Billy Joe Royal (born 3 April 1942 in Valdosta, Georgia) is an American singer. Raised in Marietta, Georgia, Royal became a local singing sensation in the 1950s and 1960s at the Bamboo Ranch in Savannah, Georgia. He is best known for the 1965 top-ten pop hit "Down in the Boondocks", which along with the singles "I Knew You When" (top 20, 1965) and "Hush" (1966) were written and produced by friend Joe South.