Chickasaw County Child: The Artistry of Bobbie Gentry

Bobbie Gentry | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 13, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Shout Factory
• Copy Protected
• ASIN: B0001XAMNG
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,973 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Ode to Billie Joe

2. Papa, Won't You Let Me Go to Town With You?

3. Mississippi Delta

4. I Saw an Angel Die

5. Bugs

6. Hurry, Tuesday Child

7. Chickasaw County Child

8. Okolona River Bottom Band

9. Penduli Pendulum

10. Mornin' Glory

11. Jessye' Lisabeth

12. Refractions

13. Casket Vignette

14. Hushabye Mountain

15. The Girl from Cincinnati

16. Fancy

17. Apartment 21

18. Benjamin

19. Marigolds and Tangerines

20. Beverly

See all 23 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Mississippi-born songstress Bobbie Gentry burned up the country and pop Billboard charts in 1967 with her single "Ode To Billie Joe," knocking "All You Need Is Love" out of the prime #1 position, a huge feat for a new artist who had little to no hype preceding her. An astonishing 750,000 copies of the single flew from record store shelves nationally. In 1972, Gentry issued her fifth and final album, with a smattering of individual songs surfacing over the next few years. She spent the remainder of the ‘70s performing in Las Vegas and Reno before turning her back on the music business and disappearing from sight. Although Bobbie Gentry no longer records or performs, her legacy continues to inspire contemporary musicians. Lucinda Williams, Shelby Lynne and Beth Orton are but a few artists who cite Gentry as a major influence on their work.

"‘Ode To Billie Joe’ fit right into this Southern Gothic tradition. It had that mystery, that darkness. It was a different voice, a blend of blues and country and folk that was totally unique." —Lucinda Williams

• Chickasaw County Child: The Artistry Of Bobbie Gentry is the first collection to embrace her unique, complex breadth of work and reveal her as more than a "hit" country artist, casting light on Bobbie as a premiere female rock artist who ventured into uncharted territory.

• Contemporary artists as varied as Sheryl Crow, Reba McEntire and The Geraldine Fibbers have all recorded her songs.

• "Ode To Billie Joe" dethroned The Beatles’ "All You Need Is Love" from Billboard’s #1 position in 1967.

• Disc compiled by noted reissues producer Gary Stewart, with liner notes by Holly George-Warren.

• Winner of three Grammy® awards for her 1967 debut including Best New Artist, plus an Academy of Country Music award.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First-rate anthology of an unusual, underrated artist, April 26, 2004

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chickasaw County Child: The Artistry of Bobbie Gentry (Audio CD)

Most folks know Southern songwriter Bobbie Gentry as the singer of the spooky 'Sixties hit, "Ode To Billie Joe," which soared to the top of the Pop charts in 1967, and went Top 20 on the Country charts. She had a few other Country hits, mostly duets with Glen Campbell, but her success came mainly as a pop stylist, and the success of her first single eluded her afterwards, in part because she was just so dynamically innovative and outside the box that her work defied easy categorization and promotion. This impressive 23-song collection will be a real eye-opener for folks unfamiliar with the rest of Gentry's career. The grand, sweeping, orchestrations and dense pop arrangements stand in contrast to her sultry, plainspoken, vocals, which often dip into bluesy soul-drenched phrasing. Gentry comes off a bit like Dusty Springfield on the magnificent "Dusty In Memphis" album, except that Gentry didn't just sing these songs -- the wrote all of them as well! It's an impressive body of work, consistently creative and outside of the well-defined boundaries of the rock, pop, soul and country traditions she draws on... This is a great collection, artistically rich and consistently engaging. Recommended!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Brilliant - Chills Up The Spine, October 10, 2004

By 

David S. Jenkins (On the Road) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chickasaw County Child: The Artistry of Bobbie Gentry (Audio CD)

For 40 years I had appreciated "Ode to Billie Joe" as one of the most perfect and unique few minutes ever committed to vinyl, but had never too seriously dug into the rest of her music. This collection has me kicking myself and resolved to make up for my sad oversight. This is an EXTRAORDINARY cd by a tremendous talent. I mean EXTRAORDINARY. If the world can rediscover and shower respect upon Nancy Sinatra, it's certainly time to spread the word about Ms. Gentry. I haven't found a cd by a female artist as riveting and compelling since I first discovered Kate Bush, and that's 25 years ago. My favorite female vocalist of all time is dear departed Dusty Springfield... but I'll tell you, Ms. Gentry is beginning to affect me in the very same way, with her voice getting under my skin, as though she were singing just inches from my ear. Stunning work...unlike anything I've ever heard...and she wrote the songs! Bobbie, wherever you are (are you still in the Savannah area?) please know that your work lives on and is clearly unsurpassed.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best collection yet of her earlier work., September 29, 2004

By 

dpwstory (Boston Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chickasaw County Child: The Artistry of Bobbie Gentry (Audio CD)

(This is a partial rewrite of my epinions review.)
I grew up listening to Bobbie Gentry's first three albums with my family (and they are well-worn records) so it surprised me to realize years later when I went to track down her music on CD that she wasn't exactly a household name (save a few radio hits.)
I further found it frustrating and bewildering that the available compilation albums seemed to lean more towards her later mainstream, pop radio friendly work (Glen Campbell duets, etc.)
Chickasaw County Child: The Artistry of Bobbie Gentry is a important step in the right direction. Of the 23 tracks more than half are from the early albums (Ode to Billie Joe and The Delta Sweete) and most of the last ten were at least worth a listen - coming mostly from singles and her last album Patchwork. As an introduction to her entire career it's a good start.
Having said that, I would point out that her material NOT included in this collection would make an excellent second volume in it's own right. I easily count another dozen originals that could have been included before considering her many covers. The exclusion of the very cool rap-like tune 'Reunion' and her cover versions of Blues numbers like 'Tobacco Road' and 'Niki Hoeky' (to name just two) are my biggest disappointments with this compilation.
It probably wishful thinking, but hopefully this collection precipitates the re-release of her entire catalog (The Delta Sweete in particular should be enjoyed in it's entirety as cuts are transitioned one into the next.)
Bobbie Gentry was the prototypical female singer-songwriter and here she finally gets a chance to show what should have made her a pre-eminent performer throughout the world (not just Las Vegas and the UK) the first time around. If you enjoy artists who cross over musical boundaries (in her case Country, Delta Blues, Soul, R&B, Rock, Pop, etc., etc.) to create works that are personal and inventive then please check her out!