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Bobbie Gentry's Ode to Billie Joe by Tara Murtha: Used
US $13.69
ApproximatelyC $18.74
Condition:
Good
A book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks, but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. Binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing, minimal pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections.
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- Buy It NowBobbie Gentry's Ode to Billie Joe by Tara Murtha: Used
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Located in: Sparks, Nevada, United States
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eBay item number:285335858049
Item specifics
- Condition
- Publication Date
- 2014-12-18
- Pages
- 160
- ISBN
- 9781623569648
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Bloomsbury Academic & Professional
ISBN-10
1623569648
ISBN-13
9781623569648
eBay Product ID (ePID)
177614690
Product Key Features
Book Title
Bobbie Gentry's Ode to Billie Joe
Number of Pages
160 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2014
Topic
History & Criticism, Composers & Musicians, Genres & Styles / Rock
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Music, Biography & Autobiography
Book Series
33 1/3 Ser.
Format
Trade Paperback
Dimensions
Item Height
0.4 in
Item Weight
5.5 Oz
Item Length
6.4 in
Item Width
4.8 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2014-027644
Dewey Edition
23
Reviews
"Tara Murtha examines that song and the rest of Bobbi Gentry's career in Ode To Billie Joe, the latest release in the 33 1/3 series of books. It is a wonderfully compelling book and the best I've read in the series since "Television: Marquee Moon." Perhaps it's her background as a reporter, but Murtha does not go down the pedantic path that many of the books in this series seem to do lately. Instead, the author presents a fascinating study of Gentry and her career-defining debut. That's right; "Ode to Billie Joe" was her debut recording. Wow." -- Steve J., AllMusicBooks "Murtha pulls free the threads of truth from a tangled knot of personal mythology and contradictions. Her book is likely to be a hit with casual listeners and pop-culture obsessives alike." -- Katie Haegele, Utne Reader "Philadelphia journalist Tara Murtha has dug deep into the story behind Gentry's song with the latest entry in the "33 1/3" book series devoted to various pop albums of significance... Murtha charts Gentry's challenges as a musician who in her teens was most interested in selling her songs to other singers, not recording them herself. But once she did get into the position of recording, she was up against a male-dominated record industry that offered little validation to a young woman with her own ideas about performance and production." -- Randy Lewis, L.A. Times, "Tara Murtha examines that song and the rest of Bobbi Gentry's career in Ode To Billie Joe, the latest release in the 33 1/3 series of books. It is a wonderfully compelling book and the best I've read in the series since "Television: Marquee Moon." Perhaps it's her background as a reporter, but Murtha does not go down the pedantic path that many of the books in this series seem to do lately. Instead, the author presents a fascinating study of Gentry and her career-defining debut. That's right; "Ode to Billie Joe" was her debut recording. Wow." Steve J., AllMusicBooks "Murtha pulls free the threads of truth from a tangled knot of personal mythology and contradictions. Her book is likely to be a hit with casual listeners and pop-culture obsessives alike." -Katie Haegele, Utne Reader "Philadelphia journalist Tara Murtha has dug deep into the story behind Gentry's song with the latest entry in the "33 1/3" book series devoted to various pop albums of significance… Murtha charts Gentry's challenges as a musician who in her teens was most interested in selling her songs to other singers, not recording them herself. But once she did get into the position of recording, she was up against a male-dominated record industry that offered little validation to a young woman with her own ideas about performance and production." Randy Lewis, L.A. Times, Philadelphia journalist Tara Murtha has dug deep into the story behind Gentry's song with the latest entry in the "33 1/3" book series devoted to various pop albums of significance... Murtha charts Gentry's challenges as a musician who in her teens was most interested in selling her songs to other singers, not recording them herself. But once she did get into the position of recording, she was up against a male-dominated record industry that offered little validation to a young woman with her own ideas about performance and production., "Tara Murtha examines that song and the rest of Bobbi Gentry's career in Ode To Billie Joe, the latest release in the 33 1/3 series of books. It is a wonderfully compelling book and the best I've read in the series since "Television: Marquee Moon." Perhaps it's her background as a reporter, but Murtha does not go down the pedantic path that many of the