What song is it about the Tallahatchie River?

Ode to Billie Joe
The eponymous wooden bridge over the river was popularized in Bobbie Gentry’s 1967 hit song “Ode to Billie Joe,” which has the refrain, “Billie Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie bridge.” A film was titled Ode to Billy Joe. The wooden bridge collapsed in 1972 after being set alight by vandals.

Who sang the song about jumping off the Tallahassee bridge?

Bobbie Gentry
“Ode to Billie Joe” is a song by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry released by Capitol Records in July 1967. Five weeks after its release, the single topped Billboard’s Pop singles chart.

What bridge did Billy Joe jump off of?

the Tallahatchie Bridge
By August, the mysterious tale of Billie Joe McAllister jumping off the Tallahatchie Bridge was ubiquitous, the inescapable sound of the darkening days of the so-called Summer of Love. “That nice young preacher Brother Taylor dropped by today,” Gentry sang.

Is Ode to Billy Joe based on a true story?

No. While Bobbie Gentry admits the story is fictionalized, she did explain that it was inspired by the 1954 murder of Emmett Till. Till was only 14 years old when he was shot and thrown over the Black Bayou Bridge in Mississippi for offending a woman in a grocery store.

Did Billy Joe McAllister jump off Tallahatchie Bridge?

Gentry’s song recounts the day when Billie Joe McAllister committed suicide by jumping off the Tallahatchie Bridge on Choctaw Ridge, Mississippi.

Was Billy Joe McAllister a real person?

— A group of Mississippi residents gathered on a sleepy, dusty Delta day to remember the fictional Billy Joe McAllister where — as the 1967 hit song had it — he ended his life when he jumped off the Tallahatchie bridge. …

What is the meaning of Ode to Billy Joe?

This song tells the story of the fictional Billie Joe McAllister, who kills himself by jumping off the Tallahatchie Bridge. Bobbie Gentry explained: “The message of the song revolves around the nonchalant way the family talks about the suicide. The song is a study in unconscious cruelty.”

Where is Bobbie Gentry now?

She was 40 years old. Since that time, she has not recorded, performed or been interviewed. One 2016 news report stated that Gentry lives in a gated community near Memphis, Tennessee. According to another, Gentry lives in a gated community in Los Angeles.

Who really wrote Ode to Billy Joe?

Ode to Billie Joe/Lyricists

“Ode to Billie Joe,” written and recorded by Bobbie Gentry in 1967, is an elegy that became a hit in many countries, knocking “All You Need Is Love” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” out of the number one spot on the charts. The song and album won three Grammys.

Is Jim Stafford still married?

Personal life. In the late 1970s, Stafford was married briefly to singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry, and they have a son, Tyler Gentry Stafford. Stafford was also married to Ann Britt Stafford for 24 years. She co-owned the Jim Stafford Theatre in Branson until December 2013.

What happened Shea Stafford?

SHEAFFER “SHEA” STAFFORD, 27, of Branson, MO, passed on to Heaven on November 26, 2020. Born on February 18, 1993, Shea joined his father, nationally-known entertainer Jim Stafford, and his mother, Ann Britt Stafford, on stage just 6 days after his birth.