"I was born on my Granddaddy's farm in Mississippi," Bobbie Gentry says, "lived with my grandparents till I was old enough to go to school." Her parents divorced when she was very young, and she spent her early childhood living with her grandparents on their poverty stricken farm outside Woodland Community in Chickasaw County's "Mississippi Delta" country. "We didn't have electricity, and I didn't have many play things," she remembers, "my Granddaddy liked his possum stew, so whenever he caught one, he'd cut off the tail for me to play with."

Bobbie credits her Grandmother with helping her get started towards a career in music. "My Grandmother noticed how much I liked music, so she traded one of her milk cows for a neighbor's piano." Bobbie taught herself to play by listening to the church accompanist. She composed her first song when she was seven, entitled "My Dog Sergeant Is a good dog," which was later resurrected as a humorous part of her nightclub act. Bobbies Mississippi roots would be the inspiration for many of the songs she wrote. Bobbie attended grade school in Greenwood, Mississippi, where her father lived. In the summer of 1957, she moved to California to live with her mother. She attended school in Arcadia for two years before the family moved to Palm Springs. During her early teens she taught herself to play the guitar, banjo, bass, and vibes. At 14, after seeing the Jennifer Jones movie, 'Ruby Gentry,'she decided she liked the sound of 'Bobbie Gentry,'and it later became her stage name. She began her performing career in a local country club while still in high school, where she was heard and encouraged by Bob Hope and Hoagy Carmichael. After graduating from Palm Springs high school, Bobbie briefly supported herself as a dancer-singer in Las Vegas. She was part of a nightclub review called Folies Bergere. She moved back to California to pursue a degree in philosophy at UCLA, working as a secretary and performing in small night spots on weekends. She later transferred to the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music where she studied guitar, majoring in theory and composition. In her spare time she worked with several vocal groups doing arrangements. Around 1964 she recorded two duets, 'Ode to Love,'and 'Stranger in the mirror,'with rockabilly singer Jody Reynolds, of 'Endless Sleep' fame. They were probably her first recordings. At some point during this time Bobbie performed as part of Hawaiian musician Johnny Ukulele's troupe. Early in 1967, Bobbie made a demo record of her songs which came to the attention of Capitol Records producer Kelly Gordon. He liked them and signed her to a recording contract. One of the songs on the demo, 'Mississippi Delta,' was to be her first single. On the flip side was 'Ode To Billie Joe,'which became the title track of her debut album. Originally over seven minutes long, the song was reduced to four minutes and seven seconds, and violins and cellos were added. Disc jockeys' decided they liked it over the A side, and started playing it.

The song's sparse sound and controversial lyrics struck a chord on the airwaves of 1967. Capitol's shortened version added to the song's mystery: what did Billie Joe and his girlfriend throw off the Tallahatchie Bridge, and why did Billie Joe commit suicide? Bobbie has said that the real theme of the song was indifference. "Those questions are of secondary importance in my mind. The story of Billie Joe has two more interesting underlying themes." she says, "First, the illustration of a group of peoples reaction's to the life and death of Billie Joe, and its subsequent effect on their lives, is made. Second, the obvious gap between the girl and her mother is shown when both women experience a common loss (first Billie Joe, and later, Papa), and yet Mama and the girl are unable to recognize their mutual loss or share their grief." 'Ode To Billie Joe' topped the US charts for four weeks, reaching number 13 in the UK, and selling 3 million copies. The song won Bobbie three Grammy awards, including Best Vocal Performance by a Female, Best Contemporary Female Solo Vocal Performance, and Best New Artist (she was the first Country artist to ever win in this category). The Academy of Country Music named Bobbie Gentry its Top New Female Vocalist of 1967 (her album of duets with Glen Campbell won Album of the year in 1968). Billboard, Cashbox, and Record World nominated her as Most Promising New Vocalist of the Year. She was so popular in 1967 that Nashville's 'Country Music Association' chose her to cohost its first awards show with Sonny James. Bobbies next single, 'I Saw An Angel Die,' didn't do as well as expected but 'Okolona River Bottom Band,' from her brilliant but under-appreciated 1968 follow-up album, 'The Delta Sweete,' made it into the top 60. In 1968 she also released 'Local Gentry,' a mix of original songs (again inspired by her Mississippi roots) with some popular covers, as well as an album of duets, 'Bobbie Gentry & Glen Campbell.' Their single's 'Morning Glory' and 'Less Of Me'were only moderately successful, but 'Let It Be Me' reached number 14 on the Country charts in 1969. A year later they would have their biggest success with 'All I have To Do' going to number six on the country charts. Bobbie and Glen continued recording together throughout the 70's. Bobbie made numerous guest appearances on TV shows hosted by Glen Campbell, Tom Jones, Andy Williams, Carol Burnett, and Bobby Darrin. In 1969 she released 'Touch 'em With Love,' her most critically acclaimed album, which gave her a number one hit in the UK with 'I'll Never Fall In Love Again.' She hosted her own series on BBC-TV in London, which was later widely shown in Germany, Holland, Australia, and elsewhere around the world. Later that year she married Desert Inn Hotel manager Bill Harrah, but Bobbie's career provided a conflict that couldn't be resolved and they divorced after three months. She became a regular headliner in Las Vegas, starring in her own $150,000 nightclub review, with a million-dollar contract. "I write and arrange all the music, design the costumes, do the choreography, the whole thing," she reported. "I'm completely responsible for it. It's totally my own from inception to performance. I originally produced 'Ode To Billie Joe' and most of my other records, but a woman doesn't stand much chance in a recording studio. A staff producer's name was nearly always put on the records." In 1970 she released the album 'Fancy,' with about half the songs, including the title track, being produced by Rick Hall of Muscle Shoals fame. The single 'Fancy' reached number 26 on the Country chart and 31 on the pop chart. In 1971 Bobbie would release 'Patchwork,' arguably her finest effort and a favorite among fans. Sadly, It would turn out to be her last original album. Capitol Records rereleased two of her previous albums that year, renamed 'Sittin Pretty' and 'Tobacco Road.' Her renditions of 'Scarlett Ribbons' and 'Away In A Manger' were included on 'The Sounds Of Christmas,' a compilation put out by B. F. Goodrich.