“[…] A member of a family with a highly public persona combined with that of a sort-of preacher’s kid”, Laurey Boone Browning is the daughter of Patrick Charles Eugene Boone, a celebrated pop singer in the 1950s and 1960s, and actress Shirley Boone, his long-time wife.
Dad, The Public Persona
Pat Boone is an American singer whose music was so highly appreciated that he ranked no. 2, only behind Elvis Presley, on The Billboard Chart.
He began his singing career covering songs of famous artists, such as “Ain’t That a Shame” by Fats Domino and Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” and “Long Tall Sally”.
Later on, he became an actor and founded Cooga Mooga Productions, a film production company. His Christian beliefs made him turn down an offer to star alongside Marilyn Monroe in one of her films. His most successful films are the musical April Love (1957) and the adventure Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959).
The accomplished singer performed at the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy. It was there that he bought a Ferrari 2+2 recommended by Enzo Ferrari himself.
After Laurey’s celebrity father (Pat Boone) switched to gospel and country music, he founded Lamb & Lion Records, a record label that mainly featured Pat Boone and the Pat Boone Family.
Mom, Actress, and Philanthropist
Shirley Boone appeared in Captain Nice (1967) and The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour (1969). Complimentary to her husband’s Christian values, she helped establish Mercy Corps, a large charitable organization that turned international.
She met her future husband in high school and they both fell in love. They married when he was 19 years old and just beginning his journey as an artist.
Mother of four daughters and wife of Pat Boone for about 65 years, Shirley Boone passed away in 2019.
The Grammy Nominee
In the 1970s, The Pat Boone Family toured as gospel singers. Laurey’s singing career brought her a Grammy nomination for Best Inspirational Performance in 1979.
She released two albums with Harry Browning, Sweet Harmony in 1982 and Push Back The Darkness in 1984, and a single, Heartdoor. They were all published under Pat Boone’s Lamb & Lion Records.
The Grammy Nominee appeared in Pat Boone and Family Easter Special (1979) and Pat Boone and Family Thanksgiving Special (1978). She also made an appearance in Perry Como’s Springtime Special in 1975. In 1971 she took part in the Merv Griffin Show as herself.
Laurey Boone Browning, the youngest daughter of the Boone family, is a writer and a teacher. She was raised in a Christian household, where all the children made their beds and did their homework. She has three children and five grandchildren.
About her current work, Laurey Boone Browning said she’s not writing to purge. She also said writing helps keep her awake and present. She also added that writing is like a medium for meaningful inner dialogue which leads to more questions than answers.
