It was early summer, 1974 – the year of the Watergate scandal, the energy crisis, long lines at the gas station – but in the midst of these national woes, you could turn on your radio at almost any given moment and find some station spinning the infectious tearjeaker “Billy, Don’t Be a Hero” by Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods.
Touring in the mid 60’s for Dick Clark Productions as an opening act for supergroups like The Rascals, Paul Revere and The Raiders, Box-Tops, Grassroots and Herman’s Hermits gave the group enough exposure to garner them a strong following on the live circuit. An opening stint for The Osmond Brothers and appearances on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, and “Action ’73” TV shows poised Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods into the right realm for the stardom they would soon achieve.
The first single, “Special Someone”, hit the charts in 1972 with another single the following year ABC Records called “Deeper and Deeper”. Their next release, “Billy, Don’t Be A Hero” was all that was necessary to shoot Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods up to the #1 spot for two weeks, sell more than three million copies and earn a gold record. Four more Top 40 singles followed on its heels: “Who Do You Think You Are,” “The Heartbreak Kid,” “House on Telegraph Hill”, “Our Last Song Together”.
Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods and their gold record have been mentioned in Stephen King’s book “The Stand” and also in such Television shows as “Get A Life,” “ALF,” and the NBC hit sitcom “Friends.” The song was also used in feature films, most notably, Quentin Tarentino’s “Reservoir Dogs”, “To Gillian on her 37th Birthday” and in the unique film “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” VH-1’s 8 Track Flashback with Suzanne Summers featured The Heywoods and “Billy, Don’t Be A Hero.”
Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods currently continue to bring their music to live concerts, nightclubs, casinos, fairs, corporate events and festivals.