Cecil Altman Boone (June 1, 1935 – January 20, 2023), known as Nick Todd, was an American pop singer.[1] He had two hit records called "Plaything" and "At The Hop", which reached No. 41 and No. 21, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[1] "Plaything" debuted in October 1957 and "At The Hop" debuted in December 1957, the same month Danny & the Juniors' version reached No. 1 on the chart.[2]

Nick Todd
Birth nameCecil Altman Boone
Born(1935-06-01)June 1, 1935
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
DiedJanuary 20, 2023(2023-01-20) (aged 87)
OccupationPop singer

The president of Dot Records, Randy Wood, did not want him using the same last name as his brother, so he made up "Todd", which is basically "Dot" (Records) spelled backwards.[1] Both recordings were backed by Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra.

Nick Todd earned a master's degree in social work from the University of Tennessee and during the 1970s was executive director of West Tennessee AGAPE, a family service organization. He later moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he continued work as a social worker, song leader among the churches of Christ, and instructor in Social Work at David Lipscomb University.

Personal life and death

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Nick Todd was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and was the younger brother of pop singer Pat Boone who was born a year earlier to the date.[3][4]

Todd died on January 20, 2023, at the age of 87.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 445. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
  2. ^ "Nick Todd | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Obituary Nick Boone June 1, 1935 – January 20, 2023". dignitymemorial.com. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  4. ^ Parish, James Robert; Pitts, Michael R. (July 2003). Hollywood Songsters: Allyson to Funicello. Routledge. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-415-94332-1. Retrieved July 23, 2010.