It was 1970. The sound of young girls screaming with excitement filled a packed New York City theater when Ed Sullivan announced the next performer: Billy Joe Royal. The popular singer was already well known for his hits "Down in the Boondocks," "I Knew You When" and "Hush" before he performed "Cherry Hill Park" on that particular episode of the Ed Sullivan television variety show.
"I was in the right place at the right time and knew the right people," said Billy Joe Royal with modesty as he spoke about his rise to success in the '60s. He will perform in Streetsboro Aug. 2 in a concert free to the public during the city's Family Days.
Early on, Billy Joe Royal said he realized that the music business was tough and that a rise to success was no guarantee for continued success. The struggle to have another hit record after "Cherry Hill Park" proved to be an uphill climb on the rollercoaster ride of Billy Joe Royal's musical journey.
The journey began in Marietta, Georgia just north of the Florida line. As a youngster Billy Joe was immersed in music, taking steel guitar lessons at age nine and hanging around his uncles who had their own traditional country band. As a teenager, Billy Joe auditioned for the Georgia Jubilee show (Georgia's version of the Grand Ole Opry) singing "Won't You Wear My Ring," a song made famous by Elvis Presley, and immediately got the job. About a year later he put together a rock-n-roll show and performed as a member of the house band for the Bamboo Ranch in Georgia five to six nights a week where he rubbed shoulders with major artists who would also perform at the club, including Roy Orbison, B.B. King, and Sam and Dave.
By listening attentively to all of the great singers who performed at the club and learning their inflections and vocal riffs, Billy Joe Royal developed a unique singing style that would soon land him a record deal. The record deal came out of nowhere at age 20, after Billy Joe Royal had been living and working a club in Cincinnati. He had previously recorded a song his friend Joe South had written called "Down in the Boondocks," which became a major hit across the country.
"I didn't think that much of the song when Joe first played it for me," Billy Joe said, "but I never was really a good judge of songs. In fact, I passed up the opportunity to be the first artist to record other songs such as 'Midnight Train to Georgia' and 'You Never Promised Me a Rose Garden' because the songs didn't do much for me at the time."
Billy Joe recorded "Boondocks" anyway and to his surprise it became a national hit and a breakthrough in his career. Billy Joe left Cincinnati, looking back on the city he had grown to love, and moved to Atlanta to take advantage of the many opportunities that a hit record brings. Unknown to him at the time, Billy Joe Royal had taken his place among an elite group of individuals who would be privileged to enjoy a lengthy career as a singer and entertainer. In the '70s, there were no hits for Billy Joe; but he continued working at his craft, crooning nightly in Las Vegas nightclubs. By the 1980s Billy Joe Royal needed another hit to keep his career alive. Country music had been rising in popularity and Billy Joe Royal recorded "Burn Like a Rocket" which landed him another record deal and Billy Joe Royal was back on the charts with several country music hits including "Pin a Note on Your Pillow" and "Tell it Like it Is."
He recorded a duet with Donna Fargo called "Members Only." By this time, Billy Joe had enough hit songs under his belt to assure him opportunities to work for many years to come. To this day, Billy Joe keeps a busy touring schedule and performs frequently with BJ Thomas.
In his spare time, Billy Joe enjoys spending time with his daughter Savannah, who at age 12 is an accomplished and award-winning equestrian.
"The only thing I can do fairly well besides sing is ride a horse," Billy Joe said. He taught his daughter to ride horses and recalls the time he was asked to ride one into a stadium during a baseball game before singing the national anthem.
"The horse just took off full speed and kept trying to throw me off," he said.
He found himself putting on an impromptu rodeo show before a stadium-filled audience. Billy Joe was able to hang on and take control before gracefully dismounting and singing the national anthem.
Likewise, Billy Joe has been able to hang on, take control and sing beautifully, despite the bumps and jolts along the road of his musical journey.
Editor's note: This article was
provided by Deborah Carothers, Streetsboro Family Days volunteer