, and a 1168 01:09:40,520 --> 01:09:44,720 Speaker 1: few others began to record their songs, and then DJ's 1169 01:09:44,800 --> 01:09:47,920 Speaker 1: like Alan Freed at W I and S in New York. 1170 01:09:48,160 --> 01:09:51,200 Speaker 1: He'd started asking his listeners which record do you want 1171 01:09:51,200 --> 01:09:53,840 Speaker 1: to play? You want to play Fats original or Pat 1172 01:09:53,840 --> 01:09:58,360 Speaker 1: Boone's cover record. In the beginning, they chose my record 1173 01:09:58,360 --> 01:10:01,840 Speaker 1: of Ain't that a Shame? Over Fats Original? But after that, 1174 01:10:02,080 --> 01:10:05,880 Speaker 1: after maybe a few months out, I mean, he and 1175 01:10:05,920 --> 01:10:08,880 Speaker 1: the other DJs around the country were starting to play 1176 01:10:08,920 --> 01:10:11,559 Speaker 1: the originals, which the kids liked, but they had to 1177 01:10:11,560 --> 01:10:15,400 Speaker 1: be introduced to it first, and that always bothered me. 1178 01:10:15,479 --> 01:10:20,760 Speaker 1: When I think Billy Joel when he accepted his uh 1179 01:10:21,000 --> 01:10:26,519 Speaker 1: is it Billy Joel? Yeah? I think it was when 1180 01:10:26,560 --> 01:10:29,400 Speaker 1: he accepted his entrance into the rock and Roll Hall 1181 01:10:29,439 --> 01:10:31,680 Speaker 1: of Fame. And I never thought of Billy Joel as 1182 01:10:31,800 --> 01:10:36,080 Speaker 1: rock and roll anyway. He was sophisticated pop and big band, 1183 01:10:36,160 --> 01:10:39,000 Speaker 1: and sure some of his students had great beats, and 1184 01:10:39,080 --> 01:10:41,160 Speaker 1: he did something that pure rock and roll, I guess, 1185 01:10:41,800 --> 01:10:43,800 Speaker 1: But he says, you know, I became fans of this 1186 01:10:43,960 --> 01:10:47,320 Speaker 1: music um back when it was and he's talked about 1187 01:10:47,320 --> 01:10:51,280 Speaker 1: the original performers, back before Pat Boone and Frankie Avalon 1188 01:10:51,400 --> 01:10:55,600 Speaker 1: or somebody did their versions. I liked the originals, but 1189 01:10:55,720 --> 01:10:58,720 Speaker 1: I wanted to say, what so did I? Man? You know, 1190 01:10:58,840 --> 01:11:02,640 Speaker 1: I recorded their songs back then before you did, and 1191 01:11:02,720 --> 01:11:09,320 Speaker 1: helped them and their careers. But but it's really strange. Um. 1192 01:11:09,360 --> 01:11:13,800 Speaker 1: I just was never accepted by the rock and roll 1193 01:11:13,880 --> 01:11:17,599 Speaker 1: crowd and Yon Winner and those who select those who 1194 01:11:17,600 --> 01:11:19,280 Speaker 1: should be in the rock and roll Hall of Fame. 1195 01:11:19,320 --> 01:11:22,240 Speaker 1: Though I had many hits that were purely rock and 1196 01:11:22,320 --> 01:11:26,720 Speaker 1: roll and rhythm and blues, but I also committed the 1197 01:11:26,760 --> 01:11:31,320 Speaker 1: cardinal sins of recording gospel and pop movie themes and 1198 01:11:31,439 --> 01:11:34,720 Speaker 1: big band swing and all kinds of other music, and 1199 01:11:34,760 --> 01:11:38,240 Speaker 1: therefore I was disqualified in their mind as a rock 1200 01:11:38,320 --> 01:11:40,960 Speaker 1: and roller. Well, certainly the rock and Roll Hall of 1201 01:11:40,960 --> 01:11:43,400 Speaker 1: Famous is so Robin holl I agree with you. But 1202 01:11:43,520 --> 01:11:46,760 Speaker 1: going back a chapter, what was Elvis like? Did you 1203 01:11:46,800 --> 01:11:50,679 Speaker 1: know Jerry Lee? Did you know Carl Perkins? Yes, all 1204 01:11:50,720 --> 01:11:54,600 Speaker 1: of them? Yeah. I In fact, you may know of 1205 01:11:54,680 --> 01:11:58,639 Speaker 1: the Broadway show that was something what was it called 1206 01:11:58,680 --> 01:12:02,400 Speaker 1: the Something for when uh, when we we had all 1207 01:12:02,439 --> 01:12:07,960 Speaker 1: become very popular, we're very successful, when Sam Phillips brought 1208 01:12:08,040 --> 01:12:11,040 Speaker 1: Jerry Lee, Elvis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash back in 1209 01:12:11,120 --> 01:12:15,360 Speaker 1: a million dollar, million dollar quartet and in that I 1210 01:12:15,400 --> 01:12:17,519 Speaker 1: think it was originally in the script. I don't know 1211 01:12:17,560 --> 01:12:19,360 Speaker 1: if it wound up in the Broadway show because I 1212 01:12:19,400 --> 01:12:22,679 Speaker 1: never got to see it, but I've got the tape 1213 01:12:22,680 --> 01:12:25,240 Speaker 1: of it when Elvis they're they're all singing their songs 1214 01:12:25,280 --> 01:12:28,599 Speaker 1: and reminiscing, and for two or three hours, Elvis says, hey, 1215 01:12:28,680 --> 01:12:31,960 Speaker 1: you guys heard Boone's new record. And they said, no, 1216 01:12:32,040 --> 01:12:34,559 Speaker 1: it is as good song man. But they sent it 1217 01:12:34,600 --> 01:12:37,160 Speaker 1: to me into the writer, send it to me, and 1218 01:12:37,200 --> 01:12:39,120 Speaker 1: Pat Boone at the same time. He got it first, 1219 01:12:39,160 --> 01:12:41,080 Speaker 1: and he he's got a big hit with it called 1220 01:12:41,120 --> 01:12:44,800 Speaker 1: Don't Forbid Me, And they said, what's it sound like? 1221 01:12:44,880 --> 01:12:46,960 Speaker 1: And he starts strumming on his guitar and singing it 1222 01:12:47,000 --> 01:12:49,320 Speaker 1: the way he'd done. He would have done it, and 1223 01:12:49,400 --> 01:12:52,200 Speaker 1: I already had a million selling hit with it, and 1224 01:12:52,280 --> 01:12:54,559 Speaker 1: I tell my audiences when if I tell him this story, 1225 01:12:54,600 --> 01:12:56,519 Speaker 1: I said, I sure, I'm glad I got it first 1226 01:12:57,479 --> 01:12:59,519 Speaker 1: because Elvis would have had a big hit with it. 1227 01:12:59,560 --> 01:13:02,439 Speaker 1: But I at at first. But yeah, jaredy Lewis and 1228 01:13:02,479 --> 01:13:08,000 Speaker 1: I were the first guests when when Dick Clark went 1229 01:13:08,160 --> 01:13:12,800 Speaker 1: national with the American Bandstand. I knew Dick, but when 1230 01:13:12,800 --> 01:13:16,479 Speaker 1: he was the the off camera announcer for Bob Horne 1231 01:13:16,880 --> 01:13:22,120 Speaker 1: in Philadelphia, when Bob was hosting a show called Bandstand, 1232 01:13:22,160 --> 01:13:25,720 Speaker 1: it wasn't American Bandstand, just called Bandstand Bob Horne. He 1233 01:13:25,760 --> 01:13:29,400 Speaker 1: was an late middle aged guy, but the teams were 1234 01:13:29,479 --> 01:13:31,600 Speaker 1: dancing and he was playing all the records and the 1235 01:13:32,000 --> 01:13:33,960 Speaker 1: and many of us, like I I came in was 1236 01:13:34,240 --> 01:13:38,040 Speaker 1: as a guest lip syncing my record on his bandstand show. 1237 01:13:38,560 --> 01:13:42,759 Speaker 1: I did that for many. So the off camera announcer 1238 01:13:42,800 --> 01:13:45,200 Speaker 1: was a guy named Dick Clark, and he would just 1239 01:13:45,240 --> 01:13:47,479 Speaker 1: be the ones in nowaadies, and never here's Bob Horne 1240 01:13:47,720 --> 01:13:53,000 Speaker 1: with Bandstand, Let's dance kids or whatever. So my promotion 1241 01:13:53,080 --> 01:13:56,760 Speaker 1: guy with me, said, Dick is a local DJ. Why 1242 01:13:56,760 --> 01:13:58,280 Speaker 1: don't you go talk to him a little bit because 1243 01:13:58,280 --> 01:14:00,880 Speaker 1: he'll play your records. So I went back and talked 1244 01:14:00,920 --> 01:14:04,200 Speaker 1: with Dick when he when neither of us was on camera, 1245 01:14:04,240 --> 01:14:06,640 Speaker 1: and he appreciated the fact. And then I went to 1246 01:14:06,720 --> 01:14:09,120 Speaker 1: him to his radio station and was on with him 1247 01:14:09,160 --> 01:14:12,200 Speaker 1: while I was there in Philadelphia. So later when he 1248 01:14:12,240 --> 01:14:16,599 Speaker 1: went national, because Bob Horne, this is news, I'm not 1249 01:14:16,720 --> 01:14:19,920 Speaker 1: talking out of school. He was forced to leave the 1250 01:14:19,960 --> 01:14:23,439 Speaker 1: show because of allegations of shenanigans with some of the 1251 01:14:23,439 --> 01:14:26,960 Speaker 1: girl dancers, and so boom, he was out, and Dick 1252 01:14:27,000 --> 01:14:30,080 Speaker 1: Clark took over the show, and then ABC brought it 1253 01:14:30,120 --> 01:14:33,120 Speaker 1: to New York and on the first American band Stand. 1254 01:14:33,280 --> 01:14:36,880 Speaker 1: His first guests were me and Jerry Lee Lewis, and 1255 01:14:36,920 --> 01:14:39,000 Speaker 1: then Jerry Lee and I were on some other shows 1256 01:14:39,400 --> 01:14:43,759 Speaker 1: together along the way, and I knew his cousins Jimmy 1257 01:14:43,800 --> 01:14:50,600 Speaker 1: Swagger and there's another one Jimmy Swagger, oh and Mickey Gilly. 1258 01:14:50,720 --> 01:14:54,040 Speaker 1: They were all cousins of his, and uh and and 1259 01:14:54,080 --> 01:14:56,640 Speaker 1: he yet of course he was doing extremely well. We 1260 01:14:56,760 --> 01:15:01,959 Speaker 1: had totally different lifestyles, but but but I eventually recorded 1261 01:15:02,000 --> 01:15:05,360 Speaker 1: some of his songs too, but they were just we 1262 01:15:05,400 --> 01:15:08,000 Speaker 1: were all just newcomers. We were up and comers. We 1263 01:15:08,000 --> 01:15:11,880 Speaker 1: were all you know, I was it, which came as 1264 01:15:11,920 --> 01:15:14,360 Speaker 1: a big surprise to me, But for all of us, 1265 01:15:14,400 --> 01:15:17,439 Speaker 1: we're looking at shoving for our place in the sun 1266 01:15:17,560 --> 01:15:20,200 Speaker 1: and in the spotlight. But by the time I was 1267 01:15:20,240 --> 01:15:22,360 Speaker 1: on with Dick Clark, I was already doing my own 1268 01:15:22,479 --> 01:15:25,639 Speaker 1: network show, which was sometimes number one in the ratings 1269 01:15:25,640 --> 01:15:28,320 Speaker 1: of Pat Boon Chevy Show. Okay, let's stop for a second. 1270 01:15:28,640 --> 01:15:31,120 Speaker 1: How did you get that show? What was the experience 1271 01:15:31,120 --> 01:15:35,440 Speaker 1: of doing that show, the Pat Boon Chevy Show. Well, um, 1272 01:15:35,520 --> 01:15:39,040 Speaker 1: it was simply because of the record success. I mean 1273 01:15:39,080 --> 01:15:41,400 Speaker 1: I was having one hit record after another. Now, I 1274 01:15:41,479 --> 01:15:44,639 Speaker 1: was still in school, in college because we moved Shirley 1275 01:15:44,680 --> 01:15:48,280 Speaker 1: not to te Neck, New Jersey, and we had our 1276 01:15:48,320 --> 01:15:52,160 Speaker 1: fourth child, third and third and fourth child children in 1277 01:15:52,400 --> 01:15:57,160 Speaker 1: uh oh gosh in in New Jersey. I should know 1278 01:15:58,160 --> 01:16:01,640 Speaker 1: Dr Leonard Brown. I remember his name, but I can't Hackensack. 