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