Deborah Anne Boone (born September 22, 1956) is an American singer, author, and actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, " You Light Up My Life", which spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the

Grammy Award for Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...

the following year. Boone later focused her music career on country music, resulting in the 1980 No. 1 country hit " Are You on the Road to Lovin' Me Again". In the 1980s, she recorded

Christian music Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely around ...

which garnered her four top 10

Contemporary Christian Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

albums as well as two more Grammys. Throughout her career, Boone has appeared in several musical theater productions and has co-authored many children's books with her husband Gabriel Ferrer.

Biography

Beginnings

Debby Boone was born in

Hackensack, New Jersey Hackensack is a city in and the county seat of Bergen County, New Jersey, United States.New Jers ...

, the third of four daughters born to singer-actor

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

and Shirley Foley Boone, daughter of country music star

Red Foley Clyde Julian "Red" Foley (June 17, 1910 – September 19, 1968) was an American musician who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II. For more than two decades, Foley was one of the biggest stars of the gen ...

. When Boone was 14 years old, she began touring with her parents and three sisters:

Cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...

, Lindy, and Laury. The sisters first recorded with their parents as The Pat Boone Family and later as the Boones or Boone Girls. They primarily recorded gospel music, although the sisters also released singles for the

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

and

Curb A curb (North American English), or kerb (Commonwealth English except Canada; see spelling differences), is the edge where a raised sidewalk or road median/central reservation meets a street or other roadway. History Although curbs have ...

labels that were remakes of secular pop music featuring Debby as the lead vocalist. The Boones twice reached

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

's AC charts with 1975's "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" (No. 25), a remake of the

Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

' first top 40 hit, and 1977's "

Hasta Mañana "Hasta Mañana" (Spanish for "Until tomorrow") is the fourth track on Swedish pop group ABBA's second studio album, '' Waterloo''. It was released in 1974 as the album's third and final single. Background Initially fearing that " Waterloo" migh ...

" (No. 32), a cover of a track from

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...

's '' Waterloo'' album.

"You Light Up My Life"

With her older sisters married and younger sister Laury in college, Boone was actively encouraged by producer

Mike Curb Michael Curb (born December 24, 1944) is an American musician, record company executive, motorsports car owner, philanthropist, and former politician. He is also the founder of Curb Records where he presently serves as the chairman. Curb also ...

to launch a solo career. Boone released her first solo effort, " You Light Up My Life" (which had been featured in the film of the same name), in 1977. The song became the biggest hit of the 1970s lasting ten consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 – longer than any other song in Hot 100 history to that point. (In 2008, ''

'' ranked the song No. 7 among all songs that charted in the 50-year history of the Hot 100.) The song earned Boone a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for ''

Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...

'' and an

American Music Award The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produc ...

for Favorite Pop Single of 1977. She also received Grammy nominations for Best Pop Vocal Performance – Female and Record of the Year won by, respectively,

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

("Love Theme From "A Star Is Born" (Evergreen)") and

the Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles and six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s ...

Hotel California "Hotel California" is the title track from the Eagles' album of the same name and was released as a single in February 1977. Writing credits for the song are shared by Don Felder (music), Don Henley, and Glenn Frey (lyrics). Joe Walsh came up ...

"). "You Light Up My Life" also succeeded on ''Billboard''s

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

(No. 1 for one week) and Country (No. 4) singles charts. The single and the

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

(No. 6 Pop, No. 6 Country) of the same name were both certified platinum. The song, written and produced by Joe Brooks, was from the

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

of the same name. Brooks earned Song of the Year awards at both the 1978 Grammys and Oscars for writing the song. (Boone performed the song at both awards shows.) Boone's version was not used in the film, nor featured on its soundtrack. The song was lip-synched in the film by its star,

Didi Conn Edith "Didi" Conn (née Bernstein; born July 13, 1951) is an American actress. She is best known for her work as Frenchy in '' Grease'', Denise Stevens Downey in ''Benson'' and Stacy Jones in ''Shining Time Station''. Early life Edith Bernstei ...

