UMC has announced the release on September 21st of the first major retrospective of Bobbie Genty, an artist who not only knocked Sgt Pepper off the top of the US Album charts but who was also one of the first female musicians who wrote, produced and even published her own music. “The Girl From Chickasaw County” is an 8CD box set that includes all seven of Gentry’s studio albums remastered from the original tapes, supplemented by over 75 previously unreleased recordings including her ‘lost’ jazz album, outtakes, demos, rarities and an 8th disc of live performances taken from her celebrated series for the BBC. The release has specially commissioned cover art by David Downton and includes an 84-page book with a comprehensive essay, rare and unseen photos, 8 postcards and a facsimile of her original handwritten lyrics for ‘Ode To Billie Joe’.
Bobbie Gentry was an artist who could turn her hand to fit country, folk, soul, pop, Americana, blues and jazz, and this box set brings all those genres together. The collection includes the originals of ‘Ode To Billie Joe’, swamp funk mover ‘Mississippi Delta’ (complete with an alternative version), Glen Campbell duet ‘Mornin’Glory’, her cover of ‘Hushabye Mountain’, pop-soul track ‘Fancy’, and the melancholy ‘Lookin In’. In addition, there are previously unreleased recordings including originals like ‘I Didn’t Know’ and ‘Joanne’ alongside covers of ‘Conspiracy Of Homer Jones’, ‘God Bless The Child’, and ‘Spinning Wheel’. Also included are acoustic performances of ‘The Seventh Son’, ‘Feelin’ Good’, ‘Seasons Come, Seasons Go’ and ‘Belinda’.
For the rarities and obscurities fan, making their appearance on CD/download for the first time are ‘La Siepe’ Bobbie’s Italian-language entry to the 1968 San Remo song festival, UK number one single ‘I’ll Never Fall In Love Again’ sung in Spanish, and a little-known duet with
Kelly Gordon; ‘Love Took My Heart And Mashed That Sucker Flat’. Try saying that five times quickly. Lastly there’s Disc 8 featuring live recordings from her BBC TV series, including an inspired pairing of ‘Niki-Hoeky with Barefootin’’, and takes of ‘Refractions’, ‘Ode To Billie Joe’.
Disc 1: Ode To Billie Joe
Disc 2: The Delta Sweete
Disc 3 Local Gentry
Disc 4: Bobbie Gentry & Glen Campbell
Disc 5: Touch ‘Em With Love
Disc 6: Fancy
Disc 7: Patchwork
Disc 8: Live At The BBC