1279 01:16:01,760 --> 01:16:05,280 Speaker 1: I guess it was Hackensack Hospital. And I was in 1280 01:16:05,320 --> 01:16:08,000 Speaker 1: school at Columbia University, on my way hopefully to get 1281 01:16:08,000 --> 01:16:10,599 Speaker 1: a five bit of capital because I knew I had 1282 01:16:10,640 --> 01:16:12,720 Speaker 1: a very high I q and I couldn't settle for 1283 01:16:12,800 --> 01:16:15,920 Speaker 1: less than a so I would want to get if 1284 01:16:15,960 --> 01:16:17,600 Speaker 1: I be at a Kappa Key, that would be my 1285 01:16:17,680 --> 01:16:20,600 Speaker 1: goal in college, and then I would apply for a 1286 01:16:20,640 --> 01:16:25,040 Speaker 1: teaching job. I'd be teaching English in some school somewhere. 1287 01:16:25,680 --> 01:16:28,800 Speaker 1: I mean, I didn't expect for this record career to 1288 01:16:28,880 --> 01:16:32,000 Speaker 1: keep going. I mean I'd already seen some other artists 1289 01:16:32,040 --> 01:16:33,760 Speaker 1: who had had a hit record or two, and now 1290 01:16:33,800 --> 01:16:36,360 Speaker 1: they were singing behind the bar somewhere that I would 1291 01:16:36,360 --> 01:16:39,360 Speaker 1: have dinner, and I thought, well, that's not gonna be me. 1292 01:16:39,439 --> 01:16:41,400 Speaker 1: I mean, this is gonna fizzle out. I'm gonna get 1293 01:16:41,439 --> 01:16:45,679 Speaker 1: my college degree. I'm gonna graduate magna cum laude, which 1294 01:16:45,720 --> 01:16:50,960 Speaker 1: I did and so um. But while all that was 1295 01:16:51,040 --> 01:16:55,560 Speaker 1: still going on, my records caused twenty century Fox to 1296 01:16:56,120 --> 01:16:58,280 Speaker 1: call and ask if I'd like to make a movie, 1297 01:16:58,320 --> 01:17:00,559 Speaker 1: and what I come out and do a screen test. Okay, 1298 01:17:00,560 --> 01:17:02,360 Speaker 1: at this point in time, you have the record, lad, 1299 01:17:02,400 --> 01:17:06,200 Speaker 1: you're still with dot Yeah, do you have a manager 1300 01:17:06,240 --> 01:17:08,160 Speaker 1: and agent? How do you get those? And how do 1301 01:17:08,200 --> 01:17:12,040 Speaker 1: you find those? That was another piece of very good fortune. 1302 01:17:12,080 --> 01:17:15,040 Speaker 1: I don't think it was coincidental. My manager was a 1303 01:17:15,040 --> 01:17:18,360 Speaker 1: publisher New Publishing, a friend of Perry Como, but he 1304 01:17:18,400 --> 01:17:21,960 Speaker 1: had become a manager sort of on the side two 1305 01:17:23,080 --> 01:17:25,679 Speaker 1: artists who are who are who? Sang with Perry Como, 1306 01:17:25,760 --> 01:17:29,320 Speaker 1: the Fontaine Sisters and a couple of others, And because 1307 01:17:29,360 --> 01:17:31,720 Speaker 1: of that he met Randy Would because they were on 1308 01:17:31,960 --> 01:17:35,759 Speaker 1: Dot records. So when Randy Wood knew I needed a manager, 1309 01:17:35,800 --> 01:17:38,559 Speaker 1: he said to Jack Spina, why did you manage Pat? 1310 01:17:39,360 --> 01:17:43,280 Speaker 1: So he managed the Hilltoppers, a quartet, He managed the 1311 01:17:43,320 --> 01:17:48,360 Speaker 1: Fontaine Sisters, He managed uh Johnny Maddox, a ragtime piano player, 1312 01:17:48,760 --> 01:17:52,360 Speaker 1: and now he managed Pat Boone. And he got me 1313 01:17:52,479 --> 01:17:55,439 Speaker 1: with g a C. General Artist Corporation, which was the 1314 01:17:55,479 --> 01:18:01,320 Speaker 1: biggest UH management talent management in the business. And a 1315 01:18:01,320 --> 01:18:04,720 Speaker 1: guy named Tom Rockwell was the head of that company, 1316 01:18:04,800 --> 01:18:07,920 Speaker 1: and he and his top echelon people took a very 1317 01:18:08,000 --> 01:18:11,280 Speaker 1: big interest in me. I don't know why. I mean 1318 01:18:11,920 --> 01:18:16,040 Speaker 1: there were other performers, but they saw things happening in 1319 01:18:16,120 --> 01:18:18,439 Speaker 1: my life. I mean I was having hit record after 1320 01:18:18,520 --> 01:18:21,160 Speaker 1: hit record. I was I had to hit television show 1321 01:18:21,760 --> 01:18:24,240 Speaker 1: and so, and in fact, I think they helped me 1322 01:18:24,240 --> 01:18:28,360 Speaker 1: get the television show. And now twenty century Fox wants 1323 01:18:28,360 --> 01:18:31,720 Speaker 1: me to make movies. So I went to New York well, 1324 01:18:31,720 --> 01:18:34,640 Speaker 1: what came first the movies of the TV show, the 1325 01:18:34,640 --> 01:18:37,920 Speaker 1: TV So tell me how you got the TV show. Well, 1326 01:18:38,040 --> 01:18:42,760 Speaker 1: it just it came about because ABC Network through g 1327 01:18:43,000 --> 01:18:47,679 Speaker 1: a C. They just said, hey, the guy hosted radio 1328 01:18:47,680 --> 01:18:51,519 Speaker 1: shows in Nashville. He was doing TV hosting shows in 1329 01:18:51,800 --> 01:18:54,320 Speaker 1: Fort Worth while he was in college on w b 1330 01:18:54,439 --> 01:18:57,760 Speaker 1: a P Television, The Country Music Show on Friday nights, 1331 01:18:57,760 --> 01:19:02,160 Speaker 1: The Beauty Barn Dance, and these four most teen times 1332 01:19:02,200 --> 01:19:06,120 Speaker 1: another talent show sponsored by Foremost Dairies, for which they 1333 01:19:06,120 --> 01:19:08,519 Speaker 1: paid me the handsome sum of fifty dollars a week. 1334 01:19:08,920 --> 01:19:12,800 Speaker 1: And uh, but I was getting a lot of professional experience. 1335 01:19:12,840 --> 01:19:16,080 Speaker 1: So ABC said, well, the g A C. You know, 1336 01:19:16,120 --> 01:19:18,920 Speaker 1: he should be on television like Perry Como and Eddie 1337 01:19:18,960 --> 01:19:22,760 Speaker 1: Fisher they had fifteen minutes shows. I don't know if 1338 01:19:22,760 --> 01:19:27,120 Speaker 1: you remember that. Some of these singers had fifteen minutes shows. 1339 01:19:27,520 --> 01:19:31,800 Speaker 1: Perry went soon to Our on NBC, Eddie Fisher still 1340 01:19:31,840 --> 01:19:35,400 Speaker 1: had his fifteen minutes show. And so they said, why 1341 01:19:35,400 --> 01:19:37,439 Speaker 1: did you let Pat Boone do a half hour show? 1342 01:19:38,200 --> 01:19:40,400 Speaker 1: Try it out? And so they did. They said, we'll 1343 01:19:40,439 --> 01:19:43,000 Speaker 1: try it, and they promoted it. And while they were 1344 01:19:43,040 --> 01:19:46,960 Speaker 1: promoting in ninety seven, I was in Hollywood making my 1345 01:19:47,040 --> 01:19:50,439 Speaker 1: first movie because I got signed to do the TV 1346 01:19:50,520 --> 01:19:54,240 Speaker 1: show but before it started. Uh and and I had 1347 01:19:54,280 --> 01:20:00,280 Speaker 1: already left my own show because of another story I'll 1348 01:20:00,280 --> 01:20:02,080 Speaker 1: tell you about when they wouldn't let me have Harry 1349 01:20:02,080 --> 01:20:05,120 Speaker 1: Belafonti on. I quit doing the half hour show and 1350 01:20:05,160 --> 01:20:08,840 Speaker 1: I was going to move to California, so I so 1351 01:20:08,960 --> 01:20:11,120 Speaker 1: I went out and did a screen test. They liked 1352 01:20:11,120 --> 01:20:14,000 Speaker 1: what they saw. They put me in a movie called Bernadine. 1353 01:20:14,280 --> 01:20:16,920 Speaker 1: After that April Love. And now I'll go back to 1354 01:20:16,960 --> 01:20:19,720 Speaker 1: New York and I'm still hosting my TV shows. I'm 1355 01:20:19,760 --> 01:20:27,679 Speaker 1: still in college at Columbia University, and I graduated from 1356 01:20:27,720 --> 01:20:30,840 Speaker 1: from Columbia Magna Cum Laudy. I was on the cover 1357 01:20:30,920 --> 01:20:33,640 Speaker 1: of TV Guide because of my TV show and my 1358 01:20:33,720 --> 01:20:36,080 Speaker 1: cap and gown. And you open it up and there's 1359 01:20:36,200 --> 01:20:38,639 Speaker 1: the pictures of my wife, Shirley and four little girls 1360 01:20:39,680 --> 01:20:43,360 Speaker 1: at twenty three. We were both twenty three. All of 1361 01:20:43,400 --> 01:20:47,679 Speaker 1: this happened, Bob At while I'm not. I'm not I'm 1362 01:20:47,720 --> 01:20:50,760 Speaker 1: not twenty four years old yet I'm twenty three. All 1363 01:20:50,760 --> 01:20:54,240 Speaker 1: of this had happened, and I'm making movies and there 1364 01:20:54,360 --> 01:20:57,759 Speaker 1: and their hit movies, and before a little bit before 1365 01:20:57,800 --> 01:21:00,479 Speaker 1: Elvis did Love Me Tender. I think was just for movie. 1366 01:21:00,760 --> 01:21:04,320 Speaker 1: I think it was and now and then eventually, pretty 1367 01:21:04,360 --> 01:21:09,320 Speaker 1: quickly we wound up sharing. Uh. Well he was, we were, 1368 01:21:09,439 --> 01:21:12,519 Speaker 1: we had dressing rooms at twenty century five. We were 1369 01:21:12,560 --> 01:21:14,840 Speaker 1: making movies there at the same time. I think he 1370 01:21:14,880 --> 01:21:16,639 Speaker 1: had a five year deal. I had a seven year 1371 01:21:16,680 --> 01:21:20,720 Speaker 1: deal to make movies. And Bernadine was a big hit. 1372 01:21:20,800 --> 01:21:23,519 Speaker 1: Johnny Mercer wrote the title tune and a lot of 1373 01:21:23,520 --> 01:21:27,000 Speaker 1: the other songs, and April Love Paul Francis Webster, Sammy 1374 01:21:27,080 --> 01:21:31,200 Speaker 1: Faine Academy Award winners writing my songs for April Love, 1375 01:21:32,000 --> 01:21:35,000 Speaker 1: and on and on it went, and uh, and then 1376 01:21:35,160 --> 01:21:39,599 Speaker 1: I did Friendly Persuasion, Dmitri Tiomkin, the Academy Award writer 1377 01:21:40,439 --> 01:21:43,000 Speaker 1: doing the I got to do the theme song for 1378 01:21:43,040 --> 01:21:45,639 Speaker 1: that movie. I mean, it was all It was a 1379 01:21:45,680 --> 01:21:50,559 Speaker 1: flood of stuff happening, and I was somehow I got 1380 01:21:50,560 --> 01:21:53,320 Speaker 1: to where I I could thrive, I mean really thrive 1381 01:21:53,400 --> 01:21:57,360 Speaker 1: on five six hours sleep. I was very energetic because 1382 01:21:57,600 --> 01:22:01,559 Speaker 1: it was pure excitement, I mean. And Shirley, with our 1383 01:22:01,600 --> 01:22:04,240 Speaker 1: four little girls, was being the mother of all time, 1384 01:22:04,960 --> 01:22:07,400 Speaker 1: taking kids, making sure we had had a family to 1385 01:22:07,479 --> 01:22:11,840 Speaker 1: come home to, and four daughters, and I tell you 1386 01:22:12,439 --> 01:22:17,200 Speaker 1: I've hardly ever slowed down since then. I'm still balancing 1387 01:22:17,240 --> 01:22:20,080 Speaker 1: six or eight balls at one time or plate spinning. 