Another R&B crossover song. “I Almost Lost My Mind” was written by and originally recorded by Ivory Joe Hunter in 1950. The song hit number one on the R&B chart for Hunter. After the success of “Ain’t That a Shame” in 1955, Pat Boone was looking for another R&B song he could record. He had tried several over the last year and was very successful recording these kinds of songs. He recorded “I’ll Be Home,” an R&B song originally done by The Flamingos, hitting number four on the Hit Parade. Next he covered “Tutti Fruiti” (#12) and “Long Tall Sally” (#4) both of which were done by Little Richard. He finally hit pay dirt, his second number one, with “I Almost Lost My Mind.”

Pat would go on to have have four more number ones in his career, all of which I will talk about when we get to them.

Pat Boone was born in Florida, but moved at an early age to Nashville, Tennessee where he grew up. He was well versed in the country music culture of Nashville. He married Shirley Lee Foley who was the daughter of a great country music legend, Red Foley.

Pat Boone had a great career in the Fifties and Sixties and is still well-known today. He was what you might call the “anti-Elvis Presley.” Presley sold more records (Pat was in second place behind Elvis) but Pat was more respected by the kids of the day. A poll was taken in the late Fifties which revealed that Pat Boone was favored over Elvis, two-to-one by teenage boys and three-to-one by teenage girls.

“I Almost Lost My Mind” was the last R&B cover he did, switching to a more mainstream mature sound. It didn’t affect his popularity as he continued to sell records. “I Almost Lost My Mind” entered the chart on July 28, 1956 and spent four weeks at number one.

Next – “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You” – Elvis Presley