THANK YOU BILLY GRAHAM,” LOVING ALL-STAR TRIBUTE BY PAT BOONE AND FRIENDS, CELEBRATES THE BELOVED EVANGELIST’S LIFE AND SPIRIT AS HE APPROACHES HIS 87th BIRTHDAY ON NOVEMBER 7

Penned By Boone, Former Ambrosia Lead Singer David Pack And Country Star Billy Dean, The Labor Of Love Anthem Features Contributions From Bono (Spoken Intro), Larry King (Spoken Passage), Kenny Rogers, Michael McDonald, Leann Rimes, Jeffrey Osborne, Andre Crouch, DC Talk, Marty Stuart And Others

Net Proceeds From Song and Video Will Benefit Mercy Corps & Samaritan’s Purse for Hurricane Katrina and Global Poverty Relief

“Thank You Billy Graham” Is Currently Available on Boone’s New Gospel Release ‘Glory Train’, One of Five New Boone Recordings On Legendary Singer’s The Gold Label

In his spoken introduction to “Thank You Billy Graham,” a once in a lifetime all-star recording paying tribute to the world renowned, universally beloved evangelist, U2 frontman Bono perfectly captures the spirit of the heartfelt, inspiring project conceived by legendary singer and longtime Graham friend Pat Boone. “I give thanks…for that clear empathetic voice of his,” the singer intones, calling Graham “part poet, part preacher, a singer of the human spirit.”

A true labor of love some seven years in the making, featuring vocal contributions from top artists from the worlds of country, pop, R&B and gospel music—plus spoken passages from Larry King and Dr. Graham himself--“Thank You Billy Graham” by Pat Boone and Friends is the “We Are The World” of the current generation, the perfect way to celebrate the Carolina farmer’s son’s life and legacy as he approaches his 87th birthday on November 7.

Written by Boone, former Ambrosia frontman and Grammy winning gospel producer David Pack and popular country singer Billy Dean, the song and accompanying DVD video are currently available on Glory Train, Boone’s collection of gospel favorites newly released on Oak Records in association with Boone’s The Gold Label, distributed by Sony Distribution. Net proceeds from the song and video will benefit Mercy Corps and Samaritan’s Purse (a humanitarian organization run by Billy’s son Franklin Graham) for Hurricane Katrina and poverty relief around the world.

In addition to Bono’s heartfelt spoken word introduction, the Pack-produced track includes vocal contributions from Leann Rimes, Michael McDonald, Kenny Rogers, Jeffrey Osborne, Andre Crouch, Marty Stuart, DC Talk, Mark Kibble, top country producer James Stroud, Vestal Goodman, John Ford Coley, John Elefante, Christ Church Choir and Lisa Bevil, in addition to Boone, Pack and Dean.

Opening with the line, “On the 7th of November, 1918 he was born/To a Carolina farmer and his wife,” “Thank You Billy Graham” is a magnificent autobiographical journey through the evangelist’s life, which recognizes his selfless service in bringing spiritual guidance and charity to the most impoverished and remote areas of the world. Each verse builds to the irresistible singalong chorus: “He Heard the word, got the call/ Took the message to us all/Said it so we all could understand/Around the world, here at home/He let us know we’re not alone/Oh thank you, Billy Graham.

Legendary for hits like “Love Letters In The Sand,” “Ain’t That A Shame” and “Friendly Persuasion,” Boone is no stranger to great love songs, but “Thank You Billy Graham” is a love offering of a whole other kind, which points to the ultimate love of God. The initial inspiration for the project came in September 1997, when Boone noticed a powerful discrepancy in the way the world paid tribute to Princess Diana and Mother Teresa, who passed away the same week; the intense media coverage given to Diana seemed to relegate Mother Teresa and her humanitarian contributions to Page 2.

“I started wondering, what will happen when Billy Graham goes to his eternal reward?” Boone says. “Will some other news event that day push him back? We ought to honor Billy now, while he’s still with us, to make sure he knows how millions of us feel about his work in spreading the simple gospel truth. The world needs to express appreciation for him before his time comes. Anything done afterwards would seem opportunistic.”

Boone pitched his original, folk-country flavored song, “We Call Him Billy (God Calls Him Son),” to the powers that be in Nashville, but they wanted something more contemporary. Enter David Pack, former frontman for the hit 70s-80s band Ambrosia and longtime pop and gospel producer, whom Boone met on a plane in one of those wonderful coincidences that even nonbelievers would have to attribute to divine appointment.

Boone sent Pack his original demo, and Pack asked if he and his friend, country singer Billy Dean, could take a crack at reworking the melody and making it more contemporary. They reconstructed many of Boone’s original lyrics, added various elements (including a new bridge) and Pack hired some top Nashville musicians to record the backing tracks. A few years earlier, Pack had produced a 14 time Grammy-nominated all-star recording called Songs of West Side Story: A Tribute To Leonard Bernstein, and he envisioned “Thank You Billy Graham” in similar, “We Are The World”-like terms.

A deep love and commitment to the song and the spirit of Dr. Graham drove Dean, Pack and Boone (who fully funded the project) to persevere through several years of painstaking work, trials and tribulations—including creating a pastiche of countless individual recording sessions (most done individually at various studios all around the U.S., plus Bono’s spoken intro in Dublin) and various prospective label deals which never materialized.

Energized by his induction a few years ago into The Gospel Hall of Fame in Nashville alongside Amy Grant and Blind Boys of Alabama, Boone decided to include “Thank You Billy Graham” on his latest gospel release, Glory Train. The other tracks for this album were originally recorded by Boone and engineer Ray Ruff in the 70s when Boone had a deal with Motown. The original tapes were “lost” for many years before Ruff discovered them while cleaning out a closet; with the help of engineer Bill Cooper, they baked, unspooled and digitized them on Pro Tools for the new release.