, performing to vocals recorded by

Kacey Cisyk Kvitka "Kasey" Cisyk ( uk, Квітка Цісик; Квітослава-Орися Цісик, ''Kvitka Tsisyk''; April 4, 1953 Boone's overnight success led to a tour with her father and frequent television appearances, but she 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), peaked at No. 50 Pop and No. 20 AC, and was included on Boone's second album, ''

Midstream The oil and gas industry is usually divided into three major components: upstream, midstream and downstream. The midstream sector involves the transportation (by pipeline, rail, barge, oil tanker or truck), storage, and wholesale marketing of crud ...

'', which faltered at No. 147 Pop. Her next single, the double-sided "God Knows"/"Baby I'm Yours", also struggled, peaking at No. 74 Pop, becoming her last entry on the Hot 100. However, the single charted AC (No. 14) and returned Boone to the country chart (No. 22). Boone then released another film theme, " When You're Loved", from ''

The Magic of Lassie ''The Magic of Lassie'' is a 1978 American musical drama film directed by Don Chaffey, and starring Lassie, James Stewart (in his final appearance in a domestically-released live action feature film), Stephanie Zimbalist, Pernell Roberts and Mich ...

''. Like "You Light Up My Life", the song was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for its composers, the

Sherman Brothers The Sherman Brothers were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) and Richard M. Sherman (born June 12, 1928). Together they received various accolades in ...

, but it failed to replicate the success of her first single, charting only No. 48 AC. Boone's wholesome persona contrasted with the image-conscious pop-music industry, leading her career 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 Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

. (Her maternal grandfather,

, and her father had also recorded in that genre.) Her first country single, "In Memory of Your Love" (1978), fizzled at No. 61. But, she then hit No. 11 in 1979 with a remake of

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...

' "

My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" is a song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller which was a No. 1 hit for Connie Francis in 1960. Connie Francis recording Francis recorded "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" at Radio Recorders studio in Hol ...

". Boone released another

cover, " Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart" (No. 25), before releasing her 1979 eponymous album. Although the album included the two

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...

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 Connie Francis cover, "

Everybody's Somebody's Fool "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" is a song written by Jack Keller and Howard Greenfield that was a No. 1 hit for Connie Francis in 1960. A polka-style version in German, "Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel", was the first German single recorded and ...

" (No. 48). (To date, "See You in September" has never been featured on any of Boone's albums, while "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 Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...

' records during the late 1970s. It resulted in the No. 1 Country and No. 31 AC hit, "Are You on the Road to Lovin' Me Again". Two weeks before ''Are You on the Road to Lovin' Me Again'' 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 Crystal Gayle (born Brenda Gail Webb; January 9, 1951) is an American country music singer widely known for her 1977 hit "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". Initially, Gayle's management and record label were the same as that of her oldest sist ...

(" It's Like We Never Said Goodbye") #

Dottie West Dorothy Marie Marsh West (October 11, 1932 – September 4, 1991) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with her friends and fellow recording artists Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, she is considered one of the genre's most in ...

(" A Lesson in Leaving") #Debby Boone ("Are You on the Road to Lovin' Me Again") #

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, including ...

(" Beneath Still Waters") #

Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...

Two Story House "Two Story House" is a song recorded American country music artists George Jones and Tammy Wynette. It was released in February 1980 as the first single from their album '' Together Again''. The song reached #2 on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Sin ...

" with

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

) The album generated two more country singles, "Free to Be Lonely Again" (No. 14) and "Take It Like a Woman" (No. 44). 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, "Perfect Fool" (No. 23 Country, No. 37 AC) and "It'll Be Him" (No. 46). Boone has not charted on either the Billboard AC or Country charts since the release of ''Savin' It Up''.

Christian music

Boone turned her music career to

contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...

, winning two GMA Dove Awards and two more Grammys. She first recorded in this genre in 1980, with the Grammy-winning ''

With My Song With or WITH may refer to: * With, a preposition in English * Carl Johannes With (1877–1923), Danish doctor and arachnologist * With (character), a character in ''D. N. Angel'' * ''With'' (novel), a novel by Donald Harrington * ''With'' (album ...

''. Subsequent Christian albums included ''

Surrender Surrender may refer to: * Surrender (law), the early relinquishment of a tenancy * Surrender (military), the relinquishment of territory, combatants, facilities, or armaments to another power Film and television * ''Surrender'' (1927 film), an ...