1388 01:22:27,600 --> 01:22:30,360 Speaker 1: Tell me to hear Harry Billa Fonte story. Well, I 1389 01:22:30,400 --> 01:22:32,800 Speaker 1: was doing the half hour show, and of course having 1390 01:22:32,840 --> 01:22:35,880 Speaker 1: all these artists on with me. It was unbelievable to me, 1391 01:22:36,360 --> 01:22:38,640 Speaker 1: but I was in the middle of it. But I 1392 01:22:38,720 --> 01:22:42,960 Speaker 1: was the youngest guy ever to have his own music 1393 01:22:43,040 --> 01:22:47,360 Speaker 1: variety show. I mean I was twenty I think, or 1394 01:22:47,400 --> 01:22:50,720 Speaker 1: barely twenty two, and in fifty seven when we went 1395 01:22:50,760 --> 01:22:55,200 Speaker 1: on the air with me hosting the The Pat Boon 1396 01:22:55,720 --> 01:23:00,599 Speaker 1: Chevy Show uh AT sponsored by chev Lay of course, 1397 01:23:00,640 --> 01:23:06,200 Speaker 1: so instantly I was having big name guests Ella Fitzgerald, 1398 01:23:06,479 --> 01:23:12,519 Speaker 1: Nat King, Cole Perry Como himself, Eddie Fisher, Um Tony Bennett, 1399 01:23:13,560 --> 01:23:16,200 Speaker 1: Sammy Davis. I'd bring some of the rocket. I didn't 1400 01:23:16,240 --> 01:23:20,200 Speaker 1: have much to do with except requesting some of the 1401 01:23:20,200 --> 01:23:24,639 Speaker 1: other artists. But you know they were Gina Lolo, bridget Anna, 1402 01:23:24,720 --> 01:23:32,080 Speaker 1: Maria Alberghetti, all these female stars and then boxers, heavyweight 1403 01:23:32,160 --> 01:23:35,360 Speaker 1: boxers and people from other walks of life come on 1404 01:23:35,400 --> 01:23:39,840 Speaker 1: my show and I'm We're doing sketches. People don't pay 1405 01:23:39,840 --> 01:23:42,360 Speaker 1: a little. They don't know that. One of my apprentice 1406 01:23:42,400 --> 01:23:44,880 Speaker 1: writers was a fellow that was doing stand up in 1407 01:23:44,920 --> 01:23:49,080 Speaker 1: Greenwich Village named Woody Allen. He was he was an 1408 01:23:49,120 --> 01:23:51,880 Speaker 1: apprentice writer on my show, hired by a guy who 1409 01:23:51,880 --> 01:23:55,919 Speaker 1: went on to produce Mash Larry Gilbert. They were producing 1410 01:23:55,960 --> 01:23:59,559 Speaker 1: the Pat Boon Show, The Chevy Show, half hour music show. 1411 01:23:59,840 --> 01:24:03,759 Speaker 1: I mean, I was. I was living an incredible life. 1412 01:24:03,800 --> 01:24:07,120 Speaker 1: And it was mainly because of general artists, the big 1413 01:24:07,160 --> 01:24:11,360 Speaker 1: Talent Agency. They saw somebody they thought could handle these 1414 01:24:11,400 --> 01:24:15,479 Speaker 1: things at such an early age, and it just happened, 1415 01:24:16,160 --> 01:24:18,800 Speaker 1: and and I could. I rose to the occasion every time, 1416 01:24:18,920 --> 01:24:23,639 Speaker 1: whether it was the movies, recording, television, and I'm still 1417 01:24:23,640 --> 01:24:28,680 Speaker 1: trying to make straight a's at at Columbia University. So 1418 01:24:28,720 --> 01:24:32,120 Speaker 1: now while I'm doing back to your question, having all 1419 01:24:32,160 --> 01:24:34,720 Speaker 1: the black artists on my show, and they were, you know, 1420 01:24:34,800 --> 01:24:38,040 Speaker 1: I had with Johnny Mathis my arm around him and 1421 01:24:38,040 --> 01:24:42,000 Speaker 1: and we did a number where the choreographer we would 1422 01:24:42,120 --> 01:24:44,960 Speaker 1: we were seeing closing a show with let there be 1423 01:24:45,080 --> 01:24:48,240 Speaker 1: Peace on Earth, Let it Begin with Me. And the 1424 01:24:48,280 --> 01:24:50,640 Speaker 1: stage was dark except for a bright light at the 1425 01:24:50,680 --> 01:24:53,720 Speaker 1: back of the stage and a ladder lit in the 1426 01:24:53,800 --> 01:24:56,880 Speaker 1: fourth ground and set and Johnny and I are going 1427 01:24:56,920 --> 01:24:59,880 Speaker 1: to sing this song together, and somehow the courier are 1428 01:25:00,160 --> 01:25:05,120 Speaker 1: or staged me a step or two above Johnny. I 1429 01:25:05,160 --> 01:25:08,479 Speaker 1: didn't like that. I thought there was like maybe an 1430 01:25:08,479 --> 01:25:10,800 Speaker 1: intention in it, and so I didn't say anything. I 1431 01:25:10,840 --> 01:25:13,599 Speaker 1: knew the lighting would permit it. So when we did 1432 01:25:13,640 --> 01:25:16,120 Speaker 1: the show live, I didn't get up on those stairs. 1433 01:25:16,360 --> 01:25:19,320 Speaker 1: I just stood right there with Johnny and we sang 1434 01:25:19,479 --> 01:25:22,640 Speaker 1: our portions together of letter V Peace on Earth. And 1435 01:25:22,640 --> 01:25:25,640 Speaker 1: as we turned, and as it was scheduled and choreographed, 1436 01:25:25,640 --> 01:25:28,040 Speaker 1: we turned said good night, folks, and we walked away 1437 01:25:28,320 --> 01:25:30,599 Speaker 1: toward that bright light at the back of the stage. 1438 01:25:31,040 --> 01:25:33,120 Speaker 1: Let the repeace on Earth. Let it begin with me. 1439 01:25:33,520 --> 01:25:35,920 Speaker 1: And I draped my arm over Johnny's shoulder as we 1440 01:25:36,479 --> 01:25:38,720 Speaker 1: as we walked like in silhouettes all the way to 1441 01:25:38,760 --> 01:25:41,120 Speaker 1: the and that that was the end of the show. 1442 01:25:42,000 --> 01:25:45,639 Speaker 1: And so I get a call from Harry Belafanti, who 1443 01:25:45,680 --> 01:25:49,120 Speaker 1: was the the biggest entertainer in the world right then, 1444 01:25:50,200 --> 01:25:52,080 Speaker 1: and of course I was a big fan, and he said, 1445 01:25:52,240 --> 01:25:53,880 Speaker 1: you know, I've been watching your show. I like the 1446 01:25:53,880 --> 01:25:56,840 Speaker 1: way you treat your guests. He said, would you like 1447 01:25:56,960 --> 01:25:58,920 Speaker 1: me to come on and we can do some things together. 1448 01:25:59,000 --> 01:26:04,040 Speaker 1: I said, what WHOA? And I said, sure, can can 1449 01:26:04,160 --> 01:26:06,519 Speaker 1: in effect? Can my folks get in touch with your folks? 1450 01:26:06,560 --> 01:26:09,040 Speaker 1: And and he said sure. I said, well, let's just 1451 01:26:09,040 --> 01:26:12,080 Speaker 1: plan it. We'll do it. So I was absolutely out 1452 01:26:12,080 --> 01:26:15,280 Speaker 1: of my mind with delight. You know, Harry Belafanti, I mean, 1453 01:26:15,400 --> 01:26:19,120 Speaker 1: Ella Fitzgerald, come on, Nat King Cole, all the others 1454 01:26:19,720 --> 01:26:23,080 Speaker 1: were so great, and I felt so honored, privileged to 1455 01:26:23,080 --> 01:26:25,840 Speaker 1: sing with him. Now, Harry Belafanti is gonna come on, 1456 01:26:26,840 --> 01:26:29,759 Speaker 1: and I go have a meeting. The production meeting dropped 1457 01:26:29,840 --> 01:26:32,120 Speaker 1: the bomb on him that Harry Belafanti has called me. 1458 01:26:32,160 --> 01:26:37,479 Speaker 1: It's the Chevy representatives, it's the the network ABC people 1459 01:26:37,920 --> 01:26:39,880 Speaker 1: and the ad agency and they're looking at it with 1460 01:26:40,000 --> 01:26:43,400 Speaker 1: stony faces when I tell them Harry Belafanti is gonna 1461 01:26:43,439 --> 01:26:46,200 Speaker 1: come on this show. And they said, no, no, no, 1462 01:26:46,479 --> 01:26:48,400 Speaker 1: we're gonna thank him. It's nice of him, but we 1463 01:26:48,479 --> 01:26:51,639 Speaker 1: got to say, no, what are you talking about? They said, 1464 01:26:51,720 --> 01:26:55,400 Speaker 1: you know, Chevy dealers in the South. This is late fifties, 1465 01:26:55,439 --> 01:27:02,040 Speaker 1: now remember fifty said Chevy dealers are getting a lot 1466 01:27:02,040 --> 01:27:06,160 Speaker 1: of flak because you're having so many, uh, black performers 1467 01:27:06,680 --> 01:27:08,880 Speaker 1: on the shows. With you and singing with them and 1468 01:27:08,920 --> 01:27:11,599 Speaker 1: so on, and we're Harry Belafanti is making a lot 1469 01:27:11,600 --> 01:27:15,280 Speaker 1: of civil rights noise, and we just can't have him 1470 01:27:15,320 --> 01:27:17,360 Speaker 1: on the show with you because that could be the 1471 01:27:17,400 --> 01:27:21,800 Speaker 1: coup de gras for Chevrolet. And they were nodding their heads, yeah, 1472 01:27:21,800 --> 01:27:26,120 Speaker 1: we we can't have Harry Belafanti, and I I was 1473 01:27:26,160 --> 01:27:28,000 Speaker 1: so stunned. It took me a few minutes and I 1474 01:27:28,240 --> 01:27:31,040 Speaker 1: and it went onto something else, and I came back 1475 01:27:31,080 --> 01:27:32,680 Speaker 1: and said, guys, wait a minute, Wait a minute, Wait 1476 01:27:32,720 --> 01:27:37,519 Speaker 1: a minute. It says it's the Pat Boone Chevy Show, 1477 01:27:38,439 --> 01:27:41,960 Speaker 1: But if Pat Boone has to say no to Harry Belafante, 1478 01:27:42,800 --> 01:27:46,000 Speaker 1: it's not the Bat Boon Show. So I'm gonna have 1479 01:27:46,040 --> 01:27:47,920 Speaker 1: to ask you to get somebody else to take the 1480 01:27:47,920 --> 01:27:50,439 Speaker 1: show for the rest of this season. And I'm not 1481 01:27:50,479 --> 01:27:54,240 Speaker 1: gonna come back if I have to parts who I 1482 01:27:54,360 --> 01:27:57,120 Speaker 1: have on my show according to that kind of stuff. 1483 01:27:57,280 --> 01:27:59,320 Speaker 1: They said, are you gonna walk off your show? Because 1484 01:27:59,320 --> 01:28:02,280 Speaker 1: I said, it's not just that I grew up. I 1485 01:28:02,320 --> 01:28:04,519 Speaker 1: was born in Florida, I was I was raised in Nashville. 1486 01:28:04,560 --> 01:28:06,640 Speaker 1: I'm a son of the South. I know all of 1487 01:28:06,640 --> 01:28:10,400 Speaker 1: this stuff. I'm just not going to perpetuate it, and 1488 01:28:10,560 --> 01:28:14,120 Speaker 1: UH and and so they calmed down and they said, well, 1489 01:28:14,800 --> 01:28:18,920 Speaker 1: if you have Harry on, can you guarantee there will 1490 01:28:18,960 --> 01:28:21,960 Speaker 1: be no subtle or any other kind of civil rights 1491 01:28:23,040 --> 01:28:26,360 Speaker 1: statements made. I said, look, Harry Belafani and Pat Boone 1492 01:28:26,439 --> 01:28:30,080 Speaker 1: singing together on my show is enough statement. I'm sure 1493 01:28:30,120 --> 01:28:33,200 Speaker 1: he'll understand. I can even tell him that this that 1494 01:28:33,360 --> 01:28:37,919 Speaker 1: it's causing trouble in the South. So they reluctantly agreed. 1495 01:28:38,240 --> 01:28:41,400 Speaker 1: And I'd like to say it happened, but it was 1496 01:28:41,439 --> 01:28:43,360 Speaker 1: about I only had about three or four shows left 1497 01:28:43,360 --> 01:28:46,439 Speaker 1: in that season. It didn't work out for his schedule. 