.  Bobbie Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter; July 27, 1942) is a retired American singer-songwriter. She was one of the first female artists in America to compose and produce her own material.

Gentry rose to international fame in 1967 with her Southern Gothic narrative "Ode to Billie Joe". The track was third in the Billboard year-end chart of 1967, earning Gentry three Grammy awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1968, also Academy of Country Music's Most Promising Female Vocalist.. Gentry recorded that demo at Whitney Recording Studio in Glendale, California, in February and March 1967. Her sole ambition originally was to write songs to sell to other artists. She only sang on the recording of "Ode to Billie Joe" that she took to Capitol because it was cheaper than hiring someone to sing it.

After her first albums, she had a successful run of variety shows on the Las Vegas Strip. In 1974, she hosted a summer replacement variety show on CBS called The Bobbie Gentry Happiness Hour.

In 1976, Max Baer Jr. (Jethro from Beverly Hillbillies) directed the feature film Ode to Billy Joe, based on Gentry's hit song and starring Robby Benson and Glynnis O'Connor. In the movie, the mystery of the title character's suicide is revealed as a part of the conflict between his love for Bobbie Lee Hartley and a drunken homosexual experience. The re-recording would go on to be Gentry's last single to chart, meaning that her first and last chart entries are the same song.

In the late 1970s, Gentry lost interest in performing, and retired from the music industry. 

On May 10, 1981, Gentry was one of many celebrity guests to take part in An All-Star Salute to Mother's Day. During the television special she performed "Mama, a Rainbow" from the musical Minnie's Boys for her mother who was seated in the audience. This would prove to be Gentry's final public performance.

One of Gentry's 3 2-year marriages was to singer & comedian Jim Stafford with whom she had a son Tyler Gentry Stafford. 

Gentry also had partial ownership of the Phoenix Suns NBA team from the team's inception in 1968 until 1987. She has lived in isolation since 1981.

In 2020, she was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In 2001, Rolling Stone magazine listed "Ode to Billie Joe" among the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.   .