
Signed Royal to a contract, reissuing the song on the Atlantic America Alert producersĪt Atlantic Records recognized this track as a likely chart hit and Recorded it for Lowery's Southern Track label in 1984. Tune by songwriter Gary Burr called "Burned Like a Rocket," Royal Had scoured Nashville for a new hit song to record. Unwilling to rest on his laurels, however, Royal during the early 1980s Likewise, clips of his early performances from the 1960s and 1970s were edited into a video documentary, called Rock and Roll Call. In 1985 Royal was seen on television's Country Radio Seminar, on a program called Old Faces. He released more than a dozen miscellaneous Minor hits, including a Top 100 cover of the Drifters' hit "Under theīoardwalk" in 1978. In 1973 Royal wrote the score for A Name for Evil, a film starring Robert Culp and Samantha Eggar, and in 1974 he appeared with Richie Havens in Patrick McGoohan's Catch My Soul, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello.ĭuring the late 1970s Royal recorded for Private Stock and scored some Hot 100 chart, marking the end of Royal's initial high-profile A finalĬolumbia release, "Tulsa," appeared in February of 1971 and made the Royal made stage appearances in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, andĮlsewhere with a personal backup band, called the Blue Royals. Royal diversified into acting in films, television,Īnd commercials, and he narrated the Frank Willard film Mondo Daytona Hits followed for Royal, including "Hush" in September 1967 and "Cherry The Shirelles, Neil Diamond, and Tom Jones. Three-month tour of one-night stands that featured headliners such as Newfound prominence, Royal joined Dick Clark's Cavalcade of Stars, a In May of the next year he released "Heart'sĭesire," followed by "Campfire Girls" in September. A follow-up single in September, called "I Knew "Down in the Boondocks" entered the American top 40Ĭhart on July 3, 1965, and thereafter made headway into the top ten, Recorded "Boondocks" once again at the Columbia recording studio, whereĪ converted septic tank was used to create the song's echo-chamber Once again, it was South who originally had Lowery then assisted Royal in securing a six-year contract withĬolumbia Records. Rather of Bill Lowery, a well-connected music producer and publisher. In a twist of fate the demo attracted the attention not of Pitney, but The original track by Royal was recorded in Atlanta in 1962, but South,Īs it happened, had hoped to pitch the song to Gene Pitney (who wasĪlready a popular star) and requested that Royal record a demo of the "Down in the Boondocks," the recording that made Royal a star. There he made a number of cover recordingsĪnd made contact again with South. When these early demosįailed to attract attention, he moved to Cincinnati in an ongoing questįor a recording contract. Sent them to Motown and other major labels. In 1962 Royal taped an assortment of low-budget demos and singles, and R&B artists-the Isley Brothers and Sam Cooke among others.
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Royal likewise established professional associations with leading Working five-hour stints on stage and maintaining six-day workweeks, Songwriter Joe South, and the two developed a personal friendship. Graduation Royal moved to Savannah, where for two years he made regularĪppearances at the city's popular soul and rhythm-and-blues clubs.ĭuring this period Royal shared living quarters for a time with Royal also formed his own band,īilly Joe and the Corvettes, during high school, and by age 16 he was The program featured prominent guest artists andīrought Royal into professional contact with classic country musicĪrtists such as Ray Stevens, Jerry Reed, and various members of the At age 14 Royal joined a musical revue called Regular singing appearances on his uncle's radio show. He delivered newspapers as a schoolboy, butīy age 11 he was in pursuit of a show-business career, beginning with Theįamily moved to Marietta when Royal was seven years of age, and toĪtlanta three years later. He was the son of a self-employed truck driver. Was born on Ap(or 1945, according to some sources) in Vocal delivery, Royal performed on guitar, piano, and drums, and also Three decades and into the new millennium. Periods of low visibility, Royal's popularity endured through the next

The release of a top ten hit single, "Down in the Boondocks." Despite He earned stardom in his own right in the 1960s after

Rhythm-and-blues performers of the 1950s by the time he had graduatedįrom high school. Royal was rubbing elbows with the most popular country and Billy Joe Royal, center with members of the Waycross, GA band, Our Gang, circa 1966īorn on April 3, 1942, near Valdosta, GA.įrom the unpretentious background of a Georgia schoolboy, Billy Joe
