Larry Boone

Born on June 7, 1956, in Cooper City, Florida, Larry Boone relocated to Nashville in 1981 after covering his Florida Atlantic University expenses through performances in local honky-tonks. Music City initially offered little welcome to the emerging singer-songwriter, who sustained himself by busking on the streets, filling in as a substitute teacher, and taking on sportswriting assignments until he obtained a songwriting contract with MTM.

Exposure arrived in 1985 when Marie Osmond carried his composition “Until I Love Again” onto the charts, prompting additional placements for his catalog. John Conlee even interpreted Boone’s “American Faces” on NBC during the 1988 Olympic Games.

Although Boone secured a solo agreement with Mercury in 1986, his earliest singles generated scant attention. The label nevertheless released his debut album in 1988 in an attempt to mirror the commercial approach of country figures such as Garth Brooks and Clint Black. Boone himself never reached that stature, yet the single “Don’t Give Candy to a Stranger” entered the Top Ten that year.

His songwriting output remained robust: Kathy Mattea propelled “Burnin’ Old Memories” to number one in 1988, while Don Williams achieved Top Ten status with “Old Coyote Town.” Two further Mercury albums produced only modest returns, after which Boone moved to Columbia and saw Get in Line register a minor chart entry in 1993. Songwriting duties continued, leading to Lonestar’s number-one hit with the Boone-penned “Everything’s Changed” in 1998.