As Pat Boone walked off the Coach House stage on Saturday, he declared, “This is it.” The iconic singer was performing his farewell concert in Southern California, not far from where he has called home for over 60 years.
Boone had previously told a Florida caller, “I mean, I won’t promise anything except I won’t promise anything,” as his father used to say. He explained that because as soon as you make a promise, you can’t keep it.
Despite this, Boone hinted at the possibility of this being his last concert on the West Coast. After appearances in Branson, Missouri, and his birthplace of Nashville, he pondered the end of his career. He stated definitively that this could be the end of it for good.
Although Boone may be saying goodbye to the stage, his music will live on forever in the hearts of his fans. His legacy as a singer and performer will continue to inspire future generations of musicians.
As Pat Boone prepares for his final performance, many people have been asking why he’s decided to retire. “I’d prefer it to be on my terms since it has to come someday,” he explains. “I don’t want it to be because I’ve gotten too old, had a stroke, or had another ailment. I’d rather do it while I’m still standing and singing.”
Boone, who is currently 87 years old, has been contemplating endings for some time. The passing of his wife Shirley Boone, who died a year ago at age 84 after 65 years of marriage, has been a significant factor in his decision.
“I’ll be honest, it’s been emotional,” Boone acknowledges. “Because I remained busy, I feel it took a deeper emotional toll on me than I recognized. I had things to do.”
Despite the emotional toll, Boone is also looking forward to the next chapter in his life. Their Beverly Hills house, which they shared for 60 years, is becoming lonelier, but Boone says he doesn’t mind. He is ready to move on and embrace new experiences.
The Beverly Drive and Sunset Boulevard crossroads is a prime location, boasting 1.2 flat acres near the Beverly Hills Hotel, according to the realtor. However, Pat Boone has mixed feelings about selling the home he shared with his wife Shirley for 60 years. “I would like to live there. Shirley’s presence may always be felt in the house she painted and where all my girls were raised,” he reflects.
Boone can’t help but feel a sense of loss when he thinks about leaving the house. “I sense her presence all the time,” he adds. “You know, sometimes when I look at the images that are all over, I cry a little bit.” The stress of his loss has also contributed to his hair loss, which he hopes won’t be too noticeable as he performs at the Coach House with songs from his six-decade career as a pop, gospel, country, early rock, and even heavy metal icon.
Boone’s final performance will be a nostalgic one, as he plans to perform “When the Swallows Return to Capistrano,” one of his gold songs that he rarely performs. He’ll also sing some of his first rock and roll recordings from 1955 before switching to some songs from movie pictures, including “April Love.” Additionally, Boone also wrote the lyrics to the second Jewish national song, “Exodus,” which is featured on the soundtrack of the film “Exodus.”
As Pat Boone gears up for his final performance, he’s carefully selecting the songs that he’ll be singing. “I’m thinking about making one of the ‘Metal Mood’ tracks, like ‘Smoke On The Water’ (his rendition of Deep Purple),” he says. “I’ll probably sing ‘Under God,’ a song I created about the significance of the two words in our Pledge of Allegiance. I’ll also perform at least one song I wrote for Shirley. It’s called ‘You and I’.”
This special song was written when he and Shirley Boone were discussing their future in heaven after watching “The Notebook” together one night at their Hawaii home. “I hope we’re going to be Pat and Shirley Boone in paradise, not just two amorphous angels who might brush wings once in a great while and wonder if we knew each other in a previous life,” Boone recalls.
Shirley Boone had pointed him to the Bible, which declares that marriage is not permitted in heaven. In response, Boone cited another Bible text in which Jesus says, “What God has joined together, let no man break apart.”
With a chuckle, Boone reflects on the conversation, “I said, ‘I don’t want to be in heaven without my better half’.” This sentiment is one that many fans will likely relate to as they say goodbye to the iconic singer.
As Pat Boone reflects on his final performance, he can’t help but feel emotional. “Just typing that makes me cry. I’m not sure what I’ll say at the Coach House,” he admits. “We both agreed that we hoped to be Pat and Shirley Boone in heaven.”
Boone has an impressive recording career legacy. He claims to have recorded more songs than any other musician in history (2,300, give or take). Although there are other contenders, it appears to go beyond performers such as Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, a personal hero of Boone’s.
He debuted on the charts less than a year before Elvis Presley in the middle of the 1950s. According to him, he charted 41 songs to Presley’s 40 over the next 10 years, and he later outwitted Presley’s manager Col. Tom Parker to get a deal for an album of Elvis tributes.
“Elvis and I were friends, and I recorded an album called Pat Boone Sings Guess Who? as a dedication to him,” he says. “Well, if you’re going to include his name in the title, you’ve got to pay a royalty for that,” Col. Tom Parker replied when I told him I was putting together an Elvis CD. As a result, the record was dubbed “Guess Who?” It’s clear that Boone has had a long and successful career in the music industry, leaving a lasting impact on both his fans and peers.
The cover of Boone’s album “Pat Boone Sings Guess Who?” features the song names surrounding a depiction of Boone playing the guitar in an Elvis-like pose, while wearing a gold lamé attire, and “my friend Guess Who-sley” is mentioned in the liner notes on the reverse. According to Boone, Tom Parker had to tip his hat to him and Elvis loved it. He even gave Boone a gold-plated membership card to the Snowmen’s Club, a secret club he formed for hustlers and con artists who “snow” others because Boone “snowed” him.
After his final concert in California, and the next two in Branson and Nashville, Boone says he’ll still have plenty of work. Every week, he plays three sets of singles tennis with “a younger guy – he’s just 82,” and he’s also working on a book called “If: The Everlasting Choice We Must All Make,” which will help folks who don’t know the Bible or are unclear about their views address the afterlife.
“I might stay here for a while,” he continues. But if you had told me I would die at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, I would have exclaimed, “Great! At 3:30, I’ll meet Shirley. And, of course, there is the Lord.” Pat Boone’s music and career may be coming to an end, but his legacy will continue to live on through his music and his impact on future generations.
In conclusion
Pat Boone’s farewell performance is not just the end of an era for him, but also for his fans. He has left a lasting impression on the music industry with his versatile career spanning across different genres, and has recorded more songs than any other musician in history. While he may be saying goodbye to the stage, he is not done yet and will continue to be active with his tennis games and working on his book “If: The Everlasting Choice We Must All Make.”
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