Debby Boone (born Deborah Ann Boone, on September 22, 1956) is an American singer and theater
actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit
"You Light Up My Life", which spent 10 weeks at the top of the
Billboard Hot 100 and won her a Grammy award the
following year for Best New Artist.
In the 80s, her career shifted in different directions, initially starting in Country music, and
then switching over into Christian music, where she became quite popular throughout much
of the decade. She is also the daughter of 1950s Pop music icon Pat Boone.
Biography
Beginnings
Debby Boone was born September 22, 1956 in Hackensack, New Jersey, the
daughter of singer and 1950s icon Pat Boone and Shirley Lee
Foley Boone (daughter of country music star Red Foley). When Boone was 14 years old, she began
touring with her parents and three sisters - Cherry, Lindy and Laury. The sisters recorded as the Boones. Although they primarily
recorded gospel music, they twice reached Billboard's AC charts with "When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" (No.
25) and "Hasta Manana" (No. 32) which featured Debby as lead vocalist.
Boone released her first solo effort, You Light Up My Life, in
1977. The song became the biggest hit of the 1970's on the Billboard Hot 100 spending 10 weeks at the No. 1 - longer than any of her father's No. 1 Billboard
hits. At the time, only Elvis Presley's double-sided Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog spent more weeks (11) atop Billboard's Hot
100. The song earned her a Grammy award for Best New Artist and
an American Music Award for Favorite Pop Single. She also received Grammy nominations for Best Pop Female and Record of the Year.
You Light Up My Life also reached No. 1 Adult Contemporary (one week) and No. 4 Country. The single and the album (No. 6 Pop, No. 6
Country) of the same name were both certified platinum. Boone's overnight success led to a tour with her father and frequent
television appearances.
The song, written and produced by Joe Brooks, was from the film of the same name. Brooks earned Song of the Year awards at
both the 1978 Grammys and Oscars for writing the song. Boone's version, contrary to popular belief, was not used in the movie or
featured on its soundtrack. The song was lip-synched in the film by its star, Didi Conn,
performing to vocals recorded by Kasey Cisyk. Although written as a love song, Boone
admitted it was instead God who "lit up her life."
Boone was unable to maintain her success in Pop music after You Light Up My
Life. Her follow-up single, California (also written and produced by Joe Brooks), stumbled peaking at No. 50
Pop and No. 20 AC. California was included on Boone's second album, Midstream, which faltered at No. 147 Pop. Her
next single, the double-sided God Knows/Baby I'm Yours, performed even worse peaking at No. 74 Pop becoming her last entry
on the Hot 100. However, the single returned Boone to the Country (No. 22) and AC (No. 14) charts. Boone then released another
movie theme, When You're Loved, from The Magic of Lassie. Like
You Light Up My Life, the song was nominated for an Academy Award for its composers, the Sherman Brothers. But, it
failed to replicate the chart success of her first single only reaching No. 48 AC. Boone's wholesome persona was in contrast to
the image-conscious Pop music industry leading her in different musical directions.
Country Music
With the crossover success of You Light Up My Life and God Knows/Baby,
I'm Yours, Boone began to focus on Country music. (Her father, Pat, and maternal
grandfather, Red Foley, had also recorded in that genre.) Her first country single, 1978's
In Memory Of Your Love, fizzled at No. 61. But, she then hit No. 11 in 1979 with a remake of Connie Francis' My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own. Boone released another Connie Francis remake, the No. 25 Breakin' In A Brand New Broken Heart, before releasing her 1979
eponymous album. Although the album included the two Francis remakes, her next two singles were not culled from this album - a
remake of the Happenings' See You In September (No. 41 Country, No. 45 AC) and another Francis cover, Everybody's
Somebody's Fool (No. 48). (To date, See You In September has never been featured on any of Boone's albums.
Everybody's Somebody's Fool was included on her 1986 compilation, The Best Of Debby Boone.)