'' (1983), '' Choose Life'' (1985), '' Friends For Life'' (1987), and ''

Be Thou My Vision "Be Thou My Vision" ( sga, Rop tú mo baile or ''Rob tú mo bhoile'') is a traditional Christian hymn of Irish origin. The words are based on a Middle Irish poem that has traditionally been attributed to Dallán Forgaill. The best-known English ...

'' (1989). In 1989, Boone released her Christmas album '' Home For Christmas'', which boasted a duet with her mother-in-law,

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano", ...

, on Clooney's signature song " White Christmas".

Television/theatrical career

Ronald_Reagan_and_group_at_1982_Christmas_in_Washington_taping

Boone debuted as a screen actress in 1978, in an original television musical adaptation of O. Henry's ''The Gift of the Magi'' co-starring

John Rubinstein John Rubinstein (born December 8, 1946) is an American actor, composer and director. Early life Rubinstein is the son of Polish parents. His mother, Aniela (née Młynarska), a dancer and writer, was a Roman Catholic native of Warsaw, the dau ...

. A frequent variety show guest star, Boone also headlined two of her own NBC television music specials – ''The Same Old Brand New Me'' (1980) and ''One Step Closer'' (1982). In 1984, Boone co-starred in the television movie ''Sins of the Past'' as Clarissa Hope, a call girl who is

born again Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...

and becomes an

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

singer: also co-starring

Kirstie Alley Kirstie Louise Alley (January 12, 1951 – December 5, 2022) was an American actress. Her breakout role was as Rebecca Howe in the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1987–1993), for which she received an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991. From 1997 ...

Barbara Carrera Barbara Carrera (born Barbara Kingsbury) is an American actress, model and artist. She starred in the films '' The Master Gunfighter'' (1975), '' Embryo'' (1976), '' The Island of Dr. Moreau'' (1977), ''Condorman'' (1981), ''I, the Jury'' (1982) ...

Kim Cattrall Kim Victoria Cattrall (; born 21 August 1956) is a British-Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones on HBO's ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), for which she received five Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe A ...

and

Anthony Geary Anthony Geary (born May 29, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for playing the role of Luke Spencer on the ABC daytime drama ''General Hospital''. He originated the role of Luke in 1978 and received a record eight Daytime Emmy Awards for O ...

, ''Sins of the Past'' became a Top 10 Nielsen hit. Boone has since 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''. In 1981, Boone made her debut as a stage musical actress in ''

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' is a 1954 American musical film, directed by Stanley Donen, with music by Gene de Paul, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and choreography by Michael Kidd. The screenplay, by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, and Do ...

'' with a June showcase engagement in the

Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

-based

Kenley Players The Kenley Players was an Equity summer stock theatre company which presented hundreds of productions featuring Broadway, film, and television stars in Midwestern cities between 1940 and 1996. ''Variety'' called it the "largest network of theater ...

season followed by an eighteen-month US tour launched with a December 1981 engagement at the Fox Theater (San Diego). A critical and commercial success on tour, the production opened on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in July 1982 to generally lackluster reviews, with a particularly scathing critique by

Frank Rich Frank Hart Rich Jr. (born 1949) is an American essayist and liberal op-ed columnist, who held various positions within ''The New York Times'' from 1980 to 2011. He has also produced television series and documentaries for HBO. Rich is current ...

in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' being blamed for the show's closure after five performances. Boone has remained an occasional stage musical actress mostly in

regional theater A regional theater or resident theater in the United States is a professional or semi-professional theater company that produces its own seasons. The term ''regional theater'' most often refers to a professional theater outside New York City. A reg ...

productions, although she did play the lead role of Maria in the 1990 revival of ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...

'' mounted at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

(nominated as Outstanding Musical Revival by the Drama Desk Awards): Boone had earlier played Maria on tour in both 1987 and 1988 with 1987 dates including the

Sacramento Music Circus Broadway Sacramento (formerly California Musical Theatre) is the largest nonprofit arts organization (primarily producing musical theatre) in the state of California and the city of Sacramento's oldest professional performing arts company. Its su ...

(premiere), the O'Keefe Centre (Toronto), the Starlight Theater in Kansas City (Missouri), and the Westbury (New York) Music Fair, and 1988 dates including the

Fox Theatre (Atlanta) The Fox Theatre (often marketed as the Fabulous Fox), a former movie palace, is a performing arts venue located at 660 Peachtree Street NE in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, and is the centerpiece of the Fox Theatre Historic District. The theater w ...

