June 13, 2000 – It's not every day of the week that a 16 year-old kid living in central, rural Michigan suddenly finds himself in Beverly Hills, flanked by two entertainment legends, Pat Boone and Merv Griffin, and signing a national recording contract.

But that's exactly what happened today to Chesaning, Mich. high school junior Ryan Robert DeHues, winner of a national search for "America's next great crooner," sponsored by Boone's Gold Label records.

DeHues, towering over both veteran entertainers and enthused beyond belief, signed his first recording contract at an event at the world-renowned Coconut Club, located at Griffin's Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.

"The Big Band singers need to have a place in today's music," said DeHues, whose parents once appeared as singers with the legendary Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians musical group.

At the same event, veteran entertainer-entrepreneur Merv Griffin signed with Pat Boone's Gold Label records for the release of his new CD, "It's Like a Dream," for which he wrote the title song. "I released my first album 53 years ago," he quipped.

Among the musical selections on "It's Like A Dream" are "The More I See You," "With You, I'm Born Again," "My Funny Valentine" and "You Stepped Out of a Dream."

"The Gold Label was created to showcase all of the great singers still active in the business who are typically ignored by today's music moguls," said Boone, who's been crooning since the 1950s when he first enjoyed a long list of hit songs and starred in a series of popular movie musicals.

"Merv is just such an artist. He's been on the scene a long time and has a soulful appreciation for the standards. We're thrilled to have him join our family of gold recording stars whose style and taste in music are timeless."

Mort Lindsay, a longtime musical collaborator of Griffin's and the former conductor for Judy Garland, has teamed with the entertainer-entrepreneur on his new CD, which the Gold Label plans to nationally distribute later this year.

Chairman of a wide-ranging conglomerate of businesses including Merv Griffin Hotels and Merv Griffin Entertainment, Griffin has been singing professionally since he was 19, starting with the big band of Freddy Martin. He had a series of top charting hits before segueing to the movies and later the small screen where his success has been non-stop since bowing as the host of "Play Your Hunch" in 1958.

Griffin remains one of the entertainment industry's most successful and prolific businessmen. Along with creating both "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune," television's two top game shows, and their familiar theme songs, Griffin also produced and hosted his own Emmy Award-winning syndicated show for 24 years and has produced a number of other television productions and specials.