Her next album, 1980's Love Has No Reason (No. 17 Country), was produced by Larry Butler who helmed many of
Kenny Rogers' records during the late 1970's. It resulted in the No. 1 Country and No. 31
AC hit, Are You On The Road To Lovin' Me Again. Two weeks before Road ascended to No. 1, Boone was part of a
historic Top 5 on the Billboard Country chart. For the week ending April 19, 1980, the Top 5 positions were all held by
women:
- Crystal Gayle (It's Like We Never
Said Goodbye)
- Dottie West (A Lesson in
Leaving)
- Debby Boone (Are You On The Road To Lovin' Me Again)
- Emmylou Harris (Beneath Still Waters)
- Tammy Wynette (Two Story House with George
Jones)
The album generated two more Country singles, the No. 14 Free To Be Lonely Again and the No. 44 Take It Like A
Woman. The latter single charted simultaneously with her father's Colorado Country Morning (No. 60). Butler also
produced Boone's next album, 1981's Savin' It Up (No. 49 Country), which yielded two more country singles, the No. 23
Perfect Fool (also No. 37 AC) and the No. 46 It'll Be Him. Boone has not charted on either the Billboard AC or
Country charts since the release of Savin' It Up.
Broadway Bound
Boone wrote her autobiography, Debby Boone So Far, in 1981 and spent a year touring the United States with the stage
adaptation of the film Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. The play was a success nationwide before reaching Broadway in July
1982. The Broadway reviews were lackluster, but a scathing review by the New York Times led the show to close after just five
performances. The day after the show's closing, several of the the show's stars and theater-goers protested the closing outside
the New York Times building hoping for a retraction of its review and the re-opening of the show. But, despite the enthusiastic
reception of the show from Broadway theater-goers, the producers believed that the show could not overcome its reviews and the
show remained closed.
Boone continued her theater work appearing periodically in stage productions nationwide including lead roles in
Camelot, Meet Me In St. Louis, Mississippi Love, South Pacific, The Human Comedy and The
King And I. Boone returned twice to the New York stage. Her 1990 performance as Maria in The Sound Of Music at Lincoln
Center garnered her a Drama Desk nomination. In 1996, Boone played against her image as Rizzo in the 1990's revival of
Grease.
Boone occasionally acted on television as well. Her first foray into television was a 1978 musical adaptation of O'Henry's
The Gift Of The Magi co-starring John Rubinstein. Boone headlined two of her own
NBC television music specials - The Same Old Brand New Me (1980) and One Step Closer (1982). She stunned many in
1984 by portraying Clarissa Hope, a former call girl turned Christian singer, in the television movie, Sins Of The Past.
The film, co-starring Anthony Geary, Barbara
Carrera and Kim Cattrall, was a Top 10 Nielsen hit. Boone also made guest appearances on several television shows including Step By Step
and Baywatch Nights and was featured in the television films Come On Get Happy: The Partridge Family Story and
Treehouse Hostage.
Faith and family
After Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Boone followed her heart and turned her musical career to Christian music winning two GMA Dove Awards and two more
Grammys. Boone first recorded in this genre in 1980 with the Grammy winning With My Song
... I Will Praise Him. Subsequent Christian albums included Surrender (1983), Choose Life (1985), Friends
For Life (1987) and Be Thou My Vision (1989). In 1989, Boone released her Christmas album, Home For Christmas,
which boasted a duet with her mother-in-law, Rosemary Clooney, on Clooney's signature
White Christmas.
Boone's career was always secondary as she devoted herself first to raising her four children: son Jordan (b. 1980), twin
daughters Gabrielle and Dustin (b. 1983), and daughter Tessa (b. 1986). Boone married her husband, Gabriel Ferrer (son of
Jose Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney and cousin of
George Clooney), in 1979. The couple collaborated on several children's books. Boone
wrote Bedtime Hugs For Little Ones (1988), Tomorrow Is A Brand New Day (1989), Snow Angel (1991), Welcome
To This World (1996), Nightlights (1997) and Counting Blessings (1998) which were all illustrated by her
husband. Boone and her children appeared frequently on the cover of Good
Housekeeping magazine as they grew. Boone also released two children's videos, Debby Boone's Hug-a-Long Songs:
Volumes 1 and 2.
