We've got a Billy Joe Royal Double Feature for you this weekend ...
First WRCO Disc Jockey Phil Nee shares an interview that he did with Billy Joe back in 2010 ...
And then tomorrow, Jeff March and Marti Smiley Childs will share excerpts from the profile and interview that THEY did in their excellent series of "Where Have All The Pop Stars Gone" books!
Billy Joe Royal's 1965 hit 'Down In the Boondocks' is one of the all time most requested songs on my Saturday night program. Joe South was an
amazing writer and producer.
From a 2010 WRCO interview we learn that the two were trying to make the song sound like another artist.
I had the chance to see Billy Joe Royal as the opening act for B.J. Thomas in Madison, Wisconsin in the early 2000's. It was an outstanding show.
He made sure to sing one of my favorites, 1969's Cherry Hill Park.
He talked about that record with me back in 2010 and some of the other almost hits that he recorded.
Man, what an incredible show that would have been to see!!!
As you probably already know, B.J. Thomas BECAME "B.J. Thomas" because Billy Joe Royal was already having hits under his own name. (Thomas' name was ALSO Billy Joe!!! So to avoid confusion, they agreed to market him as B.J. Thomas ... which seemed to work out pretty well in the long run.)
You can Jeff and Marti's profile of B.J. Thomas in our August 15th post ...
And be sure to check out their Billy Joe Royal profile tomorrow ...
Right here in Forgotten Hits!!!
Be sure to listen to Phil Nee's THOSE WERE THE DAYS radio program tomorrow night on WRCO ...
WRCO AM FM Radio Richland Center Wisconsin
Just click on the 100.9 headphones and start
streaming!
