What is better than one emerging country music star? The answer is two. That winning formula was applied to a pair of exceptional new performers who got together and recorded an album in 1968 - Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell. Attractive and abundantly talented, they jointly ruled the roost in the genre at the time. When this country girl met this country boy, their musical chemistry caught fire.
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What Made Bobbie Gentry And Glen Campbell Notable At The Time?
Bobbie Gentry was fresh off her landslide success with "Ode to Billie Joe" the year before. It was such an overwhelming smash that it easily muscled "All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles out of its comfy niche at the top of the charts. She became a country music sensation with this gripping ballad about a tragic fictional suicide in the Deep South. Gentry's sultry appearance added luster to her persona. In fact, the Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) praised her trademark heap of long black hair on the album jacket as "Cher meets Priscilla Presley."
As for Glen Campbell, he piled up hits like 1967's "Gentle On My Mind," followed in rapid succession with "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," 'Wichita Lineman," and "Galveston." Per the Country Music Hall of Fame, Campbell, who died in 2017, "effortlessly straddled country and pop." Years later, in the 1980s, per the outlet, "He lost commercial standing, however, as he dealt with substance abuse, three divorces, and a much-publicized tempestuous engagement to Tanya Tucker." But in 1968, Campbell was still a shiny, wholesome-looking newcomer with lots to offer.
Gentry's Most Recent Album Flopped, Displeasing Capitol Records
Gentry's sophomore release, an album called The Delta Sweete, wasn't commercial enough. The disc never made cash registers ring. What reportedly also fazed the brass at Capitol Records was her seemingly nonchalant attitude about it. Per udiscovermusic.com, "It had bombed." The label's strategy to get Gentry back on track was "to team their wayward charge with one of their fastest-rising stars for the collaboration album Bobbie Gentry And Glen Campbell."
They Welcomed The Idea Of Working Together
Gentry and Campbell were already acquainted. They had toured together and done duets, so they warmed to the notion of doing an album. Per the outlet, "'Gentry was 'loose as a goose,' Campbell has said. 'She wasn't uptight. She was very easy to work with.' This effortless familiarity became the defining feature of Bobbie Gentry And Glen Campbell, released on September 16, 1968."
The album combined original tracks with thoughtfully-selected covers. Among the songs it featured were "Scarborough Fair/Canticle," "Sunday Mornin,'" "Let It Be Me," "Little Green Apples," and "Less Of Me."
The Album Definitely Met Expectations
The singers' efforts proved worthwhile. Their album was "a No.1 country album," satisfying Capitol Records and the listening public. Gentry and Campbell scored big with yet another cover, "Al I Have To Do Is Dream" by the Everly Brothers, but a follow-up album by the duo never materialized. Even so, according to the outlet, this album "contains some of the smoothest vocal performances ever laid down by either Gentry or Campbell...." As such, it still merits respectful consideration.
