Bobbie Gentry

Country and pop singer Bobbie Gentry is an anomaly in both genres. She broke through in 1967 with the self-penned story-song "Ode to Billy Joe," about the events surrounding the suicide of a teenage boy. Gentry then transitioned over to the country charts, after her trippy psychedelic-Americana album The Delta Sweete failed to generate success in the pop or country worlds. She notched hits via duets with Glen Campbell, and as a solo act she pioneered a splashy fusion of show-biz pop and country-funk, a sound that reached its apex on 1969's "Fancy." Gentry has maintained a cult following over the decades thanks to her amalgam of blues, country, soul, and Bacharach-style pop, as well as her lack of public appearances after the early '80s.