"Mississippi Delta" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Bobbie Gentry | ||||
from the album Ode to Billie Joe | ||||
B-side | "Ode to Billie Joe" | |||
Released | October 5, 1967 | |||
Recorded | 1967 | |||
Studio | Whitney Recording Studio (Glendale) | |||
Genre | Southern rock [1] | |||
Length | 3:05 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bobbie Gentry | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Bobbie Gentry singles chronology | ||||
|
"Mississippi Delta" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry. The song was produced by Kelly Gordon and Bobby Parris. It was originally released as the B-side of Gentry's debut single "Ode to Billie Joe" on July 10, 1967. It was released as Gentry's debut single in Japan on October 5, 1967, with "Ode to Billie Joe" as the B-side. "Ode to Billie Joe" would be issued as single in Japan in May 1968 with "Niki Hoeky" as the B-side.
Gentry's sole ambition originally was to write songs to sell to other artists, telling the Washington Post that she only sang on the recording of "Ode to Billie Joe" that she took to Capitol because it was cheaper than hiring someone to sing it. Gentry also brought "Mississippi Delta" to Capitol on the same demo tape and it was this recording, rather than "Ode to Billie Joe", that initially got her signed. In retrospect, the track is more obviously commercial and reflects what was on the charts in 1967. Gentry most likely recorded the song at Whitney Recording Studio in Glendale, California. [2] She recorded a 12-song demo that would become the basis of her debut album.
Gentry was officially signed to Capitol Records on June 23, 1967. The "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 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. [3]
Richie Unterberger of AllMusic praised the track, calling it a "gloriously tough, throaty swamp rock; few other women pop singers have sounded as raw." [4]
"Mississippi Delta" was released as Gentry's debut single in Japan in October 1967 and did not chart.
Adapted from the single liner notes.
Bobbie Gentry is a retired American singer-songwriter. She was one of the first female artists in America to compose and produce her own material.
The 10th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 29, 1968, at Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville and New York. They recognized accomplishments of musicians for the year 1967.
"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 singles chart. It also appeared in the top 10 of the Adult Contemporary and Hot R&B singles charts, and in the top 20 of the Hot Country Songs list.
Ode to Billy Joe is a 1976 American drama film, directed and produced by Max Baer Jr., with a screenplay by Herman Raucher, and starring Robby Benson and Glynnis O'Connor. It is inspired by the 1967 hit song by Bobbie Gentry, titled "Ode to Billie Joe."
Reflections is the twelfth studio album recorded for Motown by Diana Ross & the Supremes. Released in 1968, it was the first regular studio LP to display the new billing of the group formerly known as "The Supremes." It contains the singles "Reflections", "In and Out of Love" and "Forever Came Today". Also included are covers of songs made famous by Martha and the Vandellas and The 5th Dimension. Also present are songs written by other famous names, including "Bah-Bah-Bah" co-written by Motown singer Brenda Holloway with her younger sister, Patrice, an original Smokey Robinson composition titled "Then", and "What the World Needs Now Is Love" by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, which Motown planned to release as a single in the spring of 1968, but cancelled. It also contains a cover of Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe," whose original recording kept the single #2 "Reflections" from peaking at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1967, and it hit #2 on Cashbox.
Billie Joe may refer to:
The Delta Sweete is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry. It was released on February 5, 1968, by Capitol Records. The album was produced by Kelly Gordon.
Margo Guryan was an American singer-songwriter. As a songwriter, her work was first recorded in 1958, although it was for her 1960s song "Sunday Mornin'", a hit for both Spanky and Our Gang and Oliver, that she is perhaps best known. Her songs have also been recorded by Cass Elliot, Glen Campbell and Astrud Gilberto, among others.
The Essential Glen Campbell Volume Two is the second of a series of three albums which cover Glen Campbell's recordings for Capitol Records between 1962 and 1979. The tracks are presented in a non-chronological order. All three Essential CDs contain, next to single and albums tracks, previously unreleased recordings. On The Essential Glen Campbell Volume Two, these are "My Special Angel", an uptempo version of "Last Thing on My Mind", "Oh Boy" and "Don't It Make You Want To Go Home". The Essential albums are also notable for containing some of the songs from The Artistry of Glen Campbell, the only original studio album by Glen Campbell that has not been released on CD or as a digital download. Included here is "Greensleeves".
James Henry Ford was an American singer-songwriter originally from Johnson County, Kentucky. After living in New Orleans, Ford moved to Los Angeles, and finally settled in Fort Bragg, California. His music is a mixture of soul, country and folk. His songs and songs he co-wrote have been recorded by numerous artists, including Aretha Franklin, P.J. Proby, Bobby Womack, and the Temptations. The UK singer Sylvia McNeill recorded "Ugly Man" in 1970, the only known version, as Ford's could not be found in his archives. Nick Lowe has cited Jim Ford as his biggest musical influence, and Sly Stone once called him "the baddest white man on the planet."
Ode to Billie Joe is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry. It was released on August 21, 1967, by Capitol Records.
Local Gentry is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry. It was released on August 26, 1968, by Capitol Records. The album was produced by Kelly Gordon.
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.
Fancy is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry. It was released on April 6, 1970, by Capitol Records. The album was produced by Rick Hall and recorded at his FAME Recording Studios, apart from Wedding Bell Blues and Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head which were produced by Gentry herself, and recorded at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, California. The cover art for the album is an uncredited painting of Gentry, based upon a reference photograph. According to the liner notes for the 2004 compilation Chickasaw County Child: The Artistry of Bobbie Gentry, the painting is believed to have been done by Gentry herself.
Kelly Gordon was an American singer, songwriter and record producer.
The discography of American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry consists of seven studio albums, one live album, one soundtrack album and thirty compilation albums. Gentry also released a total of thirty-one singles and fifteen extended plays.
The Girl from Chickasaw County: The Complete Capitol Masters is an out-of-print 8-disc box set compilation album by singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry. It was released on September 21, 2018, by Capitol and UMe. It features Gentry’s entire recording career with Capitol Records, bringing together 7 studio albums, 75 previously unreleased tracks, including demos, alternate takes and live recordings from Gentry's BBC television series.
"I Saw an Angel Die" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry. It was released on September 11, 1967, as the second single from her debut album Ode to Billie Joe. The song was produced by Kelly Gordon and features a string arrangement by Jimmie Haskell.
Pretty Bird is a studio album by American country artist, Kathy Mattea. It was released on September 7, 2018 via Captain Potato Records and the Thirty Tigers label. It marked the first album of new material by Mattea in several years after enduring several vocal challenges in previous years. The album contained 11 tracks that mixed cover tunes with original material. Pretty Bird received positive reviews from critics upon its release and included four singles.
The Voice of Billie Jo Spears is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in November 1968 via Capitol Records and contained 11 tracks. The disc mixed both new recordings with original material and featured her first charting single: "He's Got More Love on His Little Finger". It was the debut studio album of Spears's career and received positive reviews from critics.