Bobbie Gentry

Bobbie Gentry
Gentry in a publicity photo for Capitol Records in 1969
Born
Roberta Lee Streeter

(1942-07-27) July 27, 1942 (age 81)[1]
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Known for"Ode to Billie Joe"
Spouses
(m. 1969; div. 1970)
Thomas R. Toutant
(m. 1976; div. 1978)
(m. 1978; div. 1980)
Children1
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1966–1982
Labels
Signature

Bobbie Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter; July 27, 1942)[1] is a retired American singer-songwriter. She was one of the first female artists in America to compose and produce her own material.[2][3]

Gentry rose to international fame in 1967 with her Southern Gothic narrative "Ode to Billie Joe".[4] The track spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was third in the Billboard year-end chart of 1967,[5] earning Gentry Grammy awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1968.[6]

Gentry charted 11 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and four singles on the United Kingdom Top 40.[7] Her album Fancy brought her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.[6] After her first albums, she had a successful run of variety shows on the Las Vegas Strip.[8] In the late 1970s, Gentry lost interest in performing, and retired from the music industry. News reports conflict on the subject of where she lives.

  1. ^ a b Murtha, Tara (2015). Ode to Billie Joe. New York: Bloomsbury. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-62356-964-8.
  2. ^ "Bobbie Gentry".
  3. ^ Milano, Brett (March 21, 2019). "Best Female Songwriters: An Essential Top 25 Countdown | uDiscover". uDiscover Music. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  4. ^ Ochs, Meredith (June 3, 2014). "The Confounding, Enigmatic 'Ode To Billie Joe'". Ode To Billie Joe. NPR. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  5. ^ "Chairborne Ranger Presents the Billboard Hot 100 Songs 1967". Chairborne Ranger. Archived from the original on November 24, 2005. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Bobbie Gentry Grammies". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  7. ^ "UK Top 40 Hit Database". Everyhit.co.uk. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
  8. ^ "Four decades since Bobbie Gentry shunned fame, a new box set restores her unrivaled legacy". Los Angeles Times. October 12, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2019.

© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search