“It was only fitting that we put ‘Thank You Billy Graham’ on a gospel album that I loved dearly back then and love even more now,” says Boone. “Billy has preached to more millions a simple and saving gospel truth than anyone who has ever lived. Once when I appeared on Larry King Live with various pastors talking about God, Jesus and salvation, I turned to the ministers and asked, ‘What would the Apostle Paul have given to be able to share with to this many people at one time?’

“Through all forms of media and on thousands of personal visits to all corners of the earth,” he adds, “Billy has preached the same simple truth, and millions have responded to his altar call. God through him has been populating heaven for over 50 years, and it’s important that we pay tribute to him in a meaningful way while he is still with us. Everyone who participated on this recording has the same admiration for the man and an equal appreciation for the influence he has had.”

Released in September, Glory Train is one of a series of five new recordings Boone is releasing on The Gold Label in association with Ray Ruff’s Oak Records. The first of these, 2003’s American Glory is a collection of our best-loved patriotic songs and anthems from each branch of the U.S. military. In conjunction with this project, Boone released an hour-long video that provides a sweeping look at America and its landscapes. Boone’s original track, “Under God,” hit #15 with a bullet on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles Sales chart.

In late Summer 2005, Boone released Ready To Rock, a country album which includes contributions from members of The Eagles and Three Dog Night, in addition to the Hank Williams, Jr. inspired “It’s NASCAR Time,” which is currently hitting the country charts. In early 2006, the singer will release Hopeless, an album of treasured love songs which includes “You Make My Life A Love Song” (a collaboration with Paul Williams dedicated to Pat’s wife Shirley Boone on the occasion of their 50th anniversary) and “Waltz For the Lonely,” written by Boone and late guitar legend Chet Atkins. Boone will also release We Are Family, a collection of R&B classics.

All of the releases, with the exception of American Glory, are being distributed by Sony Distribution. Boone is also planning an Irish themed album (based on his tour this past summer), Dream of Ireland, and Latin Love, which features six songs in Spanish and eight in Italian. Latin Love, to be distributed by Universal Distribution, will be the first recording on The Gold Label’s Latin Gold imprint.

WHEN (PAT) “BOONE-O” MET BONO:
Legendary Crooner Recruits U2 Frontman For “Thank You Billy Graham,” An All-Star Tribute To The Beloved Evangelist

In one of those “only in the music industry” kinds of moments, or what a true believer might call a “divine appointment,” Pat Boone was on hand at the 2001 Grammy Awards after-party to help U2 and Bono celebrate their win that night for “Beautiful Day.” The famed crooner approached the band’s celebrated frontman—and coverboy, some five years later, on the latest issue of Rolling Stone--with the classic pun, “I think it’s time Boone-o met Bono.”

Boone was surprised to learn that the two had met before. He recalls, “Bono said, ‘Our group was just getting started and you were on tour in England. We were introduced to you, and you were very nice and encouraging. It meant a great deal to us, but I don’t expect you to remember it.’

“Honestly,” the singer adds, “I did not remember. But no one knew his group at the time.”

The “reunion” gave Boone an opportunity to ask Bono to contribute to "Thank You Billy Graham," his star-studded tribute to the beloved evangelist written by Boone, former Ambrosia lead singer and Grammy winning gospel producer David Pack (who also produced) and country star Billy Dean.

The “We Are The World” like track features vocal contributions by Leann Rimes, Michael McDonald Kenny Rogers, Jeffrey Osborne, Andre Crouch, Marty Stuart, DC Talk, Mark Kibble, top country producer James Stroud, Vestal Goodman, John Ford Coley, John Elefante, Christ Church Choir and Lisa Bevil, in addition to Boone, Pack and Dean. It also includes spoken passages from Larry King and Dr. Graham himself.

Energized by his induction two years ago into The Gospel Music Hall of Fame in Nashville alongside Amy Grant and Blind Boys of Alabama, Boone decided to include “Thank You Billy Graham” on his latest gospel release, Glory Train. The other tracks for this album were originally recorded by Boone and producer Ray Ruff in the 70s for Boone’s Lamb and Lion Gospel label. The original tapes were “lost” for many years before Ruff discovered them while cleaning out a closet; with the help of engineer Bill Cooper, they baked, unspooled and digitized them on Pro Tools for the new release.

“It was only fitting that we put ‘Thank You Billy Graham’ on a gospel album that I loved dearly back then and love even more now,” says Boone. “Through all forms of media and on thousands of personal visits to all corners of the earth, Billy has preached the same simple Gospel truth, and millions have responded to his altar call. It’s important that we pay tribute to him in a meaningful way while he is still with us. Everyone who participated on this recording has the same admiration for the man and an equal appreciation for the influence he has had.”

Boone is celebrating his five decade recording career by issuing five albums in five different genres—American Glory, a record of patriotic anthems and military songs (released in March 2005); the country-rock flavored Ready To Rock, featuring members of The Eagles and Three Dog Night (July 2005); Glory Train (August 2005); the ballads collection Hopeless Romantic (January 2006); and the R&B showcase We Are Family, featuring James Brown, The Four Tops, Smokey Robinson, Sister Sledge and Kool & The Gang (due early 2006).

“Thank You Billy Graham” Is Currently Available on Boone’s new gospel release ‘Glory Train’,
one of five new Boone Recordings On the Legendary Singer’s The Gold Label