(premiere), Benedum Center (Pittsburgh), Fair Park Music Hall (Dallas), Hilton U. Brown Theatre at Butler University (Indianapolis), and also four dates in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Boone returned to the Broadway stage in 1996 to play—cast in opposition to her own wholesome image—"bad girl" Rizzo in the

Eugene O'Neill Theatre The Eugene O'Neill Theatre, previously the Forrest Theatre and the Coronet Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 230 West 49th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and ...

revival of '' Grease'', and on March 7, 2011, performed at the Gramercy Theater in the 24 Hours Musicals original production ''Things Can't Always Be Awesome''. Her regional theater credits include lead roles in ''

Meet Me in St. Louis ''Meet Me in St. Louis'' is a 1944 American Christmas film, Christmas musical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Divided into a series of seasonal vignettes, starting with Summer 1903, it relates the story of a year in the life of the Smith famil ...

'' (Fair Park Music Hall, Dallas; Fox Theatre, St. Louis;

Orange County Performing Arts Center Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower * Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum ...

/ 1991), '' South Pacific'' (

Valley Forge Music Fair The Valley Forge Music Fair was an entertainment venue located in Devon, Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia, constructed in theater in the round style with seating for 2,932. Initially established in a tent in 1955, a permanent structure was ...

/ 1995), ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childre ...

'' ( Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Center/ 2001;

Tucson Music Hall The Tucson Convention Center (previously named the Tucson Community Center) is a large multi-purpose convention center located in downtown Tucson, Arizona. Built in 1971, the location includes an 8,962-seat indoor arena, two performing arts venue ...

/ 2002; California Center for the Arts (

Escondido, California Escondido is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Located in the North County region, it was incorporated in 1888, and is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. It has a population of 151,038 as of the 2020 census. Et ...

)/ 2002;

San Jose Center for the Performing Arts The San Jose Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts venue located in Downtown San Jose, California. It opened in 1972 and is now home to San Jose Dance Theatre and Broadway San Jose. History The theater opened in 1972 the architect w ...

/ 2006), ''Mississippi Love'' (Mark Twain Playhouse,

Branson Branson may refer to: Places ;Canada * Branson, Toronto ;United States * Branson, Missouri, a popular tourist destination in the Ozark Mountains * Branson, Colorado * Branson City, California * The Branson School, in Ross, California * Warrenpoi ...

/ 2001), and ''

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as the ...

'' ( North Carolina Theatre/ 2005), with more recent theatrical credits in ensemble musicals: '' The Human Comedy'' (

Barrington Stage Company Barrington Stage Company (BSC) is a regional theatre company in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. It was co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, and former Managing Director Susan Sperber in Sheffield, Massachusetts. I ...

Berkshire County Berkshire County (pronounced ) is a county on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield. The county was founded in ...

/ 2006), ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story ...

'' (Candlelight Dinner Theater,

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

/ 2016), and '' 42nd Street'' (

Tempe Center for the Arts Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA) is a publicly owned performing and visual arts center in Tempe, Arizona. It opened in September 2007 and houses a 600-seat proscenium theater, a 200-seat studio theater and a 3,500-square-foot gallery. Its Lakesi ...

/ 2018).

2005–present

Once her children were grown, Boone revived her recording career in 2005 with the release of '' Reflections Of Rosemary''. The CD, a fond tribute to her mother-in-law

, features songs performed by Clooney as well as other songs not thus associated, but 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 had often performed. In 2011, Boone released an album—and subsequent concert tour—called ''Swing This!'', celebrating the swing music and culture of 1960s Las Vegas. In 2012, Boone's profile, as well as her most popular hit song, were enhanced when she became the official spokesperson for Lifestyle Lift, a company that provides facial and neck cosmetic procedures. She appears in extended TV commercials and hosts a 30-minute

infomercial An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of dire ...

. In all promotions, her signature song, "You Light Up My Life", is pervasively featured throughout. In the infomercial, Boone is portrayed recording the song, because she indeed re-recorded the 35-year-old song, with full orchestration. However, at no time does the songstress state that she has personally utilized the company's services.