books in this series seem to do lately. Instead, the author presents a fascinating study of Gentry and her career-defining debut. That's right; "Ode to Billie Joe" was her debut recording. Wow." Steve J., AllMusicBooks "Murtha pulls free the threads of truth from a tangled knot of personal mythology and contradictions. Her book is likely to be a hit with casual listeners and pop-culture obsessives alike." -Katie Haegele, Utne Reader, "Tara Murtha examines that song and the rest of Bobbi Gentry's career in Ode To Billie Joe, the latest release in the 33 1/3 series of books. It is a wonderfully compelling book and the best I've read in the series since "Television: Marquee Moon." Perhaps it's her background as a reporter, but Murtha does not go down the pedantic path that many of the books in this series seem to do lately. Instead, the author presents a fascinating study of Gentry and her career-defining debut. That's right; "Ode to Billie Joe" was her debut recording. Wow." --Steve J, AllMusicBooks "Murtha pulls free the threads of truth from a tangled knot of personal mythology and contradictions. Her book is likely to be a hit with casual listeners and pop-culture obsessives alike." --Katie Haegele, Utne Reader "Philadelphia journalist Tara Murtha has dug deep into the story behind Gentry's song with the latest entry in the '33 1/3' book series devoted to various pop albums of significance... Murtha charts Gentry's challenges as a musician who in her teens was most interested in selling her songs to other singers, not recording them herself. But once she did get into the position of recording, she was up against a male-dominated record industry that offered little validation to a young woman with her own ideas about performance and production." --Randy Lewis, L.A. Times "While Murtha's exploration of the Gentry myth is fascinating, the writer also takes pains to ensure that the myth - as well as Gentry's sexual aura - will not eclipse her real achievement [...] Murtha's gem of a book is, above all, a testament to the enduring complexity of Bobbie Gentry." --Helen W. Mallon, Philly.com "Murtha's book conveys a Bobbie Gentry who knew what she wanted and then went about to get it. For the past 30 years, Bobbie Gentry has wanted to be left alone. The closest Murtha gets to Gentry is when she tries on an old fur coat of hers that ended up in the closet of her step-brother in Oregon, who only met Gentry once. This isn't nearly enough for Murtha ... Tara Murtha's accessible and engaging book is a welcome addition to the 33 1/3 Series. I believe her Ode to Bobbie Gentry will succeed in attaining renewed attention and interest in her music." --Aaron Goldstein, The American Spectator "In Ode To Billie Joe , a new contribution to Bloomsbury's 33 1/3 series, journalist Tara Murtha puts Gentry's feminism and efforts to control her own image at the center of the work, which re-introduces the world to Bobbie Gentry ... Today, it is unclear where she lives and remains in touch with only a few friends from her days in show business - leaving many questions unanswered. Ode To Billie Joe is a 'looking glass that cuts both ways,' Murtha writes. 'The wild commercial success of 'Ode' transformed Gentry from an unknown working musician to an international star. But it also ... ultimately served to obscure a larger, richer body of work - and caged the artist into a persona she spent the rest of her career trying to transcend.'" --Audrey White, The Quietus "Excerpted and Interviewed" -- Wondering Sound "Q&A: With Tara Murtha, Bobbie Gentry Expert" -- PHAWKER "Who was Billie Joe McAllister and why did he die? ... There's another riddle to be solved: that of Gentry herself ... The American journalist Tara Murtha, in her recently published book Ode to Billie Joe (Bloomsbury), attempts to solve these mysteries. Her book, then, is a reporter's quest that takes her across America to find people who knew Gentry and are willing to talk ... She finds plenty of them." --Karl Whitney, Irish Times
Dewey Decimal
782.421642092
Table Of Content
Foreward, by Jill Sobule Chapter 1: Out of a Swamp Fog Chapter 2: Where is Bobbie Gentry? Chapter 3: The Bobbiebilia Chapter 4: Chickasaw County Child Chapter 5: Becoming Bobbie Gentry Chapter 6: "Produced by Kelly Gordon and Bobby Paris" Chapter 7: The Summer of "Ode to Billie Joe" Chapter 8: Capitol Pre-Orders Five Times as Many Records as Meet the Beatles Chapter 9: The Capitol Years Chapter 10: Viva Las Vegas Chapter 11: What the Song Didn't Tell You, the Movie Will Chapter 12: So I'm Packin' Up and I'm Checking Out
Synopsis
