He was doing a TV show at the time, back in 1977. Seriously though, I moved to California and lived in the same neighborhood as Kenny Rogers. Back in 1970 when "Cherry Hill Park' came out, nothing really charted after that. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment? A southern boy who made it big and became the king so we thought we had a shot at being something. And you know what? I never took a photo with him. In those days you played a month at a time at those casinos and about a year or so later, we both played at the Lake Tahoe and he was playing the main room and I was playing the lounge and our names were on the sign together in red and I would kill for a picture of that sign.Ī friend of mine that played on 'Down in the Boondocks', Henry Gordon Jr., left Neil Diamond's band and began playing bass for Elvis, and I was backstage every single night. I just thought he was being nice by inviting us back. I went to see one of his shows with Bill Lowry, who produced Joe South's "Walk a Mile in My Shoes,' and we got invited to his dressing room. I remember the date like it was yesterday (Jan. How did you meet the King of Rock-n-Roll? ![]() We are the same age, knew all the same people and basically had the same background. About two years ago, we had the same agent so we started touring together and called the show the Raindrops and Boondocks Tour. I played a show in Houston in 1965 with Roy Orbison, Marty Robbins and B.J. We met in your neck of the woods, in Houston. I got a call from Dick Clark and it changed my life. 1 in Cincinnati overnight and then it just blew up across the country. And then Joe (South) called me and said he had a song for me called "Down in the Boondocks' so I flew back to Atlanta to cut it. President Kennedy was assassinated and he wanted to do a tribute show at Cincinnati Gardens but I had never worked in front of kids before.Īll of sudden, all the kids are following me around town. I was working at a club and met a disc jockey named Dusty Roads who came out to one of my shows. For some reason I wanted to leave Savannah and left for Cincinnati. He died in his sleep at age 73 at his home in North Carolina on October 6, 2015.I did the craziest thing. Moreover, Royal continued to perform on stage in country bars all over the South. His signature tune "Down in the Boondocks" is featured on the soundtracks for the films "Glory Road" and "Riding in Cars with Boys." Among the albums Billy Joe recorded were "Stay Close to Home," "Now and Then, Then and Now," and "His First Gospel Album," which was his last album. Royal acted in the Shakespearean rock opera "Catch My Soul," made an uncredited appearance singing the folk ballad "Mountain Woman" in the bizarre horror picture "A Name for Evil," and narrated the groovy rock documentary "Mondo Daytona." He also acted in several TV commercials. Billy Joe bounced back in the 1980's as a country singer the songs "Burned Like a Rocket," "I'll Pin a Note on Your Pillow," and "Tell It Like It Is" were all top 10 country chart hits. When Royal's career faltered in the late 1970's, he became a regular performer in both Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. The follow-up songs "I Knew You When," "I've Got To Be Somebody," and "Cherry Hill Park" all likewise cracked the Billboard top 40. Billy Joe scored a massive top 10 hit in 1965 with "Down in the Boondocks," which peaked at #9 and turned Royal into a teen idol for a short spell. Royal recorded a single in 1962 that flopped. In addition, Billy Joe was a local singing sensation at the Bamboo Ranch in Savannah, Georgia in the 1950's and early 1960's. He fronted his own rock band at age sixteen which performed around Atlanta. At age fourteen Royal learned how to play the steel guitar and joined the Georgia Jubilee. ![]() Billy Joe made his public debut at age five in a first-grade performance for the PTA and sang on his uncle's radio show at age eleven. Royal hailed from a family of musical entertainers. He was born on Apin Valdosta, Georgia and raised in Marietta, Georgia. Singer Billy Joe Royal enjoyed a successful musical career which spanned over forty years and encompassed the pop, rock, and country music genres.
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