#The delta swete

[bea-lele-carmen]

Said he'd build me a courtyard He promised he would And spend time in my courtyard Whenever he could

In the corner, a tall tree So shady and cool And a white marble fountain In a clear sparkling pool

A lovely stone courtyard With a lacy iron gate And a bountiful garden Where I could wait

Yes, he built me a courtyard Like he promised he would And I know that he'd come to my side He would if he could

Patterns on a courtyard floor Illusions of all I'm living for

[maximumbob-universe]

Bobbie Gentry is one of pop music's greatest mysteries. Her sudden rise to stardom, her inability to sustain the momentum of her first recording, her success on television and Las Vegas floor shows, her focus on covering others songs rather than focusing on her singular gifts as a writer. Her disappearance from public view at the age of 40 just adding to the enigmatic quality of her career. The 2018 release of the box set "Girl from Chickasaw County" is a brilliantly assembled homage to her music, spread over eight cd's, it has to be one of the most thorough investigations of any career that yielded such limited chart action. "Ode To Billie Joe" is one of the greatest songs, and performances ever laid down in a recording studio. The haunting, back woods story of alienation and tragedy stood out against the summer of love backdrop of 1967. The song, and the attendant LP, both made number one on the chart. Bobbie wrote all the songs on the album save one, each insightful views into small town life. Even more ambitious in scope, the follow up "The Delta Sweete" takes this concept further, with Gentry mixing her own quirky and tender compositions, such as "Refractions" and "Reunion" into covers of life in the south, like "Tobacco Road" and "Parchman Farm." The unreleased songs presented in the demos shows how more Bobbie and less covers might have been even better. 

While the record found critical acclaim, it died in the marketplace. Bobbie landed a contract for television series on the BBC, a medium she seemed most comfortable with. Coming less than a year after "Delta Swete" and the TV show, "Local Gentry" turned out to be an album of mostly covers, making it a bit uneven. Her own songs on the LP are outstanding, from the opening track "Sweet Peony" and the riotous send up of the funeral business with "Casket Vignette." There were three Beatles covers, which seemed out of place with Bobbie's  own songs, making it the weakest long player she had yet issued. Although she enjoyed exposure on both sided of Atlantic on the small screen, her recording career seemed stalled. The powers that be at Capitol Records paired her with superstar label mate Glen Campbell for an album of duets that scored chart success, but did little for Bobbie other than make a few bucks. She recorded some demos for a potential album of torch songs, revealing what might have been an interesting approach had it been followed.

What did come was "Touch 'Em With Love"  another record full of covers, though generally well chosen. Bobbie seems at home with Michael Murphy's "Greyhound Goin' Somewhere" and John Hartford's "Natural to Be Gone", which fit nicely along side strong originals like "Glory Hallelujah How They'll Sing" and "Seasons Come, Seasons Go." Unfortunately a slight cover of "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" became a hit for Gentry in the U.K., making her into more of an MOR queen than multi-talented chanteuse. It was this songwriting that came to the fore on "Fancy", Bobbie's rags to riches tale about a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. It was a hit, but a minor one, falling outside the top 20. The album surrounded the standout title track with crap like "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head", making a potential break out into a missed opportunity.

Her last album for Capitol, "Patchwork" returned Bobbie to her roots as a writer, but by 1971 no one cared much, her songwriting prowess had been overcome by her show biz image and history of covers. The record died on the charts.....it would be Bobbie's last LP.  She made her last public appearance in 1982, leaving future generations to wonder what became of her. The box set opens new windows on her career ups and downs, including a collection of performances from her BBC shows, as well as a large selection of revealing demos. Ultimately it shows an incredibly talented woman ahead of her time, and often at odds with what was then possible for women in pop music. By the time we caught up with Bobbie Gentry, she had walked away from it all, in the end becoming as mysterious as the dark tale of life in the delta that brought her fame.  

[bea-lele-carmen]

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, yeah

Oh, good mornin', sleepy baby You know, I'm thinkin' 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 have to thank the sandman For he's let you wake up In my arms again

Doo-doo, da-doo-doo, doo-doo

Oh-oh-oh, come on, darlin', time to get up I have your breakfast table set up It's such a lovely mornin' to see And I have my mornin' glory with me