July, 1967: It seems the entire country stopped to listen to a husky voice steeped in the simmering secrets of the South tell a tragic tale of teenage suicide. So much for the Summer of Love.In our “Ode to Billie Joe” podcast, author Tara Murtha talks about the the real-life mysteries of that song, Bobbie Gentry's career and influence, and how —and perhaps why — she vanished from sight.

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