Bobbie Gentry

Roberta Lee Streeter (born July 27, 1944), professionally known as Bobbie Gentry, is a former American singer-songwriter notable as one of the first female country artists to write and produce her own material. Her songs typically drew on her Mississippi roots to compose vignettes of the Southern United States.

Bobbie Gentry shot to international fame with her intriguing Southern Gothic narrative "Ode to Billie Joe" in 1967. Sung in a warm and captivating way, the track was fourth in the Billboard year-end chart of 1967 and earned her the Grammy awards for the Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1968. Bobbie Gentry charted nine singles in Billboard Hot 100 and four singles in the United Kingdom Top 40. Her album Fancy brought her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. After her first albums, she turned towards the variety show genre. After a successful run on the Las Vegas Strip in the late 1970s, she lost interest in performing and has since lived privately in Los Angeles.

From Wikipedia