[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcUhTNxEh8M]
It’s been 48 years since Bobbie Gentry released her landmark single “Ode to Billie Joe,” and decades since she vanished from the public eye. Yet fans still recall the sexy swivel of a Delta-born showgirl who became an international star singing about the third of June, another dusty Delta day.
What’s less known about Bobbie Gentry and “Ode to Billie Joe” is that after leaving Capitol Records, Gentry repeatedly claimed that she, in fact, produced the hit single, but didn’t get credit. Perhaps that’s part of the reason she slipped out of the spotlight after a whirlwind, record-breaking career—the only mystery bigger than what was thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge.
To honor Gentry and her enduring tale of teenage suicide this third of June, musicians Jim Boggia (ukulele player extraordinaire/ yesteryear pop enthusiast), Allison Polans (powerhouse vocalist/songwriter), Sarah Larsen (strings/Hurricane Hoss boss) and Phil D’Agostino(bassist/producer/songwriter/X-factor) recorded this incredible interpretation of “Ode to Billie Joe.”
You can read MORE about “Ode to Billie Joe” and Bobbie Gentry in Tara Murtha’s fantastic 33 1/3.
Very nice!