1498 01:28:46,520 --> 01:28:49,559 Speaker 1: He was booked, we had other guests booked, and I 1499 01:28:49,640 --> 01:28:53,559 Speaker 1: just dropped the show after that. Recently, I was with UH. 1500 01:28:53,720 --> 01:28:56,439 Speaker 1: I was going in the gym at night and the 1501 01:28:56,520 --> 01:28:59,000 Speaker 1: black guy came to get an escalade out in front 1502 01:28:59,400 --> 01:29:01,880 Speaker 1: and I was seing it and a voice came from 1503 01:29:01,920 --> 01:29:04,720 Speaker 1: the car pad. Is that Pat Boone? I said, yes, 1504 01:29:05,120 --> 01:29:09,040 Speaker 1: Jamie Fox hopped out there of the escalate. He says, 1505 01:29:09,040 --> 01:29:11,320 Speaker 1: wait a minute, we hadn't met. He says, I'm Jamie 1506 01:29:11,360 --> 01:29:14,639 Speaker 1: Fox said I know, and he said, Uh, I got 1507 01:29:14,640 --> 01:29:17,360 Speaker 1: to ask you something I've heard recently, and this was 1508 01:29:17,520 --> 01:29:21,759 Speaker 1: what thirty five years later or something. I never talked 1509 01:29:21,800 --> 01:29:25,479 Speaker 1: about it. How it got out, I don't know, But 1510 01:29:26,000 --> 01:29:28,040 Speaker 1: he said, I heard that when you were doing your 1511 01:29:28,080 --> 01:29:31,040 Speaker 1: show in the late fifties and Harry Belafanti I wanted 1512 01:29:31,040 --> 01:29:34,120 Speaker 1: to come on your show and Chevrolet, your sponsor, wouldn't 1513 01:29:34,200 --> 01:29:36,920 Speaker 1: let him come on. You walked off your own show. 1514 01:29:38,040 --> 01:29:40,040 Speaker 1: And I said, yes, But how did you know that? 1515 01:29:41,120 --> 01:29:43,240 Speaker 1: I've never talked about. He said, I found out. He says, 1516 01:29:43,240 --> 01:29:45,960 Speaker 1: can I give you a hug? He says, he says, 1517 01:29:46,479 --> 01:29:49,559 Speaker 1: to do that now was no big deal. But you 1518 01:29:50,120 --> 01:29:51,880 Speaker 1: this was in the late I said, yeah, it's nineteen 1519 01:29:53,080 --> 01:29:55,519 Speaker 1: to do that back then and walk off your own 1520 01:29:55,520 --> 01:30:00,640 Speaker 1: show man. He said that took guts, and and for me, 1521 01:30:02,320 --> 01:30:06,559 Speaker 1: it wasn't taking guts. It was, as I've said many times, 1522 01:30:06,600 --> 01:30:11,000 Speaker 1: it was it was just not right for me to 1523 01:30:11,040 --> 01:30:14,240 Speaker 1: say no to Harry Belafanti. I mean, what, what guy 1524 01:30:14,280 --> 01:30:19,000 Speaker 1: in his right mind, and I'm thinking righteous mind could 1525 01:30:19,360 --> 01:30:23,639 Speaker 1: could say make up some excuse to Harry Belafanti. I've 1526 01:30:23,640 --> 01:30:26,880 Speaker 1: since told his daughter, Sherry, and she had to get 1527 01:30:26,880 --> 01:30:28,719 Speaker 1: on the phone and talked to his wife. I haven't 1528 01:30:28,720 --> 01:30:31,040 Speaker 1: talked to Harry about it because maybe to this day, 1529 01:30:31,040 --> 01:30:34,559 Speaker 1: he's upset. I never called him back. I don't know 1530 01:30:34,600 --> 01:30:38,599 Speaker 1: if he knows why I didn't, but except our people 1531 01:30:38,640 --> 01:30:42,880 Speaker 1: did converse and he was booked and I never I 1532 01:30:42,960 --> 01:30:48,360 Speaker 1: quit doing the show. Okay, you're a mega successful being 1533 01:30:48,400 --> 01:30:52,160 Speaker 1: that successful, also going on the road, being in movies. 1534 01:30:52,880 --> 01:30:56,400 Speaker 1: They are all these perks, both good and bad. You know, 1535 01:30:56,439 --> 01:30:58,160 Speaker 1: as people say, well, I'm poor, I have to pay 1536 01:30:58,200 --> 01:31:01,040 Speaker 1: for everything when I'm rich, or to pay for anything. 1537 01:31:01,479 --> 01:31:05,000 Speaker 1: And there's drugs and there's women. What was your experience 1538 01:31:05,040 --> 01:31:07,400 Speaker 1: in that? Will you? You know? How did you avoid 1539 01:31:07,439 --> 01:31:10,320 Speaker 1: the pitfalls? What was your experience of the good things? 1540 01:31:10,640 --> 01:31:14,439 Speaker 1: Very good question and of course very simple answer people. 1541 01:31:14,560 --> 01:31:17,679 Speaker 1: Some people may consider it simplistic. But first of all, 1542 01:31:18,680 --> 01:31:22,280 Speaker 1: I believe in God, and I had a moral compass 1543 01:31:23,479 --> 01:31:26,000 Speaker 1: that I inherited when I was thirteen. Although I got 1544 01:31:26,000 --> 01:31:28,840 Speaker 1: a good, very good examples from my mom and dad. 1545 01:31:28,880 --> 01:31:33,920 Speaker 1: But when I became a believer in in the Lord 1546 01:31:35,160 --> 01:31:38,240 Speaker 1: uh it, it had an effect on me as a 1547 01:31:38,240 --> 01:31:40,960 Speaker 1: teenager growing up. I never learned to cuss, for one thing. 1548 01:31:42,040 --> 01:31:45,599 Speaker 1: There have been times when I wished I had learned. 1549 01:31:45,960 --> 01:31:49,559 Speaker 1: But on the tennis court, and people know this, whenever 1550 01:31:49,640 --> 01:31:53,760 Speaker 1: I had need an expletive, I say, oh boon, and 1551 01:31:53,800 --> 01:31:56,080 Speaker 1: I can make my own name sound like an expletive, 1552 01:31:56,160 --> 01:32:00,559 Speaker 1: although it's actually people don't know this. Daniel Boone was 1553 01:32:00,640 --> 01:32:04,160 Speaker 1: not I am descended direct descendant from Daniel Boone from 1554 01:32:04,160 --> 01:32:09,240 Speaker 1: his son James, and and he was not educated except 1555 01:32:09,320 --> 01:32:12,960 Speaker 1: self educated. And when he carved on a tree, which 1556 01:32:13,000 --> 01:32:16,759 Speaker 1: is well known matter in history that somebody came across 1557 01:32:16,800 --> 01:32:20,240 Speaker 1: a tree in the wilderness, d Boone killed a bar 1558 01:32:21,560 --> 01:32:24,240 Speaker 1: and I think he put the date of it carved 1559 01:32:24,280 --> 01:32:26,800 Speaker 1: it in the bark of this tree. D Boone was 1560 01:32:26,800 --> 01:32:29,760 Speaker 1: spelled b o O N killed c I L D 1561 01:32:30,600 --> 01:32:35,559 Speaker 1: A bear b A r so. But that at that time, 1562 01:32:35,600 --> 01:32:40,120 Speaker 1: because he came his family came from Scotland and uh 1563 01:32:40,320 --> 01:32:42,800 Speaker 1: and the Boone had no E on the end of it. 1564 01:32:42,800 --> 01:32:45,599 Speaker 1: It was b o n And that's an Anglo Saxon 1565 01:32:45,680 --> 01:32:51,000 Speaker 1: word for blessing. And I grew up knowing way back 1566 01:32:52,120 --> 01:32:54,160 Speaker 1: that I've been given a high i Q and a 1567 01:32:54,280 --> 01:32:59,320 Speaker 1: name that that said that spelled blessing. And I just 1568 01:33:00,000 --> 01:33:03,879 Speaker 1: felt an urging, sort of almost a calling, an innate 1569 01:33:04,040 --> 01:33:07,000 Speaker 1: thing that if I had an influence on kids, it 1570 01:33:07,040 --> 01:33:09,320 Speaker 1: was going to be a good influence because I had 1571 01:33:09,320 --> 01:33:12,640 Speaker 1: planned to be a teacher anyway, and I would have 1572 01:33:12,640 --> 01:33:16,240 Speaker 1: been teaching kids to try to live moral lives, and 1573 01:33:16,240 --> 01:33:19,040 Speaker 1: and so all of this was feeding into the decisions 1574 01:33:19,080 --> 01:33:21,599 Speaker 1: I made. I never took drugs of any kind, never 1575 01:33:21,640 --> 01:33:24,479 Speaker 1: smoke pot nothing. In fact, I'm proud to say my 1576 01:33:24,560 --> 01:33:26,960 Speaker 1: four daughters growing up in Beverly Hills and all their 1577 01:33:27,000 --> 01:33:30,479 Speaker 1: friends smoke pot. They told me that they never did either. 1578 01:33:30,680 --> 01:33:33,559 Speaker 1: My four daughters never want not one of them ever 1579 01:33:33,600 --> 01:33:37,439 Speaker 1: had a her own apartment either. She married at in 1580 01:33:37,479 --> 01:33:40,840 Speaker 1: their early twenties. Debbie Boone had a huge career with 1581 01:33:40,920 --> 01:33:42,800 Speaker 1: You Light Up My Life, but she lived at home. 1582 01:33:43,840 --> 01:33:48,160 Speaker 1: And and I had told my my four daughters that 1583 01:33:48,640 --> 01:33:51,479 Speaker 1: I can pay for your college educations to any Christian 1584 01:33:51,520 --> 01:33:54,479 Speaker 1: that college that will admit you as long as you 1585 01:33:54,479 --> 01:33:57,400 Speaker 1: can be home for dinner, because you're not going to 1586 01:33:57,520 --> 01:34:00,800 Speaker 1: go away to some school at seventeen eighteen years old 1587 01:34:00,800 --> 01:34:04,000 Speaker 1: where you there's no chaperones and have boy and girl 1588 01:34:04,080 --> 01:34:07,080 Speaker 1: dorms and all that stuff. It's not gonna happen. So 1589 01:34:07,240 --> 01:34:10,160 Speaker 1: I I was that protective as a father, and I 1590 01:34:10,240 --> 01:34:14,479 Speaker 1: had that same attitude in my roles that I chose. 1591 01:34:14,520 --> 01:34:17,360 Speaker 1: I turned down Marilyn Monroe for a film. I risked 1592 01:34:17,600 --> 01:34:22,040 Speaker 1: suspension at twenty century Fox over movie roles that they 1593 01:34:22,080 --> 01:34:24,040 Speaker 1: wanted me to do that I just felt I couldn't do. 1594 01:34:24,880 --> 01:34:27,320 Speaker 1: And there was the time I didn't kiss Shirley Jones 1595 01:34:27,920 --> 01:34:30,320 Speaker 1: in April Love because it wasn't in the script and 1596 01:34:30,360 --> 01:34:34,200 Speaker 1: I hadn't had time, hadn't taken time to ask my 1597 01:34:34,240 --> 01:34:36,320 Speaker 1: wife Shirley if it was gonna matter that I was 1598 01:34:36,400 --> 01:34:40,800 Speaker 1: doing kissing scenes, and she was ahead of me. She well, 1599 01:34:40,840 --> 01:34:44,240 Speaker 1: I turned down the kissing scene with Shirley Jones in 1600 01:34:44,280 --> 01:34:48,599 Speaker 1: the movie April Love that first time, and uh, and 1601 01:34:48,640 --> 01:34:51,519 Speaker 1: I would have done it later because Shirley gave my 1602 01:34:51,640 --> 01:34:54,280 Speaker 1: Shirley gave me permission. She said, look, I'm ahead of 1603 01:34:54,320 --> 01:34:57,280 Speaker 1: you if you're going to do movies. She was familiar 1604 01:34:57,320 --> 01:35:00,439 Speaker 1: with the entertainment business. Her her dad read fully, and 1605 01:35:00,520 --> 01:35:03,600 Speaker 1: she said, you're gonna do kissing scenes, Just make me 1606 01:35:03,640 --> 01:35:06,320 Speaker 1: one promise. I said anything. She said, you won't enjoy it, 1607 01:35:07,520 --> 01:35:09,599 Speaker 1: and so I promised her I wouldn't enjoy it. I 1608 01:35:09,640 --> 01:35:12,759 Speaker 1: came back to the studio ready to kiss Shirley Jones 1609 01:35:12,880 --> 01:35:17,479 Speaker 1: later in the film, but it hit the trade papers. Bob, 1610 01:35:17,520 --> 01:35:20,920 Speaker 1: I'm telling you it was in Hollywood Reporter, Daily Variety. 