Recap of the 59th Annual Grammy® Awards: Country Edition

If you spent any amount of time this past week watching TV or scrolling through your social media feeds, you know that everyone was buzzing about the 59th Annual Grammy® Awards, which premiered on CBS, February 12th.

British pop music sensation, Adele, opened the show with a beautiful performance of her hit song, Hello. She also closed the show by winning the highest honor and last award of the night… the coveted Album of the Year award. Other standout mainstream music moments included a performance by Ed Sheeran, a tribute to Prince that featured Bruno Mars, and another tribute to the Bee Gees, featuring a memorable arrangement of their iconic hit, Stayin’ Alive, performed by Demi Lovato.

Although pop music and pop artists seemed to monopolize most of the night, country music had plenty of great moments as well. Continue reading

Artist in Retrospect: Bobbie Gentry

I have always enjoyed learning more about the musical artists I like, even those that have fallen out of the public eye. This past summer, I stumbled across an article published by the Washington Post about the popular 1960’s country artist named Bobbie Gentry, and how she hasn’t been seen or heard from since the late 80’s. I was immediately interested in finding out all I could about this mysterious artist.

Bobbie Gentry, born Roberta Lee Streeter on July 27, 1944, was most known for her song, Ode To Billie Joe. Like most fans, this was the only song I knew by her, and, to be honest, I knew it best from hearing other artists cover it live, like Jeannie Seely at the Grand Ole Opry. Most of Gentry’s songs were based on her hometown in Mississippi. Continue reading