LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Down in the Boondocks” singer Billy Joe Royal has died. Royal passed away Tuesday at his home in Morehead, North Carolina. He was 73. “Down in the Boondocks” hit number 9 in 1965. Royal’s other pop hits include “I Knew You When” and “Cherry Hill Park.” Royal enjoyed a successful country music career in the 1980s, with hits like “Tell It Like It Is,” ”Love Has No Right” and “I’ll Pin A Note To Your Pillow.” His song “Burned Like A Rocket” had been a rapidly rising hit in 1986 until the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster happened and country radio stopped playing it.
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