The secret of Pat Boone’s success was his golden image. Pat Boone sold so many records, because every parent wanted their kids to turn out like him. His impeccably squeaky clean image embodied the fifties. Ever see Leave it to Beaver? Pat Boone was that crew cut, the cardigan and a faith more resilient than a ray of sunshine.
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Pat Boone appealed to a strictly white audience. However, all of his music was stolen from black musicians. Back then, a black rock and roller had it very tough. He signed away his rights to his music for a few dollars, which surely seemed like a fortune, and then watched as Pat Boone rode that song across every Billboard chart in the country.
Take for example the story of Fred Paris, he wrote one of the most beloved songs of all times, “In the Still of the Night”. The song sold between ten and fifteen million copies. Instead of earning the more than $100,000 in royalties, Mr. Paris signed away all rights to the song for a paltry $783. BND article
Here are just a few songs, that Pat stole from black artists:
1955 cover of Fats Domino’s “Aint’ that a Shame”,
1956 cover of Ivory Joe Hunter’s “I Almost Lost my Mind”,
Covers of Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” and “Long Tall Sally”,
And many more number one hits for Pat Boone.
https://medium.com/politicalhaze/pat-boone-has-lived-his-life-voting-republican-stealing-black-songs-and-wearing-a-crew-cut-5fc1121bbf9