Results: Bobbie Gentry: Musical Woman of Mystery

If you were listening to pop, country, r&b &/or adult contemporary radio in the U.S. (and Canada, I'm supposing) in the summer-fall of 1967, or listen to an especially cool oldies station nowadays, you've likely heard Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe." The then-23 year-old singer-songwriter's breakthrough single conversationally and catchily conveys an eerie tale of suicide and family dynamics. It topped multiple sales and airplay charts internationally and sold millions of copies in the States alone. Are you familiar with this song?

Gentry was more interested in success as a songwriter, not a performer, and her label had designated "Ode'"s flip side, "Mississippi Delta," as the hit. Her original intent was for what would become her biggest hit was to have jazzy soulster Lou Rawls record it. Can you imagine Billie Joe doing himself in and the intrigue surrounding it sung about from a male perspective?

Gentry never domestically equalled "Ode to Billie Joe" chart-wise, but she didn't lack for work. Other singles of hers that flopped Stateside, such as her rendition of "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" (a U.S. hit for Dionne Warwick), did well in other countries. She also hosted short-lived TV shows in the States and the U.K. and a years-long run of stage shows in Las Vegas. Have you ever seen a stage show at a Las Vegas casino?

Though talented enough to have produced many of her records (though mostly uncredited), as well as being an accomplished painter (that's a self-portrait on the album cover pictured in the clip with this question), seamstress, choreographer and set designer, Gentry engendered dismissal and derision from some men in the music business for her self-reliance. Regardless your and their sex, have you ever been intimidated by anyone especially confident and talented?

This survey's references to Gentry in past tense aren't to imply she died. But she did disappear from public view since she canceled a concert appearance with fellow soulful pop/country singer Mac Davis in 1983. Decades of silence have made her an object of speculation among some music lovers. Her willingness to chuck a high-profile career may be an inspiration to anyone longing for personal reinvention. Have you ever known anyone who has walked away from a successful position, only to stay silent about doing so?