Bobbie Gentry, the girl from Chickasaw County, Mississippi, paved the original path for women in country music. She was one of the first female singer-songwriters to write and produce her own work and she was the one of the first women to have their own variety show on BBC.
With just seven studio albums in her discography, the mark that the Delta Sweete left on the music industry and its patrons is undeniable. Let's take a look back and remember Bobbie Gentry's best songs!
10. "He Made A Woman Out Of Me"
This beautiful story about a teenage girl's first heartbreak and the loss of innocence peaked at No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.
9. "Mississippi Delta"
Though it was released on the B-side of Ode To Billie Joe, this tune was set to be Gentry's first single under Capitol Records. However, once strings were added to 'Ode To Billie Joe,' the label decided to release that as the single instead.
8. "I'll Never Fall In Love Again"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkNzMxO2zFk
Released on her 1970 record Fancy, 'I'll Never Fall In Love Again' skyrocketed to No. 1 on the UK singles chart.
7. "Mornin' Glory"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9Q_UiUUVJ4
A beautiful song written by Glen Campbell and Gentry that was released as the first single off of their duet record. The song reached spot 32 on Billboard's Easy Living chart.
6. "Chickasaw County Child"
"Chickasay County Child, a song from Gentry's debut album, shows off her southern drawl and her knack for telling a good story.
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5. "Okolona River Bottom Band"
This song is the first on The Delta Sweete album about growing up in the south. The song has a rich, swampy, backwoods feel that made fans fall so in love with Gentry in the first place.
4. "Gentle On My Mind" (duet with Glen Campbell)
Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell was released by Capitol Records in 1968. "Gentle On My Mind" was sequenced third on the duo's record, which won the Academy of Country Music Award for Album of the Year.
3. "Son Of A Preacher Man"
Written by John Hurley and Ronny Wilkins, this song was released by several artists in the late '60s and early '70s. Gentry released it on her 1969 Touch 'Em With Love album.
2. "Fancy"
Released on the B-side of Courtyard, a record that won Gentry a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Performance. "Fancy" was later recorded for Reba McEntire's 1990 record Rumor Has It and landed at No. 8 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.
1. "Ode to Billie Joe"
Mystery shook the nation when the sad story of Billie Joe McAllister jumping off the Tallahatchie Bridge was released in 1967. Knocking the Beatles' out of the number one spot on the Billboard chart, this song won Gentry three Grammy Awards.
Her songwriting and style were second-to-none. Just as she shocked the nation with a riddle when they first heard her name, she leaves people guessing still today. In the early '80s, Gentry settled down somewhere and hasn't been around since. Rumors say she found a life in Los Angeles or Memphis, some say they have seen her in Las Vegas and Nashville. Wherever she is, she left people with a story — in true Bobbie Gentry fashion.
Honorable Mentions
"All I have To Do Is Dream," "Let It Be Me," "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head," "Lookin' In"
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