For Debby Boone, holiday tour is a family tradition

By John Benson

The ‘You Light Up My Life’ singer has an impressive body of work.

Defined by her 1977 smash hit single “You Light Up My Life,” Debby Boone may be considered a one-hit wonder in some circles (such as at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum), but the New Jersey native born to celebrities Pat Boone and Shirley Lee Foley Boone continues to shine in many ways.

One of which is her annual Christmas tour, which comes to Stambaugh Auditorium on Sunday. The holiday show features her solo career material, holiday favorites (such as the Charlie Brown song “Christmas Time is Here”) and tunes from her recent “Reflections of Rosemary” CD. The latter tribute is a special project to Boone, who is married to Rosemary Clooney’s son, Gabriel Ferrer.

As far as the idea of doing a holiday tour, it apparently is a family tradition with deep roots in both the Boone and Clooney households.

“It actually started out while I was still living at home with the Boone family,” said Boone, calling from Nashville, Tenn. “We did a lot of Christmas tours together. I did my own for about eight years, and I traveled with Rosemary Clooney, doing her annual Christmas concert tour called ‘The Rosemary Clooney White Christmas Party.’ So I’m trying to carry on the tradition a little bit.”

In looking back on Boone’s career, you’d be hard-pressed to find another performer with such varied success. From her No. 1 hit single as a Grammy Award-winning pop singer, to her notable country and contemporary Christian material, to her acting on Broadway, national tours and in television, the 52-year-old has an impressive body of work. Up next for Boone is a tribute dedicated to country music singer and her grandfather Red Foley.

With such diversity, what does Boone think her legacy will be?

“I’m sure it will be different for different people,” Boone said. “I know there will be some people who got so tired of hearing that song in the ’70s that they would like to crash some vinyl over my head, and other people may feel a kinship with me because that song came at an important time in their lives.

“And hopefully people will remember me as somebody who communicated real human emotion and feelings through my music. That’s always what I aim to do, is have a strong point of view when I sing a song and hopefully it identifies with a very real place with the listener. Whether I’m doing musical theater, country music, pop music or whatever, I’m trying to strike a real human chord with people in my music.”

That includes her upcoming Youngstown show, which she characterizes as offering a variety of music tied together and wrapped with a holiday bow.

“It’s a perfect way to celebrate the holidays,” Boone said. “I always feel like the holidays begin when I start doing this kind of Christmas music. So hopefully the combination of if you like the way I sing, if you enjoy Rosemary and beautiful musical arrangements, it’ll be a really wonderful end of the year and entry into the Christmas holidays.”