Bobbie Gentry | |
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![]() Gentry in a publicity photo for Capitol Records in 1969 | |
Born | Roberta Lee Streeter July 27, 1942[1] near Woodland, Mississippi, U.S. |
Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
Known for | "Ode to Billie Joe" |
Spouses | Thomas R. Toutant
(m. 1976; div. 1978) |
Children | 1 |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
Years active | 1966โ1982 |
Labels |
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Signature | |
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Bobbie Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter; July 27, 1942)[1] is a retired American singer-songwriter. She was one of the first female artists in America to compose and produce her own material.[2][3]
Gentry rose to international fame in 1967 with her Southern Gothic narrative "Ode to Billie Joe".[4] The track spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was third in the Billboard year-end chart of 1967,[5] earning Gentry Grammy awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1968.[6]
Gentry charted 11 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and four singles on the United Kingdom Top 40.[7] Her album Fancy brought her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.[6] After her first albums, she had a successful run of variety shows on the Las Vegas Strip.[8] In the late 1970s, Gentry lost interest in performing, and retired from the music industry. News reports conflict on the subject of where she lives.