Personal life

Boone married Gabriel Ferrer on September 1, 1979. He is an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church. Like Boone, Ferrer is a member of a well-known Hollywood family: he is the son of

José Ferrer José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic American actors during his lifetime, w ...

and

, the brother of actors

Miguel Ferrer Miguel José Ferrer (February 7, 1955 – January 19, 2017) was an American actor. His breakthrough role was as Bob Morton in the 1987 film ''RoboCop''. Other film roles include Quigley in ''Blank Check'' (1994), Harbinger in ''Hot Shots! Part De ...

and Rafael Ferrer, the nephew of journalist

Nick Clooney Nicholas Joseph Clooney (born January 13, 1934) is an American journalist, anchorman, and television host. He is the brother of singer Rosemary Clooney and the father of actor George Clooney. Early life Clooney was born in Maysville, Kentucky, t ...

and the cousin of actor

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by George Clooney, numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film A ...

. The couple has four children: son Jordan (born July 8, 1980), twin daughters Gabrielle and Dustin (born September 17, 1983), and daughter

Tessa Tessa is a feminine given name, sometimes a shortened form of Theresa. It may refer to: People * Tessa Albertson (born 1996), American actress * Tessa Balfour, Countess of Balfour (born 1950), British aristocrat * Tessa Blanchard (born 1994), Ame ...

(born March 30, 1986).

Discography

* '' You Light Up My Life'' (1977) * ''

'' (1978) * ''

Debby Boone Deborah Anne Boone (born September 22, 1956) is an American singer, author, and actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life (song), You Light Up My Life", which spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboar ...

'' (1979) * '' Love Has No Reason'' (1980) * ''

'' (1980) * '' Savin' It Up'' (1981) * ''

'' (1983) * '' Choose Life'' (1985) * '' Friends for Life'' (1987) * ''

'' (1989) * '' Reflections of Rosemary'' (2005) * ''Swing This'' (2013)

Books

Boone and her husband collaborated on several children's books, all of them illustrated by Ferrer. *1981: ''Debby Boone So Far'' (autobiography) *1988: ''Bedtime Hugs for Little Ones'' *1989: ''Tomorrow Is a Brand New Day'' *1991: ''The Snow Angel'' *1996: ''Welcome to This World'' *1998: ''Counting Blessings'' ''The Snow Angel'' was released both in book form and in a special audio edition featuring original songs by Mari Falcone, Boone's musical director for many years. Boone also released the two-volume children's video series entitled ''Debby Boone's Hug-a-Long Songs''. She and her children appeared frequently on the cover of ''

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good House ...

'' magazine during their childhood.

Awards

Academy of Country Music

*1977: Top New Female Vocalist

Dove Awards

*1981: Best Album by a Secular Artist, ''With My Song'' *1984: Best Album by a Secular Artist, ''Surrender''

Grammys

*1977:

*1980: Best Inspirational Performance: ''With My Song'' *1983: Best Gospel Performance – Duo/Group for ''Keep The Flame Burning'' (with

Phil Driscoll Phil Driscoll (born November 9, 1947) is a trumpeter, singer, composer, and producer. He performs in varying music genres and styles which include rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and patriotic music, and is best known for his work in Christian ...

) Nominations: *1977:

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

, '' You Light Up My Life'' *1977: Best Pop Vocal Performance – Female *1984: Best Gospel Performance – Female *1985: Best Gospel Performance – Female *1987: Best Gospel Performance – Female *1989: Best Gospel Performance – Female

Music City News

*1978: Best New Female Artist

Record World

*1977: Pop New Female Vocalist – Albums *1977: Pop New Female Vocalist – Singles *1977: Pop Single (Solo Artist), "You Light Up My Life" *1977: Special Achievement *1978: Pop New Female Vocalist – Albums *1978: Pop New Female Vocalist – Singles *1978: Pop Single (Solo Artist), "You Light Up My Life"

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boone, Debby 1956 births Actresses from New Jersey American evangelicals American women country singers American country singer-songwriters American women pop singers American musical theatre actresses American performers of Christian music Cabaret singers Grammy Award winners Living people Actors from Hackensack, New Jersey Traditional pop music singers American children's writers American women children's writers 20th-century American women writers Boone family (show business) Writers from Hackensack, New Jersey 21st-century American women singers Country musicians from New Jersey 21st-century American singers Singer-songwriters from New Jersey