Southern Gothic

"Delta Dawn," written by Larry Collins and Alex Harvey, is best known for then 13-year old Tanya Tucker's 1972 hit, but it was actually recorded a year earlier by Bette Midler on her first album The Divine Miss M. Midler grew up about as far from the Mississippi Delta as possible in the U.S., in a Jewish family in Honolulu; her professional debut was in Fiddler on the Roof. The Australian Helen Reddy, who grew up even farther from Mississippi, also had a hit with "Delta Dawn" in 1973. Bobbie Gentry wrote and released "Ode to Billie Joe" in 1967. A smash hit, it reached number one on Billboard's Hot 100; remarkably, it also charted on the Adult Contemporary, Country, and R&B lists. Gentry has never revealed what was thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge. Tony Joe White's "Polk Salad Annie" (or sometimes "Poke Salad") charted at number 8 in 1969. It was a regular feature of Elvis Presley's live sets. White also wrote "Rainy Night in Georgia," which he didn't release as a single. It was a major hit for Brook Benton.

A very different arrangement by Bette Midler:

Here they are together:

Helen Reddy and friend:

The arrangement changes dramatically at 1:35

 

Comments

[Ian Holloway]

A great post, Steve! I used to find “Ode to Billy Joe” positively haunting. I still own the single. And if memory serves, the song knocked the Beatles out of no 1, which is a Hell of an accomplishment by any measure.