Billy Joe Royal is a country soul vocalist based in America. The most famous record by Billy that he made was titled “Down in the Boondocks” that he made in 1965.

Early Life

Valdosta, Georgia, U.S was the birth place of Billy Joe Royal. He was the son of Clarence Royal and Mary Sue Smith. His parents raised him in Marietta of Georgia. During his teenage, he performed amazingly at Georgia Jubilee that took place in Atlanta. He was multi-talented, and he created his own popular rock and roll band and also; in quite less time, he became a famous local star in Savannah at Bamboo Ranch during the 1960s. Billy gained prominence because his singing approach was similar to one of the African-American musicians named Sam Cooke.

Career Beginnings

Royal was a very good friend of the songwriter named Joe South, and therefore he recorded a song as a demo titled “Down in the Boondocks.” After recording, the song was listened at Columbia Records, and they were highly impressed and presented Royal a agreement in 1965. As soon as he signed the contract, the song of his version was released South produced that. Even in today’s time, his song, “Down in the Boondocks,” is one of the best-known songs, and it was ranked on Billboard Hot 100 at number #9 in the UK at that time. This was his initial success, and he followed his success with multiple singles, including “Hush” and “I Knew You When,” which was produced and written by Joe South.

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He released another single in 1969 that was titled “Cherry Hill Park” and peaked at No. 15 on Billboard Hot 100. In 1970, one of his recordings titled “Heart’s Desire” attracted the interest of enthusiasts of Northern soul, and it got popular that it was played in all the bars and nightclubs of Northern soul. By that time, Joe Royal has become the regular and best actor in Las Vegas, and he also started appearing as a performer in television and movies.  

He released many singles that all become hits, including “Tell It Like It Is,” “I’ll Pin a Note on Your Pillow,” “Burned Like a Rocket,” “Under the Boardwalk,” “Burned Like a Rocket,” and many more. His achievements on charts are unbelievable, and he had a great experience in the music industry. He toured regularly for performing different concerts at clubs, casinos and music festivals in Europe, Japan and North America. He even played Robert Ally in a film titled as Billy the Kid in 2013.

Personal Life

Billy is married to his long-term girlfriend, and he lived along with his daughter and two sons. Billy Joe died in 2015 on 6^th October. He was preceded by his father named Clarence, and two sisters named Tina and Marilyn.

Net Worth

Billy Joe Royal is considered one of the richest persons in the world. His estimated net worth is more than $1.5 million, and he has his own lavish house where he lives along with his family.