Billy Joe Royal was a country musician and pop performer best known for his hits “Down in the Boondocks" and "Burn Like a Rocket."

He also performed his songs on television, including spots on The Merv Griffin Show, Hollywood a Go Go, New American Bandstand 1965, The Real Tom Kennedy Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, Hee Haw and The Pat Sajak Show. Additionally, his music was featured on the soundtracks for the films Riding in Cars with Boys and Glory Road.

Royal got his start as a performer after moving to Savannah, Georgia, and gaining a following at the Bamboo Ranch, where he sang to crowds of nearly 2,500. He later signed with Columbia Records and released “Down in the Boondocks” in 1965, which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

His other hits included “I Knew You When” and “Cherry Hill Park,” the latter of which was his final pop hit in 1969. He changed labels several times throughout the 1970s and eventually ended up at Mercury Records, where he released a self-titled album in 1980. He later signed with Atlantic Records and experienced a country hit with the song “Burned Like a Rocket” in 1986. He experienced more hits on the country charts, including his biggest, a cover of “Tell It Like It Is,” and his final charter, 1992’s “I’m Okay (and Gettin’ Better).”

Royal was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1988.

He died October 6, 2015, in Morehead City, North Carolina. He was 73.