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Bobbie Gentry's Ode to Billie Joe (33 1/3) Paperback – December 18, 2014
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July, 1967: It seems the entire country stopped to listen to a husky voice steeped in the simmering secrets of the South tell a tragic tale of teenage suicide. So much for the Summer of Love. "Ode to Billie Joe" knocked the Beatles' "All You Need is Love" off the top of the charts, and Bobbie Gentry became an international star. Almost 50 years later, Gentry is as enigmatic and captivating as her signature song. Of course, fans still want to know why Billie Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge. They also wonder: Why did Bobbie Gentry, who has not performed or made a public appearance since the early 1980s, leave it all behind?
Through extensive interviews and unprecedented access to career memorabilia, Murtha explores the real-life mysteries ensnarled within the much-disputed origin of Ode to Billie Joe. The result is an investigative pop history that reveals, for the first time, the full breadth of Bobbie Gentry's groundbreaking career-and just may help explain her long silence.
Foreword by musician Jill Sobule.
- Print length160 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBloomsbury Academic
- Publication dateDecember 18, 2014
- Dimensions4.87 x 0.39 x 6.97 inches
- ISBN-101623569648
- ISBN-13978-1623569648
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“Tara Murtha examines that song and the rest of Bobbi Gentry's career in Ode To Billie Joe, the latest release in the 33 1/3 series of books. It is a wonderfully compelling book and the best I've read in the series since "Television: Marquee Moon." Perhaps it's her background as a reporter, but Murtha does not go down the pedantic path that many of the books in this series seem to do lately. Instead, the author presents a fascinating study of Gentry and her career-defining debut. That's right; "Ode to Billie Joe" was her debut recording. Wow.” ―Steve J., AllMusicBooks
“Murtha pulls free the threads of truth from a tangled knot of personal mythology and contradictions. Her book is likely to be a hit with casual listeners and pop-culture obsessives alike.” ―Katie Haegele, Utne Reader
“Philadelphia journalist Tara Murtha has dug deep into the story behind Gentry's song with the latest entry in the "33 1/3" book series devoted to various pop albums of significance… Murtha charts Gentry's challenges as a musician who in her teens was most interested in selling her songs to other singers, not recording them herself. But once she did get into the position of recording, she was up against a male-dominated record industry that offered little validation to a young woman with her own ideas about performance and production.” ―Randy Lewis, L.A. Times
About the Author
Tara Murtha is a journalist based in Philadelphia, USA.
Product details
- Publisher : Bloomsbury Academic (December 18, 2014)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 160 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1623569648
- ISBN-13 : 978-1623569648
- Item Weight : 5.5 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.87 x 0.39 x 6.97 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #331,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #119 in Music Recording & Sound (Books)
- #173 in Country & Folk Composer Biographies
- #626 in Music History & Criticism (Books)
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Ms. Murtha does fantastic journalistic detective work on this subject while she teaches us about the impact of this song "Ode to Billie Joe". She introduces us to Gentry's friends, family, slimeballs and entertainment sharks along the way trying to piece together the urban legends regarding the writing, playing, production and breadth of this song/woman. I always liked the song and its mystery, it made the public guess what the real reason and outcome was but we are reminded that is not the point - the point was Southern relationships and handling matters of such question.
Tara Murtha's writing style is spot on, keen, cleverand entertaining.She knows about writing and she knows her music. This is a must read for folks who like a good mystery, like a good music story, like an uplifting story on woman's rights and gains or those who just like the song "Ode to Billie Joe". Definitely get this book!
First off, Bobbie Gentry's is one of the great stories in music history, and author Tara Murtha does a sleuth-like job in digging for as many details as she possibly can without speaking to Gentry herself. Not like it's Murtha's fault. Gentry might as well be in witness protection, that's how hard she is to find.
This is like a music industry thriller. A page turner, with the details of Gentry's career keeping this music fan entertained and enthralled. I actually wish this were 300+ pages, with more details, but considering it's the only book available on the Ode to Billie Joe singer, I'm grateful it exists.
Maybe one day Gentry will shock us with a detailed memoir. But until then...read, listen to her music, and enjoy!
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Jonathan Peat