All his pop successes were on Columbia Records.
Royal never again matched that chart eminence as a pop act, but he did score two more Top 15 hits in that genre - “I Knew You When,” also in 1965, and “Cherry Hill Park” in 1969. 9 on Billboard’s pop charts and became his signature tune. He first recorded for the Fairlane label in 1961.īut it was not until 1965 that he debuted the song - Joe South’s “Down in the Boondocks” - that would launch his career. I never heard him raise his voice as he was always respectful and very professional.”īorn Apin Valdosta, Georgia, Royal headed his own band, the Corvettes, while still in high school. On his Facebook page, McDowell said of Royal, “He was one of the sweetest, kindest, most laidback people I have ever known. 1 with Ronnie McDowell at a club in Kansas City, Missouri. According to Pollstar, the live concert publication, he was next scheduled to appear Dec. He was 73.Īlthough his recording career had peaked in the late 1980s, Royal continued to tour. (This song later also became a hit for Donny Osmond (1972) and Linda Ronstadt (1983).Pop and country singer Billy Joe Royal died at his home in North Carolina Tuesday (Oct. (This highly suggestive song, which is mild by today's standards, was considered to be pretty risque in its day.) This will take you to a list of links to CD and/or MP3 product pages from one or more online merchants that have sound samples. To listen to a song clip, click any song title that has a speaker icon. Please note that these are referral or affiliate links from which may receive, at no additional cost to you, a commission if you should make any purchases through them. The New York Times remembers Billy Joe Royal.ĭisclosure: The following links will take you to various online merchants outside of that sell recordings and other merchandise for the performing artist featured on this page.Billy Joe Royal pays tribute to his idol, Sam Cooke, and recalls his words of encouragement early in his career in an interview with.For more information about Billy Joe Royal's life and career, visit his official website.His many honors and accolades included being inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1988. Over the years, Royal continued to tour and perform actively throughout most of 2015. A long string of hits followed through 1992 that also included "I'll Pin A Note On Your Pillow" (1987), "Out Of Sight On My Mind" (1988), "Love Has No Right" (1989), "Till I Can't Take It Anymore" (1989), and Royal's cover of Aaron Neville's "Tell It Like It Is" (1989). Royal later re-emerged as a country star and made his debut on the Country charts in 1985 with the Top 10 hit, "Burned Like A Rocket." This song was the first track on the 1985 album, "Looking Ahead," but the single was pulled by Atlantic Records after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster of January 28, 1986. Royal other hits also included "Campfire Girls" (1966), the naughty "Cherry Hill Park" (1969), "Tulsa" (1971), and his cover of The Drifters' "Under The Boardwalk" (1978). This smash was followed by a string of other Joe South-penned hits, "I Knew You When" (1965), "I've Got To Be Somebody" (1965), "Heart's Desire" (1966), and "Hush" (1967), the latter of which also became a hit for Deep Purple in 1968. Royal made his debut on the Pop/Rock charts in 1965 with "Down In The Boondocks," which became a Top 10 hit and his signature song. The success of "Down In The Boondocks" also helped him land a spot on the prestigious Dick Clark Caravan of Stars, a package tour that also included Tom Jones, Peter & Gordon, and other top acts. After hearing a demo of the Joe South-penned country-infused rocker, "Down In The Boondocks," Columbia offered Royal a contract and released the song. He also achieved local fame as a member of the house band at the Bamboo Ranch in Savannah where he met and was strongly influenced by such top R&B artists as Sam Cooke. A veteran performer with a career spanning over four decades, he made his mark in both country and pop with his trademark soulful vocals and an intense, dramatic style that combined influences from pop, rock and roll, R&B, and country.īorn in Valdosta, Georgia and raised in Marietta, Royal began his music career in his teens as a regular on The Georgia Jubilee, a radio show that also featured Joe South, Ray Stevens, Jerry Reed, and other Atlanta-based musicians. Billy Joe Royal (ApOctober 6, 2015) was a pop/country singer who became famous during the 1960s.
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