Ode to Bobbie Gentry: Delta Sweetie (Part 2)

If you're wondering where part one of this Bobbie Gentry tribute is, check out the more twang-ified side of Bobbie on my sister blog "Weed, Whites & Wine". I've been curious about Bobbie Gentry for awhile now, since I heard her stomping "Mississippi Delta" (below) on a Blue Note rare groove comp (Blue Juice Vol. 1) so whenever I found a record of hers cheap, I'd snag it. I've got most of them now and recently ripped some of my favorite tunes.

Bobbie pretty much defined pop country alongside Glen Campbell, with whom she did a duet album in her peak year (this one is by far the easiest to fine, but not the best example of her stuff). But unlike Glen, Bobbie took a funkier approach, often using drums way out in front and her guitar strumming style had a really rhythmic feel. She claims that she produced all of her records and that she wasn't credited on the LP back covers because it was just unheard of for a woman to be a producer in the mid-to-late sixties. Below I've collected some of the funkier tracks from Bobbie's albums.

Bobbie Gentry - Mississippi Delta
Ironically, this was the A-side to Bobbie's iconic hit song "Ode to Billy Joe". It's a slamming tune and very different than the haunting B-side. This goes to show that Bobbie came out of the gates firing off funky country pop.



Bobbie Gentry - Son of a Preacher Man
Sure, it's no Dusty, but I would say it K.O.'s Aretha's version. Unlike either Aretha or Dusty, Bobbie actually grew up in the South.


Bobbie Gentry - Find 'em, Fool 'em and Forget 'em
An interesting song selection, but checking out the steamy cover painting, you get she's going for a seductive almost pop-feminist theme. In this tune she learns the hard way the downside to being a player and getting played.

Bobbie Gentry - He Made a Woman Out of Me
This is kinda like flip perspective from the last song. You should check out the Weed, Whites & Wine post to hear the title track from this album, which explores similar territory.


Bobbie Gentry - Rainmaker
A nice version of this semi-funky Nilsson tune.

This is a great single-only tune from 1970. I gotta get this one.


and this really great clip of Donovan on Bobbie's show singing a duet on Donovan's Zen Pop song "There is a Mountain":


and one more very groovy version of the classic bayou blue-eyed soul "Niki Hoeky":

When the Party's Over . . .

I've never DJed a bar or club outside of New York City, so I don't know if the same thing happens to an average party come 3:00am when the bar is still open, but the party momentum has waned, leaving much of the crowd too drunk or tired to dance. I can imagine that if last call is at 1:30am, that's when the party would normally be at its livliest as it was with the second installment of "The Rio Deal" that went down last Saturday night, with special guest selectors DJ Rios and Deepak Chopra. The bar is new and this party is new so I'm still trying to figure out who the crowd is and what moves them, but just as the early hours of a DJ gig are for the DJ to play what she/he likes, the last handful of songs are for the DJ to slowly fade into the night and get some much needed zzzzzzzzzzs.

The tracks I've selected here are some of my favorite chill out songs to play in the waning hours of a party. They're not devoid of energy or funkiness, but they all acknowledge the inevitable ending of a good night. Funnily, they're all Southern Soul and Funk numbers originating from Florida and New Orleans.

Little Beaver - Party Down, part 1
This track is one of my favorites with its early use of a drum machine and his slinky and sexy guitar lines. O-Dub over at Soul Sides uploaded some scans from a 1970s black culture magazine that has a feature about Little Beaver among others (Betty Davis & Donna Summer). You can download it here. The album that this track is pulled from is wonderfully mellow and a great listen even if most of the songs sound like reinterpretations of "Party Down."

Rocky Mizell & Sugarock - Take It Easy Babe
I can't even remember where I got this single. I can't claim to have the album pictured to the left - hell, I didn't even know there was an album until I was scouring the interwebs for a ANY picture having to do with Rocky Mizell. I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest that this Brother Mizell is NOT of the same stock as the more famous Fonce, Larry and the lesser-known third Mizell, Rodney. This Mizell who performed on this song and the super-rare album with his band "Sugarock," was a leser-known figure in the Miami funk camp centered around T.K. records. He was also a member of the band "Miami" which also recorded for T.K. If anyone knows anything more about Mr. Rocky Mizell, lemme know . . . I simply love this track. It speaks to the moment in the party when everyone is feeling good and just sort of sitting back and enjoying the scene. Easy like VERY early Sunday morning . . .

Allen Toussaint - When the Party's Over
I believe this is my first post on Allen Toussaint, which is strange seeing as I'm a huge fan of this man who shares my first name and last initial. This track is pulled from his best known album, "Southern Nights." The song is strangely not the last song on the album; that coveted spot was given to any even more appropriate closer, "Cruel Way To Go Down." This one kinda speaks for itself. Pack up your records, make sure you don't forget your needles and head home 'til next party . . .