His final charted single was 1992’s 'I’m Okay (And Gettin’ Better)', which peaked at No. His next fourteen single releases hit the country charts, with the biggest being his cover of 'Tell It Like It Is', which hit No. In late 1985, he released 'Burned Like a Rocket' which was rapidly climbing the country singles chart, and had just entered the top ten in January 1986, when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, and due to the title of the song, the single began to fall quickly back down the charts with many radio stations pulling the song off the air. His subsequent hits included 'I Knew You When' and 'Cherry Hill Park'. In 1965, Royal released 'Down in the Boondocks' which peaked at No. It was there that Royal would become friends with Roy Orbison who gave him encouragement to pursue his dream as an artist. Royal gained a huge following at the Bamboo Ranch in Savannah, Georgia, where close to 2,500 people each night would flock to the club to see him and others perform. Royal, who was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1988, died in his sleep of natural causes.Īmerican Pop and Country Singer. His final album, 'His First Gospel Album', was released in 2009.

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