Bobbie Gentry

Singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter, 1942), a native of the Woodland area in Chickasaw County, claimed international fame in 1967 with a haunting hit single, “Ode to Billie Joe.” A film character inspired her adoption of the Bobbie Gentry stage name. Gentry, who composed her first song at 7, lived with her father in Greenwood for a few years and moved to Palm Springs, California, as a teenager to live with her mother. She learned to play multiple instruments and gained early live-performance experience in high school. Gentry later studied at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. She released a series of albums on Capitol Records, including one with Glen Campbell, and appeared in television specials. Gentry won three Grammys and two Academy of Country Music awards. Her final public performance came in 1981. Gentry soon after ceased public appearances, but she remained a powerful music-world influence.