
However, he reinvented himself in the 1980s as a mainstream country star, and had his first hit on the country music chart in 1985 with " Burned Like a Rocket", released on the Atlantic label. His last hit on the US pop charts was in 1978, when his version of " Under the Boardwalk" became a minor hit. īy the late 1970s, Royal had become a regular performer in Las Vegas, and also appeared as an actor in movies and on television. In the 1970s his recording of "Heart's Desire" gained popularity among Northern soul enthusiasts and was regularly played in Northern soul nightclubs. His 1969 single, " Cherry Hill Park", peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. when Royal released it in 1967, but a later remake by The Osmonds was a much greater success. Another South composition, " Yo-Yo", just missed the top 40 in Canada and charted poorly in the U.S. He followed up his initial success with the singles " I Knew You When" (Top 20, 1965) and " Hush" (1967), also written and produced by Joe South. "Down in the Boondocks" remained his best-known song, reaching number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 38 in the UK. The recording was heard at Columbia Records, who offered Royal a singing contract in 1965 and released his version of the song, produced by South.

Royal was a friend of performer and songwriter Joe South, and recorded what was intended as a demo of South's song " Down in the Boondocks". He formed his own rock and roll band, and became a local star at the Bamboo Ranch in Savannah in the late 1950s and early 1960s, where his singing style was influenced by African-American performers, including Sam Cooke. The song and album won three Grammys.Born in Valdosta, Georgia, to Clarence and Mary Sue Smith Royal, and raised in Marietta, Georgia, Royal performed at the Georgia Jubilee in Atlanta during his teens. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” out of the number one spot on the charts. “Ode to Billie Joe,” written and recorded by Bobbie Gentry in 1967, is an elegy that became a hit in many countries, knocking “All You Need Is Love” and “Sgt. Gentry remarked the song’s message revolved around the “nonchalant way” the family discussed the suicide and that what was thrown off of the bridge was included because it established a relationship between Billie Joe and the daughter, and provided “a possible motivation for his suicide the next day”. What’s the story behind the song Ode to Billy Joe? Till was only 14 years old when he was shot and thrown over the Black Bayou Bridge in Mississippi for offending a woman in a grocery store. While Bobbie Gentry admits the story is fictionalized, she did explain that it was inspired by the 1954 murder of Emmett Till.

What genre is Billy Joel?Īlternative/IndieFolkPop Is the song Ode to Billy Joe based on a true story? While Forbes estimated his net worth in 2010 as $160 million, Joel said it is “north of that,” according to the 2014 biography Billy Joel, written by Fred Schreuers and detailed in the New York Daily News.

How much is Billy Joel net worth?īut Joel’s total net worth is several times more than that. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart between 19. Billboard Hot 100 chart between 19 and 15 charted on the U.S. Of his 37 singles, 16 charted on the U.S. His discography consists of 14 studio albums and 37 singles. How many hit songs did Billy Joe Royal have?īilly Joe Royal was an American country soul artist. He is survived by a daughter, Savannah Royal two stepsons, Trey and Joe Rivenbark his mother, Mary Royal and a brother, Jack. Royal’s three marriages ended in divorce. How many times was Billy Joe Royal married?

A group of Mississippi residents gathered on a sleepy, dusty Delta day to remember the fictional Billy Joe McAllister where - as the 1967 hit song had it - he ended his life when he jumped off the Tallahatchie bridge. Where is Billy Joe Royal buried?īilly Joe RoyalBirth Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, USADeath (aged 73) Morehead City, Carteret County, North Carolina, USABurialGreenwood Cemetery Morehead City, Carteret County, North Carolina, USA Show MapMemorial ID153363142 īilly Joe Royal, who scored the 1965 Top Ten single “Down in the Boondocks” and also made frequent appearances on the country chart in the Eighties, died suddenly Tuesday morning at his Marietta, North Carolina home, according to the Tennessean. 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. What’s the story behind the song Ode to Billy Joe?.Is the song Ode to Billy Joe based on a true story?.How many hit songs did Billy Joe Royal have?.How many times was Billy Joe Royal married?.