1611 01:35:20,960 --> 01:35:24,080 Speaker 1: It went around the world on the associated up all 1612 01:35:24,080 --> 01:35:27,519 Speaker 1: the press services. You can look it up. A star 1613 01:35:27,760 --> 01:35:31,280 Speaker 1: refuses to kiss leading lady and they assumed it was 1614 01:35:31,320 --> 01:35:34,320 Speaker 1: for religious reasons, but it wasn't. It was just I 1615 01:35:34,360 --> 01:35:38,120 Speaker 1: wanted to stay married and I wanted to know ahead 1616 01:35:38,160 --> 01:35:40,439 Speaker 1: of time is this going to be a problem. And 1617 01:35:40,520 --> 01:35:43,120 Speaker 1: Shirley gave me her permission. So I did love scenes 1618 01:35:43,200 --> 01:35:47,960 Speaker 1: with Debbie Reynolds and Barbara Eden and Diane Baker and 1619 01:35:47,960 --> 01:35:51,840 Speaker 1: and Margaret and and others, and of course I didn't 1620 01:35:51,920 --> 01:35:55,280 Speaker 1: enjoy it. Okay, there are a couple of you know, 1621 01:35:55,320 --> 01:35:59,519 Speaker 1: being that famous, you get experiences the average person doesn't have. 1622 01:36:00,080 --> 01:36:03,240 Speaker 1: Tell me you're one or two best experiences as a 1623 01:36:03,320 --> 01:36:05,479 Speaker 1: result of your need, whether it be meeting ahead of 1624 01:36:05,520 --> 01:36:09,240 Speaker 1: state or going somewhere. You know what couple of the 1625 01:36:09,280 --> 01:36:16,479 Speaker 1: perks of fame, well, you know, usually the people that 1626 01:36:16,520 --> 01:36:19,639 Speaker 1: I met. You know, I I had been around enough 1627 01:36:19,680 --> 01:36:23,360 Speaker 1: and I was intelligent enough, you know, to to try 1628 01:36:23,360 --> 01:36:28,000 Speaker 1: to be on best behavior. My worst, my worst experience, 1629 01:36:28,080 --> 01:36:31,240 Speaker 1: most embarrassing moment of my life was with Queen Elizabeth. 1630 01:36:31,520 --> 01:36:34,479 Speaker 1: So we'll go right to the top. I mean I 1631 01:36:34,520 --> 01:36:39,560 Speaker 1: did to Royal command performances. You know, the whoever manages 1632 01:36:39,600 --> 01:36:42,720 Speaker 1: those things has whatever the royal family wants to come 1633 01:36:42,720 --> 01:36:47,519 Speaker 1: in at the generally the Palladium theater in the Royal 1634 01:36:47,600 --> 01:36:50,040 Speaker 1: Box there the Royal family up there. And I was 1635 01:36:50,080 --> 01:36:52,920 Speaker 1: still in college when I did my first command performance. 1636 01:36:53,840 --> 01:36:58,520 Speaker 1: Imagine that. I mean, I'm I'm making movies, television recordings, 1637 01:36:59,160 --> 01:37:02,320 Speaker 1: having hits since success and babies right and left, four 1638 01:37:02,360 --> 01:37:05,640 Speaker 1: and four years and I go to London and I 1639 01:37:05,720 --> 01:37:09,720 Speaker 1: perform in the in the Palladium and singing my rock 1640 01:37:09,800 --> 01:37:16,479 Speaker 1: and roll songs. Well, um, I was schooled ahead of 1641 01:37:16,560 --> 01:37:19,840 Speaker 1: time that you know what you do, you get in 1642 01:37:19,920 --> 01:37:22,160 Speaker 1: this line. And the poor Queen and the royal family 1643 01:37:22,200 --> 01:37:26,000 Speaker 1: have to run this gauntlet with performers and make nice 1644 01:37:26,040 --> 01:37:28,719 Speaker 1: with people, some of which they may don't care about, 1645 01:37:29,160 --> 01:37:30,920 Speaker 1: but they have to be nice to everybody. And and 1646 01:37:31,640 --> 01:37:35,160 Speaker 1: the women have to curtsy and bow, and the guys 1647 01:37:35,240 --> 01:37:39,040 Speaker 1: have to stand straight by by your head, say your 1648 01:37:39,040 --> 01:37:42,760 Speaker 1: majesty and extend your don't extend your hand unless she 1649 01:37:42,800 --> 01:37:47,439 Speaker 1: extends hers. I don't remember whether she and Princess Margaret 1650 01:37:47,600 --> 01:37:50,120 Speaker 1: and the others. I think Princess Margaret extended her hand 1651 01:37:50,520 --> 01:37:54,240 Speaker 1: that first time because she was a fan already Princess 1652 01:37:54,240 --> 01:37:56,719 Speaker 1: Margaret so and I was singing rock and roll songs 1653 01:37:56,720 --> 01:38:01,519 Speaker 1: that were big hits in England and uh and so that. 1654 01:38:01,600 --> 01:38:04,120 Speaker 1: But that was in fifty seven, now, several years go by. 1655 01:38:04,160 --> 01:38:05,800 Speaker 1: I you know, it was all right, it went well, 1656 01:38:07,240 --> 01:38:09,120 Speaker 1: and I was, you know, I could brag about having 1657 01:38:09,160 --> 01:38:11,439 Speaker 1: it had a royal command performance when I go back, 1658 01:38:11,479 --> 01:38:14,599 Speaker 1: and I think it was it was at a royal 1659 01:38:14,600 --> 01:38:17,400 Speaker 1: command performance having to do with a movie. I think 1660 01:38:17,439 --> 01:38:20,599 Speaker 1: it was West Side Story or something. So I came 1661 01:38:20,640 --> 01:38:22,519 Speaker 1: back and I'm an old hand now I know what 1662 01:38:22,640 --> 01:38:27,320 Speaker 1: to do, and I was sort of smugly, uh, you know, 1663 01:38:27,920 --> 01:38:32,080 Speaker 1: laughing up my sleeve at Peter Seller's Claudia, Cardinal Peter Finch. 1664 01:38:32,520 --> 01:38:35,800 Speaker 1: Some of these big big stars, they're also nervous. I mean, 1665 01:38:35,800 --> 01:38:39,080 Speaker 1: who who's not nervous when you're gonna meet and you know, 1666 01:38:39,520 --> 01:38:42,000 Speaker 1: either shake hands or be greeted by the Queen of 1667 01:38:42,000 --> 01:38:46,240 Speaker 1: England and the royal family, Prince Philip and everybody. I'd 1668 01:38:46,240 --> 01:38:47,920 Speaker 1: done it before, so I knew what to do and 1669 01:38:47,960 --> 01:38:52,479 Speaker 1: I was not nervous until she comes in far at 1670 01:38:52,479 --> 01:38:54,559 Speaker 1: the other end and I'm towards the end of the line, 1671 01:38:55,240 --> 01:38:59,720 Speaker 1: and I see how nervous. Everybody else is, and and 1672 01:38:59,800 --> 01:39:02,559 Speaker 1: I starting to repeating to use okay, by your head, don't, 1673 01:39:02,560 --> 01:39:06,920 Speaker 1: don't re extend your hand, say your majesty. If she 1674 01:39:07,000 --> 01:39:09,320 Speaker 1: extends her hand, you take it. If not, just let 1675 01:39:09,760 --> 01:39:13,719 Speaker 1: answer whatever she says. And that's it. And so Peter 1676 01:39:13,800 --> 01:39:18,960 Speaker 1: Seller's Claudie Carlinal Peter's bench over here waiting, and suddenly 1677 01:39:19,000 --> 01:39:22,719 Speaker 1: she's standing in front of me, and I bowed. I said, 1678 01:39:22,720 --> 01:39:28,519 Speaker 1: your majesty, and she said we met before? Who I said? 1679 01:39:28,600 --> 01:39:33,360 Speaker 1: We did? My we did. I didn't mean to say that. 1680 01:39:33,400 --> 01:39:36,360 Speaker 1: I meant to say you remember that, but it came 1681 01:39:36,360 --> 01:39:42,000 Speaker 1: out we did we met before? How can you say 1682 01:39:42,040 --> 01:39:45,280 Speaker 1: that to the Queen of England? When was that queeney? 1683 01:39:45,520 --> 01:39:48,040 Speaker 1: Was it a seven eleven store somewhere? And where where 1684 01:39:48,080 --> 01:39:51,800 Speaker 1: did we meet? I'm and and she laughed and and 1685 01:39:51,840 --> 01:39:53,640 Speaker 1: there's a picture of me and a one of the 1686 01:39:53,680 --> 01:39:56,639 Speaker 1: London papers with a look of shock on my face 1687 01:39:56,680 --> 01:39:59,680 Speaker 1: and a big smile on her face. And she extended 1688 01:39:59,680 --> 01:40:03,439 Speaker 1: her and she said it was the royal performance several 1689 01:40:03,560 --> 01:40:06,519 Speaker 1: years ago. She was very sweet, like, oh, if you 1690 01:40:06,560 --> 01:40:10,960 Speaker 1: don't remember, it's okay. How can I say I don't? 1691 01:40:11,600 --> 01:40:14,000 Speaker 1: But my response to her was when she said we 1692 01:40:14,080 --> 01:40:20,639 Speaker 1: met before we did. So, I mean, you can't top 1693 01:40:20,760 --> 01:40:24,840 Speaker 1: that for embarrassment. Um, I mean I I at the moment, 1694 01:40:26,360 --> 01:40:29,519 Speaker 1: I can't. I know that Dick Clark and I, Uh, 1695 01:40:29,720 --> 01:40:34,320 Speaker 1: everybody told us that we looked alike sometimes. Uh. In fact, 1696 01:40:34,360 --> 01:40:36,680 Speaker 1: sometimes he was mistaken for Pat Boone and I was 1697 01:40:36,760 --> 01:40:41,040 Speaker 1: mistaken for Dick Clark. And so we we pulled alongside 1698 01:40:41,080 --> 01:40:44,080 Speaker 1: each each other and our cars on Sunset Boulevard one time, 1699 01:40:44,360 --> 01:40:47,040 Speaker 1: roll the windows down, and I said, anybody ever tell 1700 01:40:47,120 --> 01:40:49,640 Speaker 1: you you look like Pat Boone? And they said, ye, 1701 01:40:49,760 --> 01:40:53,080 Speaker 1: anybody will tell you look like Dick Clark. And and 1702 01:40:53,160 --> 01:40:54,920 Speaker 1: I have a picture I'm looking at it right now 1703 01:40:54,920 --> 01:40:58,840 Speaker 1: in my office of Dick and me together. And he 1704 01:40:58,920 --> 01:41:03,200 Speaker 1: had it on his um office wall. And when he passed, 1705 01:41:03,240 --> 01:41:05,240 Speaker 1: his wife knew I would like to have that picture, 1706 01:41:05,320 --> 01:41:07,639 Speaker 1: and and she sent it over to me. And I'm 1707 01:41:07,680 --> 01:41:10,040 Speaker 1: looking at him with this look on my face, like, 1708 01:41:10,080 --> 01:41:13,200 Speaker 1: you know, we really do look alike. But but but 1709 01:41:13,320 --> 01:41:17,080 Speaker 1: we we were not embarrassed by any of that. Maybe 1710 01:41:17,120 --> 01:41:20,200 Speaker 1: he was embarrassed sometimes if they thought he was Pat Boone. 1711 01:41:20,880 --> 01:41:23,120 Speaker 1: I was never embarrassed if they thought I was Dick Clark. 