Bobbie Gentry is one of country music’s most trailblazing, yet elusive stars. Born in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, on July 27, 1942, Gentry rose to prominence in 1967 with her groundbreaking single, “Ode to Billie Joe.” Gentry quickly established herself as one of the genre’s most captivating songwriters. She continued this trend with, “Fancy,” in 1969 which Reba McEntire turned into one of her signature hits. Her duets with Glen Campbell, “Let It Be Me” and “All I Have to Do is Dream,” were also Top 10 hits on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
Videos by American Songwriter
After more than 20 compilation albums, seven studio albums, and one soundtrack album, Gentry mysteriously disappeared from the limelight. Since retiring in 1982 at the age of 40, Gentry has kept an incredibly low profile, so much so that she has not recorded new music or given an interview. Even her whereabouts are unknown, with only a tight community of friends that she remains in contact with. In honor of the singer’s 81st birthday on July 27, we revisit her final public performance.
Bobbie Gentry’s Final Bow
On May 10, 1981, Gentry delivered what would be her final public performance on the NBC special, An All-Star Salute to Mother’s Day, alongside a lineup that included comedian Bob Hope, actors Jamie Lee Curtis, Claude Akins and others. Gentry performed “Mama, A Rainbow” from the Broadway musical, Minnie’s Boys. The only footage that remains of the performance is a grainy video recorded by a fan that shows her sitting in front of a fake tree next to a gazebo on the set. Accompanied by an orchestra, her voice sounded as beautiful as ever as she made her way into the audience singing, Mama, a rainbow/Mama, a sunrise/Mama, the moon to wear/That’s not good enough/No not good enough/Not for Mama.
A year later in April, Gentry attended the 1982 ACM Awards which marked her last appearance at a major public event. From there, she seemingly slipped into oblivion. Not even McEntire can coax the legend out of hiding, as she’s tried many times over the years to make contact with Gentry since releasing “Fancy” in 1991, but to no avail.
“I’ve never met her. I’ve never talked to her,” McEntire confirmed to Taste of Country in 2020. “I talked to so many people who have gotten to work with her and know her and do stay in communication with her and I would say, ‘Hey, would you tell her that I’d really like to meet her some time or talk to her or email or text or smoke signals or anything.’ I don’t care, I’d just really like to communicate with her. I’d love to know where did she get the idea of ‘Fancy’ and what was the thinking behind it.”
[RELATED: Country Legend Bobbie Gentry Announces New Box Set]
An investigative report by The Washington Post reveals that Gentry likely lives in Somerville, Tennessee, just outside of Memphis as of 2016. In addition to a recording career, Gentry also had a Las Vegas residency. In 2020, she was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
