LEILA FADEL, HOST:
A singer who first hit the Billboard charts in the 1950s has done it again at the age of 90. Stephen Thompson of NPR Music reports.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LOVE LETTERS IN THE SAND")
PAT BOONE: (Singing) Over love letters in the sand.
STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: Pat Boone used to be a staple of the Billboard charts. The straight-laced crooner sold tens of millions of records en route to a prolific career. Much of his early chart success came from his status as a wholesome counterpart to Elvis Presley and from a lucrative willingness to rerecord R&B songs by Black artists.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TUTTI FRUTTI")
BOONE: (Singing) A-wop-bop-a-loo-lop a-lop-bop-bop. Tutti Frutti, oh rootie.
THOMPSON: Just to be clear, that is not Little Richard. It's Pat Boone's 1957 cover of "Tutti Frutti." When Billboard's adult contemporary chart was introduced in July of 1961, Pat Boone was on it. Now, for the first time in nearly half a century, he's back on that chart with the song "ONE - Voices For Tanzania," which is credited to Pat Boone World Missions.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ONE - VOICES FOR TANZANIA")
BOONE: (Singing) One. I am one. Like no other human being. I am one.
THOMPSON: As its title suggests, the song is a benefit for infrastructure projects in Tanzania, clean water initiatives in particular, and features an assortment of country and gospel singers, including Lee Greenwood, Vince Gill and Larry Gatlin. Before this week, Pat Boone hadn't been seen on a Billboard chart since 2007, when his album "We Are Family: R&B Classics" made a brief appearance on the top R&B and hip-hop albums chart. Who's to say Pat Boone and hip-hop don't go hand in hand?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WE ARE FAMILY")
BOONE: OK. Listen up, everybody.
PAT BOONE AND SISTER SLEDGE: (Singing) We are family.
THOMPSON: This week, Pat Boone set a new record for the longest span between songs on the adult contemporary chart - 63 years, eight months and three weeks. And he's got a decent shot at returning someday. After all, if Perry Como and Paul Anka can revisit the pop charts every holiday season, why couldn't Pat Boone?
Stephen Thompson, NPR Music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ONE - VOICES FOR TANZANIA")
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTISTS: (Singing in Non-English language). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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