Jim Stafford breaks silence on breathtaking song weaver Bobbie Gentry

Jim Stafford, former husband of “Ode to Billie Joe” song weaver Bobbie Gentry and a crossover pop artist in his own right, tentatively goes on the record in his first conversation in decades committed to the mysterious Mississippi Delta queen. Seen here is the Best New Artist of 1967 captured during filming of NBC’s Timex-sponsored “The Best on Record: The Grammy Awards Show,” a special recognizing the Grammy’s 10th anniversary broadcast on May 8, 1968. Image Credit: NBCU Photo Bank

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Self-effacing “Spiders and Snakes” country rocker Jim Stafford sheds light on his rarely — if ever — discussed relationship with mysterious chanteuse Bobbie Gentry of “Ode to Billie Joe” fame, whose whereabouts continue to fascinate retro pop culture aficionados to this day.

According to vintage issues of the prestigious Los Angeles-based Variety magazine, in April 1978 the sophisticated siren debuted a fresh Las Vegas engagement entitled “Southern Nights” at the Aladdin Hotel. Gentry first laid eyes on her soon to be third husband, who was chosen to open each elaborately staged show, during rehearsals.

The business savvy lady from Chickasaw County, Mississippi, who maintained partial ownership of the Phoenix Suns basketball team, was astounded to learn that a fellow singer-songwriter could have such a nefarious recording and publishing contract that yielded paltry royalty checks to boot. Gentry advised Stafford to ditch his greedy handlers and start afresh.

The whirlwind courtship reached its apex a mere six months later. After living together in Van Nuys — a neighborhood in Los Angeles — for a spell and reportedly working on a joint studio album inside Stafford’s basement, on October 15 the couple officially tied the knot in a private, romantic ceremony held on their newly purchased 120-acre horse farm estate outside Somerville, Tennessee, about 20 miles east of Memphis.

Presided over by Tennessee Lieutenant Governor John Wilder, the only guests invited to the Methodist-themed wedding were a reporter and photographer representing The Memphis Commercial Appeal. While a traditionally solemn if anxiety-laden occasion, the reporter noted that the couple finally smiled as they exchanged rings beneath a pretty sycamore tree situated near a lake.

Upon toasting each other with champagne from silver goblets, the witty “My Girl, Bill” balladeer provided a brief summation of his second wedding to the newspaper, admitting that “We wanted the ceremony to be just between Bobbie and me…it was very simple, but very nice. It’s wonderful to stand on your own land, where you plan to live and raise a family…