R.I.P Perry Botkin Jnr

Perry Botkin Jr., the film and TV composer, arranger and producer has died. He was 87.

Botkin worked with Bobbie on her Local Gentry album, as an arranger and conductor, and also assisted on her 1968 BBC TV series. He amassed a distinguished list of musical credits, working as an arranger with producers including Phil Spector and Van Dyke Parks and with artists like Dory Previn, Barbra Streisand, Sammy Davis Jr., Bobby Darin, Jack Jones, Peggy Lee, The Everly Brothers, The Supremes, The Ronettes, Connie Stevens, Jose Feliciano and Paul Williams. He also arranged Glen Campbell’s ‘Wichita Lineman’.

Botkin scored a number of successful films and TV shows receiving a best original song Oscar nom for the title tune Bless the Beasts and Children (1971) that was performed by The Carpenters. He is also remembered for his themes to Happy Days, Mork and Mindy and The Young and the Restless — a tune forever associated with famed Olympic gymnast Nadia Comăneci

Botkin died Monday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, and is survived by his wife Liza, son David, and grandson Daniel Tyler Botkin.

The Delta Sweete is number 1 re-issue in Shindig!

The deluxe edition of The Delta Sweete is number 1 in Shindig! magazines re-issue of the year. We also ranked number 12 in Record Collector and Uncut. 

***** Shindig! : A sympathetic redux… this set represents Bobbie Gentry at her mysterious beguiling best
***** The Times : This beautifully presented re-issue revives one of the great lost treasures of the 60’s
***** RnR : If you need only one Bobbie Gentry album, here it is.
***** Daily Mail: The best testimony to her talent
9/10 Uncut : This remastered version swings and shimmers in all the right places
9/10 Popmatters : More than lives up to its billing as a lost classic.
**** MOJO : A beautiful album. Every bit as engrossing as her breakthrough
**** Record Collector : Peculiar and ambitious…Don’t overlook it this time around
**** Daily Express Scotland : There are moments of pure genius; there’s nothing quite like Gentry
ForFolksSake : Bobbie Gentry is proved to be something of a musical visionary.
GiIGsoup : This reissue offers the definitive vision of perhaps Gentry’s most revered recording.
Penny Black Music : A thoughtful repackaging of Gentry’s ambitious second album.

Bobbie to join the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame

Great news! Bobbie has been elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame this year 🙂 She and her fellow inductees Steve Earle, Kent Blazy, Brett James and Spooner Oldham will join the yet-to-to-be-named Class of 2021 during a joint induction ceremony that will take place on Nov. 1, 2021 at the Music City Center in Nashville.
Although Bobbie will be unlikely to attend, this is great recognition for her enduring musical legacy and influence.

Bobbie’s defining works: Ode To Billie Joe (1967), The Delta Sweete (1968) and Patchwork (1971)

Bobbie feature by Tara Murtha in Shindig! magazine

The latest edition of Shindig! magazine features a 3 page spread on Bobbie and The Delta Sweete by Tara Murtha. A fascinating read by an acknowledged expert, it’s in shops on the 1st of October, and can be ordered direct from them as a download or physical magazine.

Bobbie feature in the October issue of Record Collector

The October edition of Record Collector magazine features a 5 page spread on Bobbie and The Delta Sweete by Charles Donovan. Well worth a read- it’s out now!

The Delta Sweete LP missing download card

Hi All, So anyone not in Europe who has purchased a vinyl copy will have the download card removed due to differing digital rights in other countries: apologies in advance to our U.S. friends! It seems that some of the U.K. stock has also had the download card removed, so if you want to get your missing download code please email infoumc@umusic.com and attach a photo or screenshot of your proof of purchase, and you will be sent a link. Sorted!

The Delta Sweete deluxe out now!

At last the wait is over! The Delta Sweete Deluxe Edition is out now on 2 CD and 2-disc vinyl. The expanded CD edition features a new stereo mix of the album alongside the original mono mix making its debut on CD. There are a total of 10 bonus tracks to treasure, including a previously unreleased original demo ‘The Way I Do’ and a special instrumental version of ‘Okolona River Bottom Band’ featuring the great Shorty Rogers on bass trumpet. The deluxe vinyl features the new stereo mix on disc 1 and the 10 bonus tracks on disc 2.You can purchase the set on either format here.

The first reviews are in, here are some reasons why you need this in your life:

***** Shindig! : A sympathetic redux… this set represents Bobbie Gentry at her mysterious beguiling best
9/10 Uncut : This remastered version swings and shimmers in all the right places
9/10 Popmatters : More than lives up to its billing as a lost classic.
**** MOJO : A beautiful album. Every bit as engrossing as her breakthrough
**** Record Collector : Peculiar and ambitious…Don’t overlook it this time around
ForFolksSake : Bobbie Gentry is proved to be something of a musical visionary.
GiIGsoup : This reissue offers the definitive vision of perhaps Gentry‘s most revered recording.
Penny Black Music : A thoughtful repackaging of Gentry’s ambitious second album.

Tara Murtha on ‘Fancy’ turning 50 for Dangerous Minds

Head over to Dangerous Minds for Tara Murtha’s deep dive into ‘Fancy’ on it’s 50th anniversary. She talks gender bending with Orville Peck (who’s cover of Fancy is out August 14th) and all things BG with Clayton Ivey who played keyboards on the original album sessions at Muscle Shoals. Also included in the story is a video of Bobbie performing ‘Fancy’ onstage in Las Vegas in the mid 70’s – you are not gonna want to miss it!

The Delta Sweete on Tim’s Twitter Listening Party 31/07/2020

The Delta Sweete will feature on Tim’s Twitter Listening Party on the day of release: 31/07/2020 at 8pm GMT. Taking part on the panel are host Tim Burgess,  Grasshopper from Mercury Rev who will be joined by guest vocalists on his Delta Sweete Revisited project Margo Price and Beth Orton, and Andrew Batt, producer of the remixed deluxe edition of The Delta Sweete.

So how does the listening parties work? It’s simple. The Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess posts tweets in real time while his followers stream or play the album of his choice. He is joined by a panel of either band members or associated acts who live tweet their way through the albums playback. To take part follow Burgess and the relevant Twitter accounts of the panel, stream or play the album in question at home when the party starts at 8pm, and share memories or ask questions in real-time using the hashtag #timstwitterlisteningparty.

Margo Price includes Bobbie on her ‘What’s In My Bag?’ episode

For 10 seasons, the Berkeley-born record store chain Amoeba Music has been exploring the myriad muses of famous patrons with the web series “What’s In My Bag?” The latest episode features Margo Price, the American country singer-songwriter, who picks the Bobbie boxset The Girl From Chickasaw County as one of her top releases. You can watch the video on YouTube and skip forward to around 3.20 to see her dish on Bobbie and the boxset.

Fans will already know of Margo’s love for Bobbie from the Mercury Rev album The Delta Sweete Revisited for which she recorded ‘Sermon’ and ‘Louisiana Man’ as it’s B-side when the track was issued as a single. The deluxe edition of Margo’s new album That’s How Rumors Get Started also features a cover of ‘He Made A Woman Out Of Me’.