(Jan. 2008) Musician Billy Joe Royal has sustained a career that spans over four decades. His wealth of experience stems from hit songs like "Cherry Hill Park," "Down in the Boondocks" and other top country billboard hits. His willingness to share candid stories about his exciting past with legendary artists proves he is still humble and passionate about continuing to make music. It is the only job he knows! This love fuels Billy Joe to continue touring the U.S. From his home in Tennessee, Billy Joe was nice enough to talk with PCM's Julie Kissane about his rejuvenated career, and he even reminisced about the good ol' country days. She also found out that the origins of his hit song, "Cherry Hill Park," hit a little closer to our PCM office here in Delaware than we thought!

 

J: Hi Billy Joe, it's great to talk to you!

BJR: Great, thanks for calling.

J: Where are you right now?

BJR: I'm in Nashville, Tennessee.

J: Yeah? What's the weather like down there?

BJR: It just turned cool, it's been warm. Actually, I just got home yesterday from Houston, Texas and it's about 60 degrees.

J: It's freezing up here in Delaware today!

BJR: (laughs)

J: Are you living in Tennessee now?

BJR: Yeah, yeah.

J: Great! Well I know you grew up in Georgia, what was that like as opposed to living in Tennessee now?

BJR: Oh, Georgia's the best. I've been in Tennessee now for about twenty years but my roots are in Georgia. It was the very best. I grew up in a small town; everybody knew everybody and I went to small school. It was a terrific time.

J: Aw, good. Did your parents support your musical education and aspirations? I had read that you had grown up in a family of musicians.

BJR: Well, my mom and dad didn't play but my uncle could play. My grandmother could play. A lot of the family played.

J: Did you find that because your family members were very musically inclined that they had a lot of influence over you?

BJR: Oh, absolutely! My first ambition was to be a steel guitar player in my uncle's radio show, in the band. I took steel guitar lessons when I was nine years old, so yeah they had a big influence on me.

J: So you play drums and piano in addition to guitar, right?

BJR: Real bad, but yeah. (laughs)

J: Is there one that you favor?

BJR: Well, I play guitar most of the time. What happened was, when the family moved to Marietta, Georgia and there was a show called the Georgia Jubilee and then we from there went to Savannah Georgia. There was a huge club there that had an owner that was bringing in big names twice a month. I'd sing about twenty minutes an hour and that's when I really learned how to sing, in between those acts.

J: That's an interesting story. I like hearing your thoughts about music back in the day and music now! Your career has span of about four decades and I had read a great quote from you that had said, "The old voice has stood up, you know." So what do you think is the hardest part about having such a long-lasting career? (laughs)

BJR: It's mostly just luck! I think probably because I have never quit, I've been singing the whole time and never really been out of work. I've just kept doing it and doing it. I do a lot of shows with B.J. Thomas, we're about the same age and he still sings like a bird every night!

J: Is there any other occupation you'd ever like to try?

BJR: (laughs) Not this late in the game! This is what I've wanted to do and I was lucky enough to be able to make a living out of it.

J: (laughs) You have probably had so many experiences with run-ins with other artists and musicians. Is there anyone in particular that has been memorable?

BJR: I've just been lucky, I'm always around talented people. I felt that I had always been around people that were just really, really good. And uh, then came the Dick Clark Tour and I mean, Tom Jones was on that and he's just about the best singer I've heard in my life.

J: And you have a pretty close relationship with Roy Orbinson too, right?

BJR: Yea, back in the day, he would always take time to talk to me and he was just so nice. We just remained friends.

J: So I have to ask you, is "Cherry Hill Park," about a geographical location?

BJR: Yeah, Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

J: It is! We are in Delaware so we are right next door!

BJR: I actually played at a place in Dover, Delaware called The Blue Hen. But anyway, yes, that song is regarding Cherry Hill, NJ. A friend of mine had gone to Philadelphia somewhere and looked over and saw Cherry Hill and then just said, "Hey, Cherry Hill, merry hill."

J: Are there any other places besides Georgia and Tennessee that are close to your heart?

BJR: Oh yea! Cincinnati, Ohio. I love it there. And I love California, too. But in Cincinnati, this guy came through who I met who said, "You know, I live in Cincinnati, Ohio and there is a club there, and you should come audition." He told me if I went an audition and passed it that I could make as much money there that I do in a week where I was. And so when I went, there had actually been a movie filming there, they were scouting locations and so I walked across the street and got to shake hands with Gregory Peck.

BJR: So in Cincinnati, there was disc jockey named Dusty Rose who was popular in town helped me out and I started to get a little following there in town. So I started to do these hops all over town with these disc jockeys and they'd start talking about me on the radio. So when people would start coming into town, like the Beach Boys or something, they'd let me go on and do a song or two before they came out. So when the record came out, for "Down in the Boondocks," I really thought it was an instant hit there because I had a local following and it really spread out from there. I really loved those people in Cincinnati a lot, plus I had a great time when I lived there so it really holds a special place in my heart.

J: Oh, that's great. Let's talk a little bit about your upcoming album, "Going by Daydreams," how did you get the title for the album?

BJR: Oh well, it's a song on the album. It's written by Chips Moman, and the man is a legend. He produced probably in the 60s, if you listen to an oldies station, every twenty minutes you can find a song that he either wrote or played guitar on. He produced Neil Diamond, Dusty Springfield, anybody who is anybody. He did the Elvis comeback album, the guy is an absolute legend. And he more or less retired and one day, he just called and said, "Let's do something." And we spent about a month writing and it was great. There's also a song on the album called, "Echos," that I really love.

J: What else can we expect from the album ? I saw online that you'll be doing some touring here and there?

BJR: Yea, B.J. Thomas and I do a lot of stuff together. We are going to be here in Tennessee, it sounds pretty crazy but it's a big deal here, we'll be playing at the Goats, Music and More Festival. And then we'll go up to Kentucky. But it's been a busy, busy summer! It's been nice and B.J. is a great singer and fun to be with. During the shows, I do my thing and he does his thing, and then we come back out and do some tracks together.

J: Well, thank you so much!

BJR: Great, if I am ever up your way, please come out and see me okay?

J: Absolutely, we appreciate your time and continue to have success and have a great time touring.

BJR: Thank you so much, thanks for calling.

Super Hits Billy Joe Royal CD