July, 1967: It seems the entire country stopped to listen to a husky voice steeped in the simmering secrets of the South tell a tragic tale of teenage suicide. So much for the Summer of Love. "Ode to Billie Joe" knocked the Beatles' "All You Need is Love" off the top of the charts, and Bobbie Gentry became an international star. Almost 50 years later, Gentry is as enigmatic and captivating as her signature song. Of course, fans still want to know why Billie Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge. They also wonder: Why did Bobbie Gentry, who has not performed or made a public appearance since the early 1980s, leave it all behind? Through extensive interviews and unprecedented access to career memorabilia, Murtha explores the real-life mysteries ensnarled within the much-disputed origin of Ode to Billie Joe. The result is an investigative pop history that reveals, for the first time, the full breadth of Bobbie Gentry's groundbreaking career-and just may help explain her long silence. Foreword by musician Jill Sobule., In August 1967, Ode to Billie Joe, a B-side throwaway performed by a total unknown, knocked the Beatles' All You Need is Love out of the Billboard chart's top slot. Listeners obsessed over the mysteries ensnarled in the song's haunting refrain: Billie Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge. Why did Billie Joe kill himself? Is he the narrator's secret lover? Fans also wanted to know: Who is this glamorous young woman who could boil air with just a parlor guitar and voice low as the Mississippi moon? That is a mystery as deep as the Tallahatchie's rushing water. Less than 10 years after bursting onto the world's stage with an album that scored an unprecedented trifecta on the Pop, Country and Black charts, the woman born Roberta Lee Streeter vanished from the spotlight. This much we know: Gentry was an artistic polymath and astute businesswoman. After Ode, she wrote more music, DJed a radio program, hosted a TV show and started her own publishing company. Disenchanted with the record business, she produced spectacular Las Vegas shows, writing the music, choreographing the routines and designing the costumes. But despite working herself to exhaustion, Gentry was unable to replicate the commercial sales of her debut, and she disappeared. Bobbie Gentry has not been seen in public for over 30 years. With unprecedented access to a treasure trove of Gentry's memorabilia, Murtha excavates the mysteries of Ode to Billie Joe , in terms of both the record's production and the effect of its success on Gentry. With input from the artist's collaborators and contemporaries, Murtha argues that though Gentry has every right to vanish, her role as a pioneering woman in the music industry should not.
LC Classification Number
ML420.G33M87 2015
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- m***m (2281)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseI’m thrilled with my recent purchase . The website was user-friendly, and the product descriptions were accurate. Customer service was prompt and helpful, answering all my questions. My order arrived quickly, well-packaged, and the product exceeded my expectations in quality. I’m impressed with the attention to detail and the overall experience. I’ll definitely shop here again and highly recommend from this seller to others. Thank you for a fantastic experience!
- a***n (42)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseMistakenly ordered a paperback that I thought was a hardcover, not sellers fault; it was described properly on the listing. Seller still processed a refund the day I went to return the item and let me keep the item anyway. A+++ service. Book arrived quickly in great condition and for a great price. Thank you so much! Amazing seller!
- n***c (93)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseseller was communicative about my shipment, media mail took a while and tracking wasn't updated frequently, but seller communicated to me very quickly on status. the item came new and wrapped as described, though the packaging in it was packed wasn't sturdy and falling apart when it got to me.
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- Mar 16, 2020
Bobbie Gentry & Tara Rock !!!
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- m***m (2281)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseI’m thrilled with my recent purchase . The website was user-friendly, and the product descriptions were accurate. Customer service was prompt and helpful, answering all my questions. My order arrived quickly, well-packaged, and the product exceeded my expectations in quality. I’m impressed with the attention to detail and the overall experience. I’ll definitely shop here again and highly recommend from this seller to others. Thank you for a fantastic experience!
- a***n (42)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseMistakenly ordered a paperback that I thought was a hardcover, not sellers fault; it was described properly on the listing. Seller still processed a refund the day I went to return the item and let me keep the item anyway. A+++ service. Book arrived quickly in great condition and for a great price. Thank you so much! Amazing seller!
- n***c (93)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseseller was communicative about my shipment, media mail took a while and tracking wasn't updated frequently, but seller communicated to me very quickly on status. the item came new and wrapped as described, though the packaging in it was packed wasn't sturdy and falling apart when it got to me.