Ode to Billie Joe (album)
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''Ode to Billie Joe'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter
Bobbie Gentry Bobbie Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter; July 27, 1942) is a retired American singer-songwriter, who was one of the first female artists in America to compose and produce her own material. Gentry rose to international fame in 1967 with her Sou ...
. It was released on August 21, 1967, by
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
.


Background

Despite performing regularly with her mother in the mid-60s, Gentry’s sole ambition originally was to write songs to sell to other artists, telling the
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that she only sang on the recording of "
Ode to Billie Joe "Ode to Billie Joe" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry released by Capitol Records in July 1967, and later used as the title-track of her debut album. Five weeks after its release, the song topped '' Billboard's'' Pop sin ...
" that she took to Capitol because it was cheaper than hiring someone to sing it. Gentry also brought "
Mississippi Delta The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo ...
" to Capitol on the same demo tape and it was this recording, rather than "Ode to Billie Joe", that initially got her signed. Gentry was officially signed to Capitol Records on June 23, 1967, and staff producer Kelly Gordon was given "Ode to Billie Joe" as his first full length production for the label. Both of Bobbie’s "demo" tracks became the album masters; the purchased recording of "Mississippi Delta" was the version issued, but "Ode to Billie Joe" had a string arrangement by
Jimmie Haskell Jimmie Haskell (born Sheridan Pearlman, November 7, 1926 – February 4, 2016) was an American composer and arranger for motion pictures and a wide variety of popular artists, including Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Steely Da ...
dubbed onto the original recording at Capitol. It was the day after the string session that Capitol’s A&R team decided definitively that "Ode to Billie Joe" would be the A-side. Following the single's success, the rest of the album was quickly assembled from a selection of demos Gentry had already recorded guitar and vocal tracks for, with overdubs being completed in a matter of days at Capitol. The result was a unique combination of blues, folk and jazz elements, that furthered Gentry’s recollections of her home, and felt more like a concept album than a hastily assembled collection of songs. Capitol pre-ordered 500,000 copies – the largest pressing of a debut album in the label's history at that point. The album was in stores less than a month after it was completed.


Recording

The initial sessions for what would become Gentry's debut album took place prior to her being signed to Capitol Records. These sessions were produced by Gentry and Bobby Paris and most likely took place at Paris' Whitney Recording Studio in Glendale, California. "Mississippi Delta" and "Ode to Billie Joe" were recorded circa February and March 1967, respectively, with the string arrangement for "Ode to Billie Joe" being recorded sometime in June at
Capitol Studios Capitol Studios are recording studios located at the landmark Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, California. The studios, which opened in 1956, were initially the primary recording studios for the American record label Capitol Records. While t ...
. "Lazy Willie", "Bugs", and "Chickasaw County Child" were recorded on May 24, and would be overdubbed at Capitol Studios on July 27. Following the success of "Ode to Billie Joe", Gentry recorded acoustic demos of "I Saw an Angel Die", "Papa, Won't You Let Me Go to Town with You", "Sunday Best", "Hurry, Tuesday Child", and "Niki Hoeky" on July 26. These demos would be overdubbed on July 27 and 28, forming the rest of the album.


Critical reception

In the issue dated September 2, 1967, ''
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s review said, "This album, based on the phenomenal single, "Ode to Billie Joe", has got to be one of the top albums of the year. Bobbie proves to be much more than a flash in the pan. Each of her emotional ballads are standouts — especially the haunting "Hurry Tuesday Child". And Miss Gentry's uptempo jazz waltz, "Papa, Won't You Take Me to Town with You", could step out as a single." '' Cashbox'' also published a review on September 2, saying, "Bobbie Gentry follows up her No. 1 chart single, "Ode to Billie Joe", with an album of the same title. Included on the set, in addition to the title tune are, "Papa, Won't You Let Me Go to Town with You", "Chickasaw Country Child", "I Saw an Angel Die", and "Hurry, Tuesday Child". The disc figures to be a runaway best seller". ''
Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...
'' named the album as one of their Albums of the Week, saying that "Sensation Bobbie Gentry is as good in album form as she is in single form or just plain form on her ''Ode to Billie Joe'' album. She's quite a remarkable entertainer." Reviewing for
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, critic Richie Unterberger wrote of the album, "Her vocals are poised and husky throughout the record, on which she was definitely on the right track — one that she was quickly diverted from, into more MOR-oriented sounds."


Accolades

10th Annual Grammy Awards , - , rowspan="10" style="text-align:center;", 1968 , Bobbie Gentry ,
Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...
, , - , rowspan="6" , "
Ode to Billie Joe "Ode to Billie Joe" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry released by Capitol Records in July 1967, and later used as the title-track of her debut album. Five weeks after its release, the song topped '' Billboard's'' Pop sin ...
" ,
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
, , - , Song of the Year , , - , Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals , , - ,
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...
, , - , Best Contemporary Female Solo Vocal Performance , , - , Best Contemporary Single , , - , rowspan="3", ''Ode to Billie Joe'' , Album of the Year , , - , Best Contemporary Album , , - , Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical ,


Commercial performance

The album peaked at No. 1 on the US ''
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'' Top LP's chart. It was the only album to displace the
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’ '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' from its 15-week reign at the top of the chart. It also peaked at No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Country Albums chart and at No. 5 on the US ''Billboard'' Top Selling R&B Albums chart. The album's first single, "
Ode to Billie Joe "Ode to Billie Joe" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry released by Capitol Records in July 1967, and later used as the title-track of her debut album. Five weeks after its release, the song topped '' Billboard's'' Pop sin ...
", was released in July 1967, and peaked at No. 1 on the US ''Billboard''
Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
chart, No. 7 on the US ''Billboard'' Top 40 Easy Listening chart, No. 8 on the US ''Billboard'' Top Selling R&B Singles chart, and No. 17 on the US ''Billboard''
Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
chart. The single also saw international success, peaking at No. 1 in Canada on the ''
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'' Top Singles chart, No. 6 on Australia's ''
Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July ...
'' Singles Chart, and No. 13 on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. The album's second single, " I Saw an Angel Die", was released in September 1967, and failed to chart. "
Mississippi Delta The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo ...
" was issued as Gentry's debut single in Japan in October 1967, but did not chart.


Reissues

In 2007, the album was made available for digital download. In 2008, Australian label Raven Records released the album on CD, paired with 1969’s ''
Touch 'Em with Love ''Touch 'Em with Love'' is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry. It was released on July 7, 1969, by Capitol Records. The album was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, and produced by Kelso Herston. Background Followi ...
''.


Track listing

All tracks written by Bobbie Gentry, except as noted.


Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes. *Bobbie Gentry – vocals * Kelly Gordon – producer *
Jimmie Haskell Jimmie Haskell (born Sheridan Pearlman, November 7, 1926 – February 4, 2016) was an American composer and arranger for motion pictures and a wide variety of popular artists, including Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Steely Da ...
– arranger, conductor *Joe Polito – engineer *Ed Simpson – cover photo


Chart positions

Album Singles


References

{{Authority control 1967 debut albums Bobbie Gentry albums Capitol Records albums Albums arranged by Jimmie Haskell Albums arranged by Shorty Rogers