July 27
Roberta Lee Streeter's Birthday
 

When the film Ruby Gentry (1952) was released, Roberta Lee Streeter fell in love with the Jennifer Jones title character and decided to take the Gentry name as her stage surname, and Roberta Lee Streeter became Bobbie Gentry. Little Roberta had displayed musical talent as a child who lived in near poverty on her grandparents in Mississippi. But to encourage Roberta's love of music, her gransmother traded one of her cows for a piano, and within a few months, the talented tyke was composing songs. When she was 14, she moved to California to live with her mother and began performing in local country clubs . After graduating from high school,  she attended  the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. She continued performing in clubs for several years  while trying to break into the recoding business. Eventually, Capitol records signed her and issue debut single, "Mississippi Delta." However, disc jockeys began playing the B-side, "Ode to Billie Joe" -- detailing the suicide of Billie Joe McAllister, who flings himself off the Tallahatchie Bridge. The gothic tale of Billie Joe's suicide topping the pop charts for four weeks and sold. three million copies. and she won three Grammy awards, including Best New Artist and Best Female Vocal. She was also named the Academy of Country Music's Best New Female Vocalis, The Academy of Country Music named Gentry the Top New Female Vocalist of 1967. "Ode to Billie Joe" has been covered by such artists as Sinéad O'Connor, Tammy Wynette, and Patti Smith. Bobbie continued performing in the US and Europe and then worked as co-writer for a 1976 film adaptation of Ode to Billy Joe  (with the change in spelling).  Made for $1.1 million, it grossed $27 million at the box office.  Bobbie told her co writer Herman Raucher that while the song was based on an actual event, she had no idea why the real person who inspired the character of Billie Joe had killed himself . So they made up the background story of the suicide. For film trivia buffs, the film was directed and produced by Max Baer, Jr. who plated Jethro Bodine on TV's The Beverly Hillbillies. Bobbiereleased several albums, in the 70s including the popular Patchwork, and married singer and comedian Jim Stafford in 1975, but they divorced a few years later after the birth of their son Tyler. Bobbie then decided to quit the music business and went on to run her own TV production company in Los Angeles. So to celebrate Bobbie's birthday and remarkable talent, we suggest renting a copy of the film Ode to Billy Joe, and make a batch of Mocha Orange Patchwork Cookies to munch on when Billy Joe McAllister jumps off the Tallahatchie Bridge.

1. For orange dough, whisk flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
2. In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium high until creamy, 2 minutes. Add sugar gradually. Beat until fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in orange zest and vanilla. Beat in egg, scraping bowl .
3. Mix in one-third of flour mixture, on low speed. Gradually add, and blend, remaining flour.
4. For mocha dough, whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
5. In large bowl, beat butter on medium high until creamy, 2 minutes. Add sugar gradually. Beat until fluffy, 3 minutes. Dissolve coffee in vanilla. Beat into dough. Beat in egg.
6. Mix in one-third of flour mixture on low speed. Add remaining flour gradually, until blended.
7. Doughs will be slightly damp but crumbly. Scrape onto large pieces of plastic wrap, shape into flat discs, and wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 2 hours to overnight.
8. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
9. For patchwork cookies, choose small cookie cutter that fits inside larger one, and allows a border.
10. Roll doughs to 1/4-inch thickness on floured surface. Cut out large orange shape; place on cookie sheet. Cut out large mocha shape; place 2 inches apart. Cut out small shapes from centre of each. Place small mocha shape inside large orange shape, and vice versa. When pans are full, place in freezer for 15 minutes or refrigerator for 30 minutes.
11. For marbled cookies, knead scraps together. Roll out dough; cut.
12. Bake in 350º F oven until edges begin to color, about 12 minutes for 2-inch cookies. You can use top and middle oven racks, switching trays halfway through baking time – quickly, to maintain temperature.