1712 01:41:23,240 --> 01:41:33,760 Speaker 1: But but no, I can't think of Well, let's let's 1713 01:41:33,800 --> 01:41:36,200 Speaker 1: go back. You're talking about England. So you're having this 1714 01:41:36,320 --> 01:41:39,000 Speaker 1: career hit after hit, you have a TV show, you 1715 01:41:39,000 --> 01:41:42,360 Speaker 1: have movies. What goes through your mind when the Beatles 1716 01:41:42,439 --> 01:41:47,240 Speaker 1: hit and what was that experience? Like? Well, I first 1717 01:41:47,240 --> 01:41:50,479 Speaker 1: heard them when I was in England performing and their 1718 01:41:50,479 --> 01:41:53,920 Speaker 1: first record had come out. If there's anything that you want, 1719 01:41:54,240 --> 01:41:57,160 Speaker 1: which I'm hearing on a commercial right now, So the Beatles, 1720 01:41:57,240 --> 01:42:01,000 Speaker 1: or who have Michael Jackson, whoever owns their catalog, is 1721 01:42:01,080 --> 01:42:04,360 Speaker 1: letting them use the Beatles songs. But I heard that 1722 01:42:04,439 --> 01:42:07,599 Speaker 1: record and I said that's a hit, and I brought 1723 01:42:07,600 --> 01:42:11,280 Speaker 1: it back to to l A and trying to get 1724 01:42:11,400 --> 01:42:13,680 Speaker 1: Randy would have Dot Records to let me record it, 1725 01:42:14,560 --> 01:42:16,519 Speaker 1: but he said no, it's already been out on another 1726 01:42:16,600 --> 01:42:19,920 Speaker 1: label called VJ and it was not a hit, so 1727 01:42:19,960 --> 01:42:22,719 Speaker 1: he said no, it's I don't think it's a hit record, 1728 01:42:23,360 --> 01:42:25,320 Speaker 1: and he wouldn't let me record it. So of course 1729 01:42:25,360 --> 01:42:28,000 Speaker 1: it did go on to become a big hit and 1730 01:42:28,120 --> 01:42:31,400 Speaker 1: uh and the Beatles, they they came on so strong 1731 01:42:32,720 --> 01:42:37,360 Speaker 1: that at one point, like five of the top ten 1732 01:42:37,560 --> 01:42:40,880 Speaker 1: songs were all Beatles songs. And Tom Jones and I 1733 01:42:40,960 --> 01:42:43,640 Speaker 1: and all the others making records had to scramble for 1734 01:42:43,720 --> 01:42:46,840 Speaker 1: our whatever was left. And I was making a lot 1735 01:42:46,920 --> 01:42:50,160 Speaker 1: of money in my record royalties and and and still 1736 01:42:50,240 --> 01:42:53,320 Speaker 1: selling lots of records at that time in the sixties. 1737 01:42:54,280 --> 01:43:00,160 Speaker 1: And so uh, I got a painter who was uh 1738 01:43:00,600 --> 01:43:04,080 Speaker 1: who was very skilled. He had he painted a oil 1739 01:43:04,120 --> 01:43:07,559 Speaker 1: painting of me from a picture in a magazine. But 1740 01:43:07,840 --> 01:43:11,320 Speaker 1: he was great at skin tones, and not my skin. 1741 01:43:11,439 --> 01:43:13,320 Speaker 1: I had a need for that, But I mean he 1742 01:43:13,320 --> 01:43:16,960 Speaker 1: he made me look really nice in this painting. So 1743 01:43:17,000 --> 01:43:19,200 Speaker 1: I sent him a picture surely my wife and asked 1744 01:43:19,240 --> 01:43:21,360 Speaker 1: him to do that, and he did. And then I 1745 01:43:21,400 --> 01:43:23,639 Speaker 1: sent him pictures of my four girls and he painted 1746 01:43:23,680 --> 01:43:26,519 Speaker 1: them and and and I have him framed in our 1747 01:43:26,560 --> 01:43:32,280 Speaker 1: place in Hawaii right now. And so he he in 1748 01:43:32,360 --> 01:43:35,280 Speaker 1: contacted me said he was coming to the States. He 1749 01:43:35,360 --> 01:43:40,400 Speaker 1: was from Indonesia, and he said, Uh, I need there's 1750 01:43:40,720 --> 01:43:43,759 Speaker 1: a group called Church World Group that will bring me over, 1751 01:43:44,320 --> 01:43:46,200 Speaker 1: but I need to have a sponsor. Would you be 1752 01:43:46,280 --> 01:43:49,840 Speaker 1: willing to be my sponsor? Well, I didn't know what 1753 01:43:49,880 --> 01:43:52,639 Speaker 1: that meant, just would you vouch for me? I said, okay, sure, 1754 01:43:52,680 --> 01:43:55,920 Speaker 1: I'll be your sponsor. And I thought he had maybe 1755 01:43:55,960 --> 01:43:58,960 Speaker 1: some connections I didn't know. And the next thing I know, 1756 01:43:59,040 --> 01:44:01,559 Speaker 1: we've moved to CALIFORNI on you and I get this 1757 01:44:01,680 --> 01:44:05,280 Speaker 1: notice from the Church World Service. We are we're sending 1758 01:44:05,320 --> 01:44:09,519 Speaker 1: a young man named Leo Jansen. He'll be arriving in 1759 01:44:09,640 --> 01:44:12,240 Speaker 1: New York such and such a date on a ship. 1760 01:44:12,840 --> 01:44:14,760 Speaker 1: Where do you plan for him to live? And what 1761 01:44:14,840 --> 01:44:17,840 Speaker 1: do you expect? Where do you expect for him to do? 1762 01:44:18,560 --> 01:44:21,960 Speaker 1: That's what they meant by my being a sponsor. And 1763 01:44:22,040 --> 01:44:25,760 Speaker 1: he's already on the ship coming over, and so I 1764 01:44:25,800 --> 01:44:28,400 Speaker 1: had a representative of mine meet him at the ship 1765 01:44:28,760 --> 01:44:33,599 Speaker 1: flying to California. He's about five ft tall, a little swarthy, 1766 01:44:33,720 --> 01:44:40,080 Speaker 1: dark Indonesian who who could paint incredibly, And I got 1767 01:44:40,160 --> 01:44:42,519 Speaker 1: him a job as a stock boy at DOT Records. 1768 01:44:43,400 --> 01:44:45,719 Speaker 1: He had to help. He had to shove these huge, 1769 01:44:46,040 --> 01:44:49,800 Speaker 1: heavy boxes full of records around on a cart. It 1770 01:44:49,840 --> 01:44:52,320 Speaker 1: could have killed him. In fact, who knows. It may 1771 01:44:52,320 --> 01:44:55,120 Speaker 1: have contributed to an early death, which he did experience, 1772 01:44:55,200 --> 01:44:58,760 Speaker 1: but it was not from that and he was he was. 1773 01:44:58,880 --> 01:45:04,599 Speaker 1: I had him paint other stars like um uh Oh, 1774 01:45:04,800 --> 01:45:12,320 Speaker 1: Richard Chamberlain and Connie Francis, Connie Stevens, ma Harris uh 1775 01:45:12,520 --> 01:45:16,559 Speaker 1: what's Ma Harris's first name anyway, actors, And just like me, 1776 01:45:17,000 --> 01:45:19,040 Speaker 1: he would paint them and I would have him send 1777 01:45:19,040 --> 01:45:21,360 Speaker 1: the pictures to them, and they'd pay him five or 1778 01:45:21,360 --> 01:45:25,719 Speaker 1: six dollars for these portraits of them taken from pictures 1779 01:45:25,720 --> 01:45:28,960 Speaker 1: and magazines, I mean, because they were that good. Next 1780 01:45:29,000 --> 01:45:32,880 Speaker 1: thing I knew, I saw he was painting nudes and 1781 01:45:33,000 --> 01:45:36,439 Speaker 1: his paintings were being displayed in the big painting stores 1782 01:45:37,040 --> 01:45:40,800 Speaker 1: framed uh, and he would he would he didn't have 1783 01:45:40,920 --> 01:45:44,920 Speaker 1: new models, but he would just buy magazines and he 1784 01:45:44,960 --> 01:45:49,439 Speaker 1: would drape a towel or uh, some kind of clothing 1785 01:45:49,520 --> 01:45:53,400 Speaker 1: over an otherwise nude model. And and and because his 1786 01:45:53,520 --> 01:45:57,920 Speaker 1: skin tones were, as I say, so great, the Aaron 1787 01:45:58,000 --> 01:46:00,439 Speaker 1: Brothers and other stores that sell all kinds of paintings 1788 01:46:00,479 --> 01:46:03,360 Speaker 1: that would display them in the windows. And he was 1789 01:46:03,400 --> 01:46:06,880 Speaker 1: beginning to make serious money. So I had him come 1790 01:46:06,920 --> 01:46:09,599 Speaker 1: over for dinner and I said, you know, uh, Leo, 1791 01:46:10,200 --> 01:46:13,320 Speaker 1: I'm glad you're making money, but you know this, I 1792 01:46:13,320 --> 01:46:16,479 Speaker 1: don't think should be what you're remembered for. I have 1793 01:46:16,560 --> 01:46:19,920 Speaker 1: an idea I want I'm gonna get some pictures, some 1794 01:46:20,000 --> 01:46:24,360 Speaker 1: paintings of Jesus, and I want you to to paint 1795 01:46:24,479 --> 01:46:29,040 Speaker 1: a beautiful, lifelike portrait of Jesus. And I believe this 1796 01:46:29,080 --> 01:46:31,240 Speaker 1: could be the thing you'll be remembered for the rest 1797 01:46:31,240 --> 01:46:34,880 Speaker 1: of your life, because there's millions of people that would 1798 01:46:34,880 --> 01:46:37,800 Speaker 1: like to have your heart work, your artwork and heart 1799 01:46:37,840 --> 01:46:40,960 Speaker 1: work for that matter. And I knew he could do it, 1800 01:46:41,080 --> 01:46:43,800 Speaker 1: and he was. He was soon to do that. He 1801 01:46:43,880 --> 01:46:47,439 Speaker 1: was planning to do that. He brought his mother over 1802 01:46:47,479 --> 01:46:51,160 Speaker 1: from Holland, from the Netherlands and or did I say 1803 01:46:51,160 --> 01:46:55,120 Speaker 1: Indonesia was the Netherlands, begin in the Indonesian component, because 1804 01:46:55,160 --> 01:46:58,120 Speaker 1: they were in control of the Indonesia at that point. 1805 01:46:58,720 --> 01:47:02,360 Speaker 1: And so he had he had a heart attack and 1806 01:47:02,479 --> 01:47:05,680 Speaker 1: passed very early, and he never got that painting of 1807 01:47:05,760 --> 01:47:09,920 Speaker 1: Jesus done. I've always regretted that because I can imagine 1808 01:47:10,520 --> 01:47:12,599 Speaker 1: what it was going to be like, because the beautiful 1809 01:47:12,640 --> 01:47:16,240 Speaker 1: paintings of him anyway, but none that could do what 1810 01:47:16,640 --> 01:47:20,320 Speaker 1: Leo Jansen could have done by bringing him to life 1811 01:47:21,439 --> 01:47:24,759 Speaker 1: as as his artistry would have done and a painting, 1812 01:47:24,880 --> 01:47:29,240 Speaker 1: but that didn't happen. But what the world brought that up? 1813 01:47:29,479 --> 01:47:34,560 Speaker 1: The Beatles? Oh, the Beatles, Oh yes, because that occasion 1814 01:47:34,920 --> 01:47:39,439 Speaker 1: my meeting with the Beatles, because when they performed UH 1815 01:47:39,600 --> 01:47:43,760 Speaker 1: the first tour UH and they were to Thomas mcreena 1816 01:47:43,800 --> 01:47:47,919 Speaker 1: in Las Vegas. I had created pictures of the Beatles, 1817 01:47:48,400 --> 01:47:54,479 Speaker 1: had a painter do the beautiful UH separate um solo 1818 01:47:54,600 --> 01:47:58,200 Speaker 1: port uh pictures and then a group portrait as well, 1819 01:47:59,040 --> 01:48:02,320 Speaker 1: and got sears. I got to go to Briant. I 1820 01:48:02,360 --> 01:48:04,360 Speaker 1: had to go to Brian Epstein to get the contract, 1821 01:48:04,439 --> 01:48:07,639 Speaker 1: which I did, and he he loved the pictures once 1822 01:48:07,680 --> 01:48:10,680 Speaker 1: he saw them solo portraits. What I was trying to say, 1823 01:48:10,880 --> 01:48:13,720 Speaker 1: They and the and the Beatles themselves loved the portraits 1824 01:48:14,320 --> 01:48:16,880 Speaker 1: and and he so I got the contract to sell 1825 01:48:16,920 --> 01:48:20,400 Speaker 1: them and UH and so we got sears to sell 1826 01:48:20,439 --> 01:48:23,320 Speaker 1: them by the by the hundreds and thous is probably millions. 