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BOBBIE GENTRY
- Thread starter radiobum
- Start date
Didn't she "go country," have some duets with Glen Campbell or something?
Bobbie Gentry's walking away from a promising career strikes me as the the American counterpart of Welsh folk-influenced singer Mary Hopkin. Hopkin's monster hit, "Those Were The Days" broke a little over a year after "Billy Joe". Gentry cut her sides with Campbell, while Hopkin's mentor was Paul McCartney....who signed her to the Beatles' Apple label, and also wrote a couple of songs for her (most notably the hit, "Goodbye").
According to an article/interview I read in the London Sunday Times a few years ago, Hopkin...never comfortable in the limelight... decided she'd rather go home to Wales and just be be a wife and mom. Instead of touring and recording, she now limits her performances to Friday night neighborhood singalongs at her town's local pub! Apparently, however, she and Sir Paul have remained in contact. When the Times reporter asked her about that, her (smiling) reply was "We're on each others' Christmas card lists".
Sounds like Bobbie Gentry has opted for a somewhat similar path.
According to an article/interview I read in the London Sunday Times a few years ago, Hopkin...never comfortable in the limelight... decided she'd rather go home to Wales and just be be a wife and mom. Instead of touring and recording, she now limits her performances to Friday night neighborhood singalongs at her town's local pub! Apparently, however, she and Sir Paul have remained in contact. When the Times reporter asked her about that, her (smiling) reply was "We're on each others' Christmas card lists".
Sounds like Bobbie Gentry has opted for a somewhat similar path.
Mary Hopkin also sang ..... Temma Harbor, Goodbye, Knock Knock, Puppy Song and Those Were The Days (my friend) and not to be confused with the opening song of All In the Family. Those Were the Days was derived from a Russian folk song. All of these songs were great! Seems like alot of movie, tv and music stars get out of the business. Sometimes the husband/boyfriend does not like all of the attention their mate gets and talks them out of their career. Probably other reasons too. Some just can't get another hit song and record companies drop them like a hot potato.
Bobbi Gentry's sound was, by it's very nature, country. Listen closely to both the lyrics and the accoustic guitar work of her signature song, Ode To Billy Joe. She cut that single 3-years before her duet days with Glen Campbell.firepoint525 said:
stevations said:
I don't disagree...but Hopkin would take issue with "Knock Knock". She said in the article I read that she absolutely hated it. And the prospect of recording it, and more others like it, played into her decision to bail. It wasn't the whole basis for her to leave the business, but basically "the last straw".
She also wanted to record some traditional Welsh folk music (particularly nationalistic stuff), which could have been controversial as well as not commercially viable. She didn't care about the latter, but was/is pretty passionate about her native Wales. Wales is a beautiful place, but much of it is somewhat depressed economically. It reminds me of Appalachia. There's a feeling there....real or imagined....that the British government ignores or neglects it.
My guess is that....along with the stark contrast between "home sweet home" and the music biz lifestyle....are additional factors that drove her to call it quits in her early 20s. The River Severn bridge which connects England with Wales is less than a two hours' drive from London Heathrow airport. But once you cross it, you're truly in another world.
Thanks for that flashback! I had forgotten all about M.H.'s cover of Que Sera...KR4BD said:
Yes, she was "big". But behind the curtain she could be difficult, if you believe Dwayne Hickman. Hickman, who played the title role in TV's The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis in the late '50s & early '60s, later became entertainment director at one of the more prominent Vegas hotels. He booked Gentry for many of her appearances there. In his autobiography, Forever Dobie, Hickman pulled few punches about Gentry's allegedly poor work habits, especially between sets, during intermissions. According to the book, punctuality was not one of Gentry's strong points.allenv said:
H
hornet61
Guest
If I remember correctly she married a casino boss, gave the music industry the one finger salute, and retired.
H
hornet61
Guest
deltas69 said:
her divorce from jim stafford..was caused by either too many "Spiders and Snakes in bed' or she found out about his "Girl Bill.".
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