Funeral arrangements will be announced this week. Background information Born ApValdosta, Georgia, U.S. His most successful record was 'Down in the Boondocks' in 1965. He is survived by his ex-wife, Michelle Royal, with whom he was still close, daughter Savannah Royal, and two stepsons, Trey and Joey Riverbank. Billy Joe Royal (Ap October 6, 2015) was an American pop and country singer. Royal had planned to spend some time off the road in the coming weeks in order to spend time with his daughter, a student at NC State University. 24 at the Gwinnett County Fair in Georgia, the state in which he was raised and where he discovered his love of music. Royal's soulful voice was still in fine form, and he continued to tour in recent years. He followed "Rocket" with several country hits including "I'll Pin a Note on Your Pillow," "Tell It Like It Is," and "Till I Can't Take It Anymore." He was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1988. Royal notched his first Top 10 country single with "Burned Like a Rocket," though the song was reportedly pulled from the radio after the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy of January 1986. Royal's career was revitalized when he signed with Atlantic Records and began releasing country songs. Royal would also find success with his follow-up single: another South-penned song, called "I Knew You When."ĭuring the mid-1980s, Mr. Royal's 1965 breakout single, "Down in the Boondocks," which peaked at No. As a young man he performed on the radio program "Georgia Jubilee," which is where he met artists like Jerry Reed and Joe South. Royal was born Apin Valdosta, Georgia, and began singing at an early age. Singer Billy Joe Royal, best known for his pop hit “Down in the Boondocks” and a string of country singles in the 1980s, died unexpectedly in his home in Marietta, North Carolina on Tuesday morning, according to his publicist, Brent Taylor. Two more of the South-penned songs saw release as singles and charted well - "I Knew You When" got to #14 and "I''ve Got To Be Somebody" reached #38.Ī big thank you to Stuck In The Past for active /story/entertain.73489544/ With Royal's quivering vocals to the forefront, it featured a distinctive style of pop music with hints of country and R&B, genres which were represented by covers of Willie Nelson's "Funny How Time Slips Away" and Jimmy Hughes' "Steal Away". His debut album followed, produced by Joe South and featuring many more of South's compositions. "Down In The Boondocks" gave Billy Joe Royal his breakthrough hit in 1965, charting at #9. Large septic tank that had been dragged into the studio.įor “Billy Joe Royal – Down In The Boondocks (1965)” go here: He was working at the time) to Atlanta and cut "Down in theīoondocks," whose churchy echo resulted from the use during recording of a In the hope that Gene Pitney would record it. Years later South contacted him with a song he wanted Royal to sing as a demo, Several of his songs reached the Billboard Hot 100, including'Cherry Hill Park', which peaked at number fifteen. His country rock successes include'Down in the Boondocks' and'I Knew You When'. Royal and South roomed together for a time, and two or three Billy Joe Royal Fast Facts: Birthday: ApDied: OctoBirthplace: Valdosta Georgia Zodiac Sign: Aries Description. In 1962, he recorded an independent single that Other African-American stars, Royal observed their vocal moves and began to Performing at a nightclub that also booked Sam Cooke and Savannah, where he was influenced by African-American vocal styles and began to Regularly singing around Atlanta by the age of 16. Royal had his own rock & roll band in high school and was He learned to play steel guitar and joined the Georgia Jubilee in AtlantaĪt 14, performing with Joe South, Jerry Reed, and Ray Stevens, among several Valdosta, Georgia, and made his debut on his uncle's radio show at the age ofġ1. Royal was born into a family of musical entertainers in
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