1827 01:48:23,840 --> 01:48:27,240 Speaker 1: And they all had tags, numbered tags, and and the 1828 01:48:27,640 --> 01:48:30,559 Speaker 1: buyers would put their name in address and we had 1829 01:48:30,560 --> 01:48:34,160 Speaker 1: a huge raffle when they and we we brought thirty 1830 01:48:34,200 --> 01:48:38,920 Speaker 1: people to the first concert, the afternoon concert at the 1831 01:48:38,960 --> 01:48:40,920 Speaker 1: Thomas mac Areena. And I got a picture in my 1832 01:48:41,000 --> 01:48:44,400 Speaker 1: office of my wife Shirley and our kids on the 1833 01:48:44,439 --> 01:48:47,919 Speaker 1: front row at that at that concert of the Beatles 1834 01:48:48,120 --> 01:48:50,800 Speaker 1: on their first tour. And then we went back after 1835 01:48:50,880 --> 01:48:54,280 Speaker 1: that show and spent some time after the show with 1836 01:48:54,360 --> 01:48:58,160 Speaker 1: the boys and who were just coming along at that point, 1837 01:48:58,200 --> 01:49:01,960 Speaker 1: but already you know, creating havoc. And I remember my 1838 01:49:02,040 --> 01:49:05,840 Speaker 1: daughter Laurie sat on ringoes lap. Debbie was talking to 1839 01:49:07,720 --> 01:49:14,120 Speaker 1: to George Lyndy two. Who am I leaving out? Oh, 1840 01:49:14,240 --> 01:49:17,080 Speaker 1: John Lennon, And then I was talking to Paul, and 1841 01:49:17,120 --> 01:49:19,679 Speaker 1: Paul was saying, you know, we liked these portraits very much. 1842 01:49:20,200 --> 01:49:23,240 Speaker 1: They flatter us. We like them, said, Brian's got our 1843 01:49:24,040 --> 01:49:26,760 Speaker 1: their Epstein's got us on a lot of crap which 1844 01:49:26,760 --> 01:49:29,559 Speaker 1: were embarrassed by an avenge. So we had a great 1845 01:49:29,600 --> 01:49:31,559 Speaker 1: meeting back there. That's the only time I was ever 1846 01:49:31,640 --> 01:49:36,800 Speaker 1: with the boys themselves. But but the pictures wound up. 1847 01:49:36,840 --> 01:49:41,400 Speaker 1: I was in doing some shows myself in England, eventually concerts, 1848 01:49:41,840 --> 01:49:43,880 Speaker 1: and I was in Liverpool and I went to the 1849 01:49:43,920 --> 01:49:46,960 Speaker 1: Cavern and those pictures that we had I had done 1850 01:49:46,960 --> 01:49:51,879 Speaker 1: are hanging at the cavern, uh where you know, honoring 1851 01:49:51,920 --> 01:49:55,719 Speaker 1: where the guys first made their breakout moves as a group. 1852 01:49:56,600 --> 01:49:59,720 Speaker 1: And so I would like to say that I ma 1853 01:50:00,000 --> 01:50:04,400 Speaker 1: relationship had continued with any of them, including Paul, especially Paul, 1854 01:50:04,479 --> 01:50:07,200 Speaker 1: because I felt like he and I were the most 1855 01:50:07,240 --> 01:50:12,080 Speaker 1: alike of of those guys because he had he developed 1856 01:50:12,120 --> 01:50:16,080 Speaker 1: a wonderful marriage. Of course his first wife died, but uh, 1857 01:50:16,280 --> 01:50:20,000 Speaker 1: he had other marriages and kids, and I thought he 1858 01:50:20,040 --> 01:50:23,000 Speaker 1: was a great father. And and I don't know about 1859 01:50:23,000 --> 01:50:27,280 Speaker 1: George and his family or Ringo Um and John. Of 1860 01:50:27,320 --> 01:50:30,760 Speaker 1: course he had Yoko, but I I did have and 1861 01:50:30,800 --> 01:50:33,680 Speaker 1: I recorded some of their songs my my records if 1862 01:50:33,680 --> 01:50:36,559 Speaker 1: I want to hold your hand, and and yesterday, and 1863 01:50:36,600 --> 01:50:39,760 Speaker 1: some of the songs that they wrote and did were 1864 01:50:39,800 --> 01:50:44,439 Speaker 1: so wonderful. And I had that kind of relationship with him. 1865 01:50:44,439 --> 01:50:47,719 Speaker 1: But the one personal relationship was when we were both 1866 01:50:47,760 --> 01:50:51,160 Speaker 1: really still in the early days of our careers. Did 1867 01:50:51,240 --> 01:50:55,400 Speaker 1: Leo paint the pictures? Yes, Leo Jansen. Okay, just let 1868 01:50:55,439 --> 01:50:59,080 Speaker 1: to make sure. Okay, Now you mentioned earlier that you're 1869 01:50:59,120 --> 01:51:03,599 Speaker 1: juggling six or seven balls to this day. So how 1870 01:51:03,760 --> 01:51:06,800 Speaker 1: you know you keep reinforcing that you really plan to 1871 01:51:06,880 --> 01:51:09,360 Speaker 1: do this for a temporary period of time, then become 1872 01:51:09,400 --> 01:51:15,080 Speaker 1: a teacher. Preacher, How have you sustained decade after decade, 1873 01:51:15,640 --> 01:51:22,000 Speaker 1: another sixty years. How have you managed to do that? 1874 01:51:22,000 --> 01:51:24,640 Speaker 1: That's good, that's another very very good question. And you know, 1875 01:51:24,720 --> 01:51:27,160 Speaker 1: I would never have dreamed it would happen but I 1876 01:51:27,200 --> 01:51:33,240 Speaker 1: think the logical answers are versatility diversity not the necessarily 1877 01:51:33,320 --> 01:51:37,760 Speaker 1: same thing. Because I have recorded more songs, I never 1878 01:51:37,840 --> 01:51:41,240 Speaker 1: quit recording, and I always had some kind of access 1879 01:51:41,320 --> 01:51:43,920 Speaker 1: even if if I had to start the company, which 1880 01:51:43,960 --> 01:51:47,040 Speaker 1: I did, Land and Lion Records and Pat Boone's Gold 1881 01:51:47,120 --> 01:51:51,600 Speaker 1: Label for other artists as well as myself, because the 1882 01:51:51,680 --> 01:51:55,720 Speaker 1: time came when many of us artists were dropped by 1883 01:51:55,720 --> 01:51:59,519 Speaker 1: the labels that we helped build, and and so I 1884 01:51:59,680 --> 01:52:06,120 Speaker 1: and I anger and opportunism to to impetus I UM 1885 01:52:06,600 --> 01:52:10,120 Speaker 1: I created the Gold Label for artists who had sold 1886 01:52:10,120 --> 01:52:13,680 Speaker 1: millions of records, who were still active and singing, and 1887 01:52:13,880 --> 01:52:17,080 Speaker 1: we're not on any label and uh, and I got 1888 01:52:17,080 --> 01:52:22,160 Speaker 1: a partner who who who could be the administrator? And 1889 01:52:22,200 --> 01:52:25,400 Speaker 1: in the first two two years of that label Gold Label, 1890 01:52:25,880 --> 01:52:35,360 Speaker 1: we signed famous artists including Glenn Campbell, Roger williams, um Gosh, 1891 01:52:35,439 --> 01:52:41,080 Speaker 1: the Four Freshmen, and and uh, the High Lows and 1892 01:52:41,080 --> 01:52:43,120 Speaker 1: and and I'm forgetting a lot of them we had. 1893 01:52:43,240 --> 01:52:45,840 Speaker 1: We had so many of them on our label. They 1894 01:52:45,840 --> 01:52:49,120 Speaker 1: had sold millions of records and we're still performing, but 1895 01:52:50,320 --> 01:52:52,880 Speaker 1: we we had had a hit a financial bump in 1896 01:52:52,920 --> 01:52:54,840 Speaker 1: the road. The guy that was putting up the money, 1897 01:52:55,360 --> 01:52:59,280 Speaker 1: lost all his money, and it fell on my shoulders 1898 01:52:59,320 --> 01:53:02,040 Speaker 1: to foot at the bill and keep it going, which 1899 01:53:02,080 --> 01:53:04,759 Speaker 1: I did for a while. But I brought in people 1900 01:53:04,800 --> 01:53:08,599 Speaker 1: who who have been recommended it's knowing how to run 1901 01:53:08,680 --> 01:53:12,400 Speaker 1: record companies, and they didn't. They just they just took 1902 01:53:12,439 --> 01:53:16,080 Speaker 1: my money and they didn't get anything done. And and 1903 01:53:16,000 --> 01:53:18,760 Speaker 1: and then at the worst possible time, we had a 1904 01:53:18,800 --> 01:53:23,640 Speaker 1: wonderful relationship with a company called Valley Media. They they 1905 01:53:23,640 --> 01:53:27,920 Speaker 1: were the biggest inventories uh company in the nation. They 1906 01:53:27,960 --> 01:53:33,960 Speaker 1: had huh Barney who ran it. Oh really yeah, yeah, 1907 01:53:34,040 --> 01:53:36,720 Speaker 1: they were in northern California. They were a big distributor, 1908 01:53:36,880 --> 01:53:40,479 Speaker 1: Valley Distributors, and you know that it went public and 1909 01:53:41,080 --> 01:53:44,120 Speaker 1: we had a great relationship with them because they we 1910 01:53:44,240 --> 01:53:47,760 Speaker 1: paid for the records, but they would pay for the 1911 01:53:47,800 --> 01:53:52,320 Speaker 1: marketing and distribution, and they were good at it and 1912 01:53:52,320 --> 01:53:54,360 Speaker 1: and also the inventor and all of that. They would 1913 01:53:54,360 --> 01:53:56,680 Speaker 1: act like a record label and let me be the 1914 01:53:56,720 --> 01:54:00,360 Speaker 1: record label and they would work with me. But about 1915 01:54:00,360 --> 01:54:04,719 Speaker 1: a year after they went public, they went bankrupt and 1916 01:54:04,720 --> 01:54:07,559 Speaker 1: and so they all of my masters, all of my 1917 01:54:07,720 --> 01:54:12,800 Speaker 1: stuff was stuck in there bankruptcy proceedings, and I had 1918 01:54:12,800 --> 01:54:15,080 Speaker 1: to let all the contracts and the artists that that 1919 01:54:15,240 --> 01:54:19,559 Speaker 1: I had gotten recorded, Glenn Campbell, and and and Jack 1920 01:54:19,640 --> 01:54:22,880 Speaker 1: Jones and all of the artists, Patti Page. I had 1921 01:54:22,920 --> 01:54:25,840 Speaker 1: to let them all go because I couldn't follow through 1922 01:54:26,400 --> 01:54:29,360 Speaker 1: at my own just on my own expense. What we had. 1923 01:54:29,400 --> 01:54:33,680 Speaker 1: Our deal was we would put up fifty thousand per album, 1924 01:54:33,720 --> 01:54:36,000 Speaker 1: and if you do your job and the arrangers do 1925 01:54:36,080 --> 01:54:38,280 Speaker 1: their job, you can make a wonderful album, even with 1926 01:54:38,320 --> 01:54:41,320 Speaker 1: an orchestra fifty thousand if you come to the studio 1927 01:54:41,440 --> 01:54:44,240 Speaker 1: knowing what you're gonna do, not doing like so many 1928 01:54:44,280 --> 01:54:47,280 Speaker 1: of the rock artists and so many others did and do. Still. 