R.I.P.: Pop, Country Singer Billy Joe Royal

Singer Billy Joe Royal, best known for his pop hit “Down in the Boondocks” and a string of country singles in the 1980s, died unexpectedly in his home in North Carolina on Tuesday morning, according to his publicist, Brent Taylor.

He was 73 years old, according to The Tennessean.

Mr. Royal was born April 3, 1942 in Valdosta, Georgia, and began singing at an early age. As a young man he performed on the radio program "Georgia Jubilee," which is where he met artists like Jerry Reed and Joe South. It was South who penned Mr. Royal's 1965 breakout single, "Down in the Boondocks," which peaked at No. 9. Mr. Royal would also find success with his follow-up single: another South-penned song, called "I Knew You When."



During the mid-1980s, Mr. Royal's career was revitalized when he signed with Atlantic Records and began releasing country songs.  He was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1988.