Once her children were grown, Boone revived her recording career in 2005 with the release of Reflections Of Rosemary.
The CD was a fond tribute to her mother-in-law, Rosemary Clooney, featuring songs
performed by Clooney as well as other songs not associated with Clooney which Boone felt showed Clooney as the person she and her
family knew and loved. Boone toured extensively for the album including several nights at New York's famed cabaret, Feinstein's,
where Clooney often performed.
Discography
Singles
| Year |
Single |
Chart Positions |
Album |
| U.S. Country |
U.S. Hot 100 |
U.S. A.C. |
| 1977 |
"You Light Up My Life" |
4 |
1 (10 weeks) |
1 (1 week) |
You Light Up My Life |
| 1978 |
"California" |
- |
50 |
20 |
Midstream |
| 1978 |
"God Knows/Baby, I'm Yours" |
22/33 |
74/Flip |
14/18 |
Midstream/You Light Up My Life |
| 1978 |
"When You're Loved" |
- |
- |
48 |
Midstream |
| 1978 |
"In Memory of Your Love" |
61 |
- |
- |
Single only |
| 1979 |
"My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own" |
11 |
- |
- |
Debby Boone |
| 1979 |
"Breakin' In A Brand New Borken Heart" |
25 |
- |
- |
Debby Boone |
| 1979 |
"See You In September" |
41 |
- |
45 |
Single only |
| 1979 |
"Everybody's Somebody's Fool" |
48 |
- |
- |
Single only, later released on The Best Of Debby Boone (1986) |
| 1980 |
"Are You On The Road To Lovin' Me Again" |
1 (1 week) |
- |
31 |
Love Has No Reason |
| 1980 |
"Free To Be Lonely Again" |
14 |
- |
- |
Love Has No Reason |
| 1980 |
"Take It Like A Woman" |
44 |
- |
- |
Love Has No Reason |
| 1981 |
"Perfect Fool" |
23 |
- |
37 |
Savin' It Up |
| 1985 |
"Choose Life" |
- |
- |
- |
Choose Life |
Albums
| Year |
Album |
Chart Positions |
| Country |
Billboard 200/Pop |
Inspirational/Contemporary Christian |
| 1977 |
"You Light Up My Life" |
6 |
6 |
- |
| 1978 |
"Midstream" |
- |
147 |
- |
| 1979 |
"Debby Boone" |
- |
- |
- |
| 1980 |
"Love Has No Reason" |
17 |
- |
- |
| 1980 |
"With My Song ... I Will Praise Him" |
- |
- |
9 |
| 1981 |
"Savin' It Up" |
49 |
- |
- |
| 1983 |
"Surrender" |
- |
- |
7 |
| 1985 |
"Choose Life" |
- |
- |
7 |
| 1986 |
"The Best Of Debby Boone" |
- |
- |
- |
| 1987 |
"Friends For Life" |
- |
- |
4 |
| 1989 |
"Reflections" |
- |
- |
33 |
| 1989 |
"Be Thou My Vision" |
- |
- |
23 |
| 1989 |
"Home For Christmas" |
- |
- |
- |
| 2000 |
"Greatest Hymns" (Reissue of "Be Thou My Vision") |
- |
- |
- |
| 2001 |
"You Light Up My Life: Greatest Inspirational Songs" |
- |
- |
- |
| 2005 |
"Reflections Of Rosemary" |
- |
- |
- |
Grammys
Wins:
- 1977 - Best New Artist
- 1980 - Best Inspirational Performance (With My Song ... I Will Praise Him)
- 1983 - Best Gospel Performance - Duo/Group (Keep The Flame Burning with Phil
Driscoll)
Nominations:
- 1977 - Record Of The Year (You Light Up My Life)
- 1977 - Best Pop Vocal Performance - Female (You Light Up My Life)
- 1984 - Best Gospel Performance - Female (Surrender)
- 1985 - Best Gospel Performance - Female (Choose Life)
- 1987 - Best Gospel Performance - Female (The Name Above All Names)
- 1989 - Best Gospel Performance - Female (Be Thou My Vision)
External links
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