1929 01:54:47,760 --> 01:54:50,400 Speaker 1: They booked the studio for a month, and they bring 1930 01:54:50,440 --> 01:54:52,920 Speaker 1: their musicians together and they start fiddling around, Now what 1931 01:54:52,960 --> 01:54:55,560 Speaker 1: do we do? And they write songs while they're running 1932 01:54:55,600 --> 01:54:59,200 Speaker 1: up those huge bills three or four hundred thousand, And 1933 01:54:59,240 --> 01:55:00,720 Speaker 1: we weren't gonna do that. And I said, if you 1934 01:55:00,760 --> 01:55:02,760 Speaker 1: want to spend more than fifty, you can pay more. 1935 01:55:03,360 --> 01:55:05,880 Speaker 1: And a couple of the artists, did you know, they 1936 01:55:06,280 --> 01:55:10,000 Speaker 1: spent more than our fifty. But we made some very 1937 01:55:10,040 --> 01:55:12,000 Speaker 1: good records that I'm really proud of, and they could 1938 01:55:12,080 --> 01:55:14,680 Speaker 1: use in their personal appearances. That was part of the 1939 01:55:15,280 --> 01:55:17,520 Speaker 1: part of the deal and what part of the reason 1940 01:55:17,560 --> 01:55:20,720 Speaker 1: they wanted to do it. But uh, but we hit 1941 01:55:20,760 --> 01:55:24,480 Speaker 1: the financial snags and and the Pat Boon Gold label 1942 01:55:24,520 --> 01:55:28,240 Speaker 1: still exists. We've we've We've got a few artists still 1943 01:55:28,280 --> 01:55:30,160 Speaker 1: hanging and well it's because they don't have anywhere else 1944 01:55:30,200 --> 01:55:34,400 Speaker 1: to go, and we still sell their records. But I'm 1945 01:55:34,400 --> 01:55:37,440 Speaker 1: hoping that the other things I'm doing now on my 1946 01:55:37,520 --> 01:55:42,120 Speaker 1: own are gonna add some luster to the Gold label 1947 01:55:42,160 --> 01:55:48,840 Speaker 1: and people will be will have the the influence to 1948 01:55:48,960 --> 01:55:51,360 Speaker 1: come to the Pat Boon Gold label, to bat Boon's 1949 01:55:51,720 --> 01:55:54,680 Speaker 1: bat boon dot Com and others and find out about 1950 01:55:54,720 --> 01:55:57,560 Speaker 1: records by artists that they did love and maybe didn't 1951 01:55:57,560 --> 01:56:00,800 Speaker 1: know that they recorded for my label. Path This has 1952 01:56:00,840 --> 01:56:03,160 Speaker 1: been wonderful. We could go on for another couple of 1953 01:56:03,160 --> 01:56:07,480 Speaker 1: hours just to hear your story is so informative. I 1954 01:56:07,520 --> 01:56:10,400 Speaker 1: want to thank you for showing up and doing this today. Well, 1955 01:56:10,480 --> 01:56:12,640 Speaker 1: let me just tell you a couple of things quickly, man, 1956 01:56:13,320 --> 01:56:16,160 Speaker 1: because you mentioned the and I mentioned the balls in 1957 01:56:16,160 --> 01:56:19,680 Speaker 1: the air, I'm about have already made the first episode 1958 01:56:19,680 --> 01:56:23,000 Speaker 1: and I'm already launching my own podcast, which will be 1959 01:56:23,040 --> 01:56:26,120 Speaker 1: happening just in a matter of weeks, and it's gonna 1960 01:56:26,320 --> 01:56:29,600 Speaker 1: include We've got so much content that is. I think 1961 01:56:29,600 --> 01:56:31,960 Speaker 1: it's going to be a very entertaining podcast because I 1962 01:56:31,960 --> 01:56:35,920 Speaker 1: can play my own records, the records of the artists 1963 01:56:35,960 --> 01:56:40,440 Speaker 1: that I will feature, like that first, that first meeting 1964 01:56:40,440 --> 01:56:43,160 Speaker 1: with Elvis when he was my opening act. No other 1965 01:56:43,280 --> 01:56:47,920 Speaker 1: artists can make that statement. And and uh, and and 1966 01:56:48,000 --> 01:56:51,320 Speaker 1: our relationship that pursued after that, when we visited in 1967 01:56:51,360 --> 01:56:55,040 Speaker 1: each other's homes, not just in each the studios. He'd 1968 01:56:55,040 --> 01:56:58,600 Speaker 1: come over on a Sunday afternoon and and my girls 1969 01:56:58,640 --> 01:57:00,400 Speaker 1: being the pool and they jump up and run to 1970 01:57:00,400 --> 01:57:02,880 Speaker 1: see him, and he that's a girl. Stop it, you're 1971 01:57:02,880 --> 01:57:04,720 Speaker 1: getting him all what? Leave me alone? Man? I like it. 1972 01:57:06,280 --> 01:57:09,840 Speaker 1: We didn't know he had Priscilla stashed back at Graceland 1973 01:57:09,880 --> 01:57:13,320 Speaker 1: at that time. So anyway, they are all these stories 1974 01:57:13,400 --> 01:57:19,040 Speaker 1: to tell and pictures to show and movie clips and 1975 01:57:19,400 --> 01:57:23,560 Speaker 1: TV clips. So that podcast and now I'm on Spotify. 1976 01:57:24,760 --> 01:57:27,320 Speaker 1: Spotify they tell me I've got about six hundred thousand 1977 01:57:27,880 --> 01:57:32,360 Speaker 1: listeners a month now coming to to hear just the 1978 01:57:32,400 --> 01:57:36,480 Speaker 1: original first eighteen or twenty songs that were big hits. 1979 01:57:37,240 --> 01:57:39,680 Speaker 1: And uh, I mean I had forty that were chart records, 1980 01:57:39,720 --> 01:57:44,000 Speaker 1: but but sixty that were chart records, but but forty 1981 01:57:44,000 --> 01:57:47,480 Speaker 1: one just in fifty five, So they can hear those 1982 01:57:47,480 --> 01:57:52,360 Speaker 1: songs on Spotify. But I've recorded two hundred songs and 1983 01:57:52,440 --> 01:57:55,280 Speaker 1: more than Frank Sinatra or being and I'm still recording, 1984 01:57:56,480 --> 01:57:58,440 Speaker 1: and so we're going to see if we get all 1985 01:57:58,480 --> 01:58:01,880 Speaker 1: those on Spotify. They're open to the idea and so 1986 01:58:02,000 --> 01:58:05,160 Speaker 1: that people will hear album songs that I recorded, movie 1987 01:58:05,200 --> 01:58:09,080 Speaker 1: themes the Great American Songbook that unless they bought one 1988 01:58:09,120 --> 01:58:12,400 Speaker 1: of my albums, they don't know that I recorded the 1989 01:58:12,440 --> 01:58:15,480 Speaker 1: same kind of songs as Frank and Byng and the 1990 01:58:15,520 --> 01:58:20,400 Speaker 1: others that I idolized. Um. And we've got other things 1991 01:58:20,480 --> 01:58:26,120 Speaker 1: happening um that are going to be noteworthy. And I've 1992 01:58:26,160 --> 01:58:30,560 Speaker 1: just recorded one song with Crystal Gayle hit record of 1993 01:58:30,560 --> 01:58:33,880 Speaker 1: hers that was twenty years ago with Eddie Rabbit, and 1994 01:58:33,920 --> 01:58:37,040 Speaker 1: the record company thought it'd be cool for me to 1995 01:58:37,080 --> 01:58:39,960 Speaker 1: do that song again with her, and she's still lovely 1996 01:58:40,080 --> 01:58:43,440 Speaker 1: and sings great. And we do a new version of 1997 01:58:44,000 --> 01:58:47,520 Speaker 1: Just You and I and we dedicated it to my wife, Shirley, 1998 01:58:47,520 --> 01:58:50,560 Speaker 1: And when we do our video together at the end 1999 01:58:50,600 --> 01:58:53,600 Speaker 1: as a picture of Shirley, that she that Gail and 2000 01:58:53,640 --> 01:58:56,760 Speaker 1: I were both singing really in honor of my wife Shirley. 2001 01:58:56,800 --> 01:58:59,640 Speaker 1: So there's there's things like this that are happening that 2002 01:59:00,600 --> 01:59:03,120 Speaker 1: people will learn about, and I hope they'll be interested. 2003 01:59:03,200 --> 01:59:05,880 Speaker 1: And of course I've written a book, my last book, 2004 01:59:05,880 --> 01:59:10,560 Speaker 1: and I've recorded my last album called Legacy, which is 2005 01:59:10,600 --> 01:59:12,800 Speaker 1: all songs. I wrote all the words and music for. 2006 01:59:13,560 --> 01:59:16,280 Speaker 1: I made every song in it. I I wrote the 2007 01:59:16,320 --> 01:59:21,000 Speaker 1: tunes and the words except one song. I have some 2008 01:59:21,080 --> 01:59:23,920 Speaker 1: help from a couple of composers that have never objected, 2009 01:59:24,520 --> 01:59:28,640 Speaker 1: rock mon and Off and Pac Pagnini variations on a 2010 01:59:28,720 --> 01:59:31,600 Speaker 1: theme by by rock mon and Off bah blah blah 2011 01:59:31,680 --> 01:59:34,920 Speaker 1: blah blah blah blah blah blah, ma bah bah blah blah, 2012 01:59:34,960 --> 01:59:38,080 Speaker 1: bah bah blah blah blah blah, the beautiful, beautiful melody. 2013 01:59:38,240 --> 01:59:41,520 Speaker 1: And I wrote words for that, and and we'll list 2014 01:59:41,560 --> 01:59:44,720 Speaker 1: them as the writers of the melody. But but I 2015 01:59:44,760 --> 01:59:50,560 Speaker 1: wrote the words. Send them the royalties. Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, 2016 01:59:50,560 --> 01:59:53,400 Speaker 1: it's a busy life. A book yet to come out, 2017 01:59:53,440 --> 01:59:56,480 Speaker 1: a movie I just did, call Mulligan. I have a 2018 01:59:56,560 --> 01:59:59,240 Speaker 1: lead role in it. It's about golf. Meant, millions of 2019 01:59:59,280 --> 02:00:01,840 Speaker 1: people play god. But there's not many movies about golf. 2020 02:00:02,640 --> 02:00:05,440 Speaker 1: The Mulligan is the second chance to do over. And 2021 02:00:05,520 --> 02:00:10,840 Speaker 1: I play a respected older golfer who's mentoring a young 2022 02:00:10,880 --> 02:00:14,880 Speaker 1: guy who's having mental and marital problems, is ruining his 2023 02:00:14,960 --> 02:00:19,600 Speaker 1: golf and business problems, and uh, and I to try 2024 02:00:19,640 --> 02:00:23,879 Speaker 1: to help him, you know, I create a spiritual basis 2025 02:00:23,920 --> 02:00:26,800 Speaker 1: for him to get his life in order, which will 2026 02:00:26,840 --> 02:00:28,760 Speaker 1: also help his golf. And it's going to be a 2027 02:00:28,760 --> 02:00:31,880 Speaker 1: big film. I think I can guarantee because of what 2028 02:00:32,000 --> 02:00:34,840 Speaker 1: I just said millions of golfers is going to come 2029 02:00:34,880 --> 02:00:39,360 Speaker 1: out the week after the Masters next April. Good timing. 2030 02:00:39,440 --> 02:00:42,400 Speaker 1: And it's about golf. It's a whole golf story. And 2031 02:00:42,440 --> 02:00:46,800 Speaker 1: I'm wearing Payne Stewart Nickers throughout. I'm a very colorful 2032 02:00:46,880 --> 02:00:50,520 Speaker 1: character in the film. And uh, I think, I mean, 2033 02:00:50,520 --> 02:00:52,080 Speaker 1: they tell me I did a good job in it. 2034 02:00:52,160 --> 02:00:54,480 Speaker 1: And I've got a couple of other films that I've 2035 02:00:54,520 --> 02:00:58,640 Speaker 1: done lead rose in that are not out yet. So 2036 02:00:59,280 --> 02:01:02,440 Speaker 1: I'm busy. I'm telling you, I'm just continually still writing, 2037 02:01:02,680 --> 02:01:06,680 Speaker 1: still singing. I'm not making live performances because of COVID. 2038 02:01:07,360 --> 02:01:09,520 Speaker 1: But I had to cancel my last what might have 2039 02:01:09,560 --> 02:01:13,919 Speaker 1: been my last performance in the Dick Clark Theater in Branson, 2040 02:01:13,960 --> 02:01:16,760 Speaker 1: where I had a lot of success playing Will Rogers 2041 02:01:16,760 --> 02:01:20,480 Speaker 1: and and and Justice in my own shows, but that 2042 02:01:20,520 --> 02:01:23,800 Speaker 1: had to be canceled, maybe forever. So I don't know 2043 02:01:23,840 --> 02:01:26,280 Speaker 1: if I'll do any more live performances, but if I do, 2044 02:01:27,360 --> 02:01:30,000 Speaker 1: I sing some every week to make sure that I 2045 02:01:30,040 --> 02:01:33,080 Speaker 1: can still do it. And I mean, I'm in my 2046 02:01:33,200 --> 02:01:37,640 Speaker 1: eighth year, but I'm listen. You're an inspiration. Shall we 2047 02:01:37,680 --> 02:01:41,360 Speaker 1: all live that long? Never mind be that productive? And 2048 02:01:41,400 --> 02:01:43,840 Speaker 1: I still swim in my heated pool, I still work 2049 02:01:43,880 --> 02:01:47,520 Speaker 1: out in the gym, still play tennis and golf and 2050 02:01:47,520 --> 02:01:51,840 Speaker 1: and and and hold my own I mean, I I'm 2051 02:01:51,960 --> 02:01:56,000 Speaker 1: very fortunate, always have been. But the name Boone means blessing, 2052 02:01:56,920 --> 02:01:59,480 Speaker 1: and I've just tried to live up to it. Thank 2053 02:01:59,520 --> 02:02:03,680 Speaker 1: you so much, Pat, It's been great. Thank you, Bob. 2054 02:02:03,920 --> 02:02:06,400 Speaker 1: Till next time. This is Bob left Sex