Bobbie Lovesong

Like her signature song "Ode to Billie Joe," Bobbie Gentry is an enigma by choice. "Ode to Billie Joe" deliberately leaves out details that would spell out the story and Gentry removed herself from public view sometime in the late '70s for reasons that have never been fully disclosed. Many have tried to track her down because her cult not only persisted into the 21st century, it even grew – so much so that an observer would be forgiven if they believed Gentry was something of an outsider artist instead of a mainstay on television who hosted a variety show of her own…

“’Loving You ‘is a reflection on the life and music of Bobbie Nelson,” says Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Amanda Shires. Shires’ mission in making ‘Loving You ‘is to pay respect to the only woman she saw working in a band and pursuing a career as a sideman. “I first saw Bobbie playing when I was 16 at some festival in Texas where I grew up,” she explains. “Much of my path seemed possible because I saw a woman working and making a career of music at a young age, and that woman was Bobbie Nelson.”

Fronted by the explosive, glitter-blasting talents of Siân Greenway, Bobbie Dazzle released their debut 45 (Back To The City/Flowers On Mars) on Rise Above Records earlier this year. It sold out almost instantly, putting them on the map to rock n roll oblivion, from which there is no turning back. Inspired by the seminal likes of Bowie, T. Rex, Suzi Quatro and The Sweet, West Midlands based Bobbie Dazzle’s debut album Fandabidozi is an invigorating rush of massive tunes, infectious riffs and bright-eyed pop-rock bombast. As an antidote to the enervating negativity that surrounds us at this moment in history, it could hardly be more perfect.