There were always so cute. Pat and Shirley and the four girls – a good looking, "all American," God-fearing family. They represented the ideal family image, and the girls were the type that every parent hoped their son would marry (and a lot of sons were hoping they could marry one of them).
That "ideal family" image is not the fabrication of a Hollywood publicity agent – it’s real. It’s not just a plastic exterior, either. Watching them on television is nearly the same as seeing them at home. The legendary strictness of Pat and Shirley’s parenting has paid off. The four female offspring of Mr. White Bucks used to be known as "The Boone Girls," but somewhere between the pimple cream days and the birth of the first Boone grandchild, someone realized that the girls had grown up. Now they’re called simply "The Boones." They’ve come into their own.
Recently my wife and I were privileged to spend some time with them at their home on a rare occasion when all four were together. Cherry, 23, is the first-born and the quiet intellectual of the bunch. She is married to Dan O’Neill and is now a resident of Hawaii. Lindy, 22, also is known as Mrs. Doug Corbin and mother of Ryan and Jessica. At 21, Debby is a rising star in her own right, and 20-year-old, fun-loving, Laurie, a Pepperdine University student until this summer, rounds out the group. These four, even with their distinctively different personalities and interests, have much more in common than just the Boone name – they share a common desire to spread the Good News. But they want to do it first class.
Music has always been the primary link between the Boone family and their audience. With the help of producer Chris Christian, this feminine foursome has put together an album they hope will hit in the secular market. Consistent with their philosophy of ministry, the album is called (what else?) First Class.
"We feel that if we’re going to put out music that is representative of God and His Kingdom, then it certainly should be first class stuff," says Cherry. "We shouldn’t settle for second best." They want people to really like the music and hope that they will begin to listen to what is being said as they hear it. "People are much more apt to listen to what you have to say if you say it well and intelligently and in a style they can identify with," she continues.
Although some people may get the wrong idea about the title, thinking the Boones are referring to themselves as "first class," that’s not the case at all. Debby echoes Cherry’s feelings and emphatically states that they’re not coming from a "we live in Beverly Hills and do things that are first class" kind of standpoint She also adds that she’s getting frustrated with Christians being so quick to criticize what other Christians are doing. "If it’s not about the title, it’s about something else," she says.
The Boones honestly believe the time is at home for some bonafide Christian music to pierce the secular veil. According to Laurie, "A lot of the different groups are trying to show that Christian music can be just as good, and should be better, because we are in tune with the creator of music."
"Instead of saying ‘this is a Christian album, and this is a secular album,’" Cherry adds, "we are saying ‘this is a good album that Christians and the world will like.’"
It is possible that the Pat Boone family has made more inroads into the "world" with Christian music than any other entertainers. And since I’ve now brought up that controversial word "entertainment," what do the entertainment-oriented Boones have to say about it?
"There is a difference between a Christian who has a music ministry and someone who is a Christian entertainer," Cherry remarks. "The same way you have a Christian plumber or a Christian TV repairman or anything like that. It is an occupation that, if you are a Christian, you believe the Lord has placed you there. And that is where you are to minister from. But it’s not the same as having a ‘music ministry’ where everything you are doing has to be ministry oriented. You are doing your job, but you are doing your job as a Christian."
The Boones believe that part of the reason they have enjoyed the good graces of the entertainment industry is their fairly low profile of Christianity from the stage. Much to the dismay of some of the Christian community, they don’t always come right out and preach about Jesus. Says Cherry, "What they don’t see is that we could totally lose our platform if we pushed too hard." For them it’s a fine line…a delicate balance…to let people know where they’re really coming from without stepping on their toes.
Debby feels the pressure, too. Christians numbering in the millions have watched her meteoric rise to success with the hit You Light Up My Life, the biggest hit single by anyone in over 20 years. The feeling among believers was that "one of us" was finally getting out there face-to-face with all those heathen entertainers. To the disappointment of some, however, she never told Johnny Carson directly that he needed to be saved, and she apparently failed to sneak in the "Four Spiritual Laws" on the John Denver TV special. "That’s the first thing I got frightened of when the record became a hit," she says. "Every interview came and I thought ‘how am I going to get this in without getting pushy?’ And I realized I was striving to get in a good one for the Lord and be His little helper. That isn’t what it’s all about. It’s letting the Lord do it through you by being spiritual…being honest and open. There are people who expect you to use the opportunity to do something like that, but they don’t realize that it would bear no fruit.
"I get letters from people who say, ‘you know, the Lord gave you a platform and you don’t use it. I watched you on several different shows and not once did you ever say the name of Jesus’ It all comes from being and living –not trying.
"I get Christians saying ‘how can you sing It can’t be wrong when it feels so right,’ and that kind of thing. They’re just blind to the face that it’s been on national TV several times, and it’s well know that it’s a song that’s sung to the Lord…and the Lord is obviously using it."
Debby almost seems puzzled about her success. When I asked her how she felt about it, she replied, "It’s wonderful, but I was in shock like everyone else, and now I don’t know what is going to happen. I never in all that time felt ‘wow, I must be so talented to have such a wonderful hit.’ It’s been a case of watching and going ‘what are you doing?’ (as she looks up into the sky). It’s exciting…it feels so good."
Debby is not always the confident, self-assured, "got-it-all-together" person she appears to be when she is performing. In reality she wonders what God is doing with her life, how she is supposed to handle her success and how to uphold her image without getting "pushy" with people. There’s a constant tension between her desire to be very "up-front" about the Lord and the knowledge that to do so could damage her career. "There’s a very fine line that I’m walking now. I really have to be seeking the Lord," she says.
With Debby’s new prominence, the girls are all aware that, when the four perform together, most eyes and ears are on Debby. "It doesn’t bother us," says Lindy. "She’s got the best voice – there’s no doubt about that, so I don’t think we can be jealous of that. We are so excited for her as we would be if it were happening to all of us." Lindy adds that she is speaking for herself on the matter, but the others seem to share the opinion. Whenever Debby is making a television appearance, they "can’t wait for it to be on" and invite friends over to watch it. They feel they more or less have the best of both worlds—they get to live Debby’s excitement with her, but without the pressure she has to endure daily.
This kind of sisterly love clearly demonstrates that the Boones fit their "ideal family" image to a tee. They are more opinionated than you might expect, even to the point of being a bit rebellious at times, but the cohesiveness of the family is undeniable. They are still good-looking, "all-American" and God fearing. You might even refer to them as "first class," but they are too humble for that—and they want to keep it that way.
