Bobbie Gentry (born July 27, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter. She wa… Read Full Bio ↴Bobbie Gentry (born July 27, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter. She was born Roberta Lee Streeter to Portuguese parents in Chickasaw County, Mississippi. She shot to international fame in the summer of 1967 with the quirky and intriguing Ode to Billie Joe, written by Gentry and sung in her warm, captivating style. "Ode" was listed as the most popular single of the year in many U.S. record surveys and was admired by Frank Sinatra and other singers.

Early years

Gentry spent her childhood living with her father in Greenwood, Mississippi, where she attended elementary school and began teaching herself to play the guitar, the bass guitar, and the banjo. In her early teens, she moved to Palm Springs, California, to live with her mother, Ruby Bullington Streeter, graduating from Palm Springs High School in 1962. It was during this time that the teenage Roberta settled on the stage name "Bobbie Gentry," and began performing at local country clubs, encouraged by no less a Palm Springs celebrity than Bob Hope.

After a short career as a Las Vegas showgirl, Gentry moved to Los Angeles, attended UCLA (where she was a philosophy major) and worked clerical jobs while occasionally performing in local nightclubs. She later transferred to the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music to hone her composition and performing skills.

Rise to fame

In 1967, Gentry recorded a demo and submitted it to Capitol Records executive Kelly Gordon, who quickly signed her to a recording contract and produced her first album. A 45 rpm "single" of two of her songs—"Mississippi Delta" and "Ode to Billie Joe"—was the first issue from this first effort, and even though "Mississippi Delta" was chosen for the "A" side, radio stations were quickly enamored with the quirky tale of Billie Joe McAllister and the mystery of his fate, as hauntingly performed and recorded on the "B" side. Bobbie Gentry had a monster hit on her hands, and Capitol Records had its newest superstar. Gentry went on to win three Grammy Awards that year, including "Best Vocal Performance by a Female", and "Best New Artist."

Gentry's follow-up albums, The Delta Sweete and Local Gentry, both produced by Gordon, were issued in 1968. Though critically acclaimed, neither album garnered the kinds of sales figures that were realized with Gentry's debut effort. The year 1968 also saw the release of an album of duets that paired Gentry with fellow Capitol alumnus Glen Campbell. Gentry and Campbell's harmonies resulted in a gold record and three hit singles, including a cover of the Everly Brothers hit "All I Have to Do Is Dream", which rose to No. 6 on the country charts in the winter of 1969.

Gentry toured briefly with Campbell and performed on a number of U.S. television programs and specials in the late 1960s. Her other notable singles include Doug Kershaw's composition "Louisiana Man" as well as a mellow version of a Burt Bacharach-Hal David song, "I'll Never Fall in Love Again". The latter went to No. 1 in Great Britain in 1970, a year after Dionne Warwick had a hit with it in the United States. 1970 also saw the release of another U.S. hit with the self-penned "Fancy," which rose to No. 26 on the Country chart and 31 on the Pop chart. (This enduring tale would later be covered with major success by Reba McEntire in 1991.)

Gentry would go on to record three more albums, while having earlier albums reissued under different titles. These last three albums, Touch 'Em with Love, Fancy, and the ambitious and highly regarded Patchwork, which consisted of all original material, were greeted enthusiastically by critics but, with the exception of the aforementioned title track to Fancy, failed to resonate with the public (though Gentry did generate a significant fan base in the United Kingdom).

Undaunted by declining record sales, Gentry sought other outlets for her creativity. She continued to write and perform, touring Europe and headlining a Las Vegas review in which she produced, choreographed, and wrote and arranged the music. In 1974, Gentry hosted a short-lived summer replacement variety show, The Bobbie Gentry Happiness Hour on CBS. The show, which served as her own version of Campbell's hit series The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, also on CBS, was not picked up for a full season. That same year, Gentry wrote and performed "Another Place, Another Time" for writer-director (and Beverly Hillbillies actor) Max Baer, Jr.'s film, Macon County Line. Baer would go on to direct a feature film take on Ode To Billy Joe, starring Robbie Benson, in which the mystery of Billie Joe's suicide is revealed as a part of the conflict between his love for Bobbie Lee Hartley and his emerging homosexuality.

By the middle 1970s, Gentry's sellability had waned significantly, and Capitol did not renew her contract. After some behind-the-scenes work in television production failed to hold her interests, Gentry decided to retire from show business. Her last public appearance as a performer was on Christmas night 1978, as a guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. She has deliberately remained out of the limelight ever since.

Personal life

She was married twice. The first, to casino magnate William F. Harrah in 1969, when she was 27 and he was 58, lasted only three months, a victim of her fame. The second, to novelty singer-songwriter Jim Stafford, ended in 1979, after only eleven months of marriage and the birth of a son, Tyler. The details of Gentry's personal life after her retirement are little known, but it is generally believed that she has settled into a happy life, and enjoys being a private citizen, unhindered by the scrutiny that fame brings. As of January 2003, she was living in Los Angeles County, California.

Morning Glory
Bobbie Gentry Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Good mornin' mornin' glory
Good mornin' what's your story
Good mornin' where'd you spend the night
Where did your night dreams take you
Sorry but I had to wake you
Oh I just had to make you
Shed your precious mornin' light on me

Oh good mornin' sleepy baby
You know, I'm thinking maybe
I love you even more today
Every time you go to sleep
I'm jealous of the dreams
That keep you away from me

Good mornin' mornin' glory
I'll have to thank the sandman
For he's let you wake up in my arms again

Doo doo da doo doo doo doo

Oh, come on darling time to get up
I have your breakfast table set up

Its such a lovely morning to see
And I have my mornin' glory with me

Overall Meaning

The song "Morning Glory" by Bobbie Gentry is a love song filled with warmth and tenderness. The opening lines of the song set the tone by addressing the morning glory, which represents the morning and a new beginning. The singer wonders where the night dreams took the morning glory and apologizes for waking her up but admits that her morning light is precious and he needs it.

The singer then addresses his partner, who is still sleepy, and tells her that he loves her even more today. He mentions that he is jealous of her dreams that take her away from him every night. However, he is overjoyed that she's back in his arms, and he thanks the sandman for letting her wake up in his arms again.

The chorus is a repetition of "good morning," which is not just a greeting but also a symbol of a new beginning, a new day, and a fresh start. The song ends with the singer urging his partner to wake up and enjoy the lovely morning breakfast with him.

Overall, the song 'Morning Glory' portrays the beauty of mornings and how love can warm up even the coldest day.

Line by Line Meaning

Good mornin' mornin' glory
Greetings beautiful morning glory plant

Good mornin' what's your story
How was your night? Tell me everything

Good mornin' where'd you spend the night
Where were you all night long?

Where did your night dreams take you
What did you dream about last night?

Sorry but I had to wake you
Apologies for disturbing your peaceful sleep

Oh I just had to make you
I just had to wake you up for this beautiful morning

Shed your precious mornin' light on me
Please share your beautiful presence and rays of sunlight with me

Oh good mornin' sleepy baby
Good morning to you, my adorable sleepy partner

You know, I'm thinking maybe
I am starting to feel like there is a possibility

I love you even more today
My love for you has increased even more today