Bobby Gentry The Girl From Chickasaw Country - Highlights From The Capitol Masters) (2-LP)

Bobbie is one of the first female country artists to compose and produce her own material. During her five-year tenure at Capitol, she wrote at least two songs that became classics, "Ode to Billie Joe" and "Fancy," in addition to dozens of original compositions.

Bobbie released a total of eight Capitol albums, most notably the hit debut "Ode to Billie Joe" (which knocked Sgt. Pepper's Lonely-Hearts Club Band off the top of the charts in the U.S.). Delta Sweete, their third album, is another highlight. MOJO magazine listed it in the top 500 best albums of all time, calling her the "JD Salinger of rock 'n' roll."

Bobbie also teamed up with Glen Campbell later that year (1968) for a duets album that earned her another gold record and spawned three hit singles, including a cover of the Everly Brothers' hit "All I Have to Do Is Dream" that reached #3 in the UK and #27 on the Billboard Hot 100. The two also toured together briefly and appeared on a number of American and British television shows and specials.

Bobbie had four hits in the UK, with "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" topping the charts in 1969. In the U.S., she had 11 hits and was nominated for a Grammy for the album Fancy, produced largely by Rick Hall in Muscle Shoals.

Bobbie had her own BBC show for three seasons, in which she hosted the shows, performed her own material and introduced guests such as Elton John, James Taylor and Donovan. She also performed at her Las Vegas nightclub.

She dropped out of the scene more than 40 years ago (1978), and unlike everyone else who returns, she went into hiding. She remains one of the few real mysteries of pop music. Because she was so popular (No. 1 singles / albums, BBC television series, residency in Las Vegas), her skills as a writer, producer and arranger were too often overlooked; she paved the way for Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon. Bobbie's songs continue to influence a new generation of artists including Cheryl Crow, Beth Orton, Lucinda Williams and Roseanne Cash, all of whom have cited her as an influence and covered her songs.

Released in 2018, UMC Capitol years boxset consisted of 8CDs, this is the first ever large-scale retrospective to include the first UK reissues of her albums in their entirety - supplemented by 76 previously unreleased demos, outtakes and alternate takes from all of Bobbie's Capitol albums. Included are beautiful acoustic demos of songs like Refractions, Courtyard and Seasons Come Seasons Go, alternate takes of Sunday Best, Sweet Peony and Benjamin, and previously unheard originals like Morning to Midnight and Joanne. In addition, Bobbie has recorded some great cover versions that never saw the light of day, including Conspiracy of Homer Jones by Dallas Frazier, Spinning Wheel by Blood Sweat and Tears, Salome Smith and her amazing dancing bear by Randy Newman, and blues songs like Seventh Son by Willie Dixon. One of the special features of the set is a previously unreleased album of jazz cover versions that includes intimate, mostly acoustic interpretations of songs such as Irving Berlin's Suppertime, Billie Holiday's God Bless the Child (playing from the beginning) and Since I Fell for You by Buddy Johnson. This change of direction was abandoned in favor of the blue-eyed soul of the LP Touch em With Love, making these recordings a unique document of Bobbie as we've never heard her before. Also included are clips from Bobbie's three BBC television series, including live versions of her well-known tracks Ode to Billie Joe and Mississippi Delta, as well as songs Bobbie never recorded in the studio, such as Mother Nature's Son by the Beatles and Open your Window by Harry Nilsson. All audio has been mastered from the original tapes. In addition, there are many rare and never-before-seen images of Bobbie, pictures from photo shoots, out-takes, performances and tours. These releases are accompanied by an exclusive illustration by fashion illustrator David Downton.

The 2LP are abridged versions of the box set and include a selection of the unreleased bonus material from the 8CD package, including an alternate recording of Sunday Best, the demo of Hurry, Tuesday Child, the alternate version of Mississippi Delta and much more. The LP includes a 12" insert with a selection of images used in the box set and notes about the cover.