Donald Maurice Bryant (born April 4, 1942) is an American

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

singer and songwriter.

Early life

Bryant was born in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, United States, the fifth of ten children.Scott M. Bock, "Don Bryant: 'I Don't Know What Happens Next'", ''Blues & Rhythm'', No.353, October 2020, pp.4-6 He began singing in church at age 5, and soon joined his father's family vocal group. He eventually formed a gospel quartet for a high school radio show, finding success singing secular pop songs on Dick “Cane” Cole’s popular

WLOK WLOK (1340 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Memphis, Tennessee, carrying a gospel music format. Owned by the Gilliam family doing business as WLOK Radio, Inc., the station serves the Memphis metropolitan area. WLOK's studios are lo ...

show. The quartet, performing as The Four Kings, would part with Cole to become the front band for Willie Mitchell, with Bryant as the lead singer.

Hi Records

In 1960, the still teenage Bryant was offered a shot at songwriting, penning “I Got To Know” for

The 5 Royales ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. He wrote material for other artists at Hi Records while continuing to record with The Four Kings and as a solo artist, resulting in a 1969 solo album. However, with the success of

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

Otis Clay Otis Lee Clay (February 11, 1942 – January 8, 2016) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and Soul music, soul singer, who started in gospel music. In 2013, Clay was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame. Early life Clay was born in Waxhaw, Miss ...

, and other vocalists at Hi, Bryant’s singing career took a backseat to writing, joining Earl Randle, Dan Greer, and Darryl Carter as Hi's top staff writers. Bryant is credited on as many as 154 titles. By 1970, Willie Mitchell had begun to pair Bryant with his newest act, a young

Ann Peebles Ann Lee Peebles (born April 27, 1947) is an American singer and songwriter who gained celebrity for her Memphis soul albums of the 1970s for Hi Records. Two of her most popular songs are " I Can't Stand the Rain", which she wrote with her husband ...

, for whom he wrote "99 Pounds" and "Do I Need You." The pair co-wrote the Top 40 hit " I Can't Stand the Rain" in 1973, and were married the following year. Bryant spent much of the subsequent decade writing and opening for Peebles, with his final Hi single coming in 1981, a duet with his wife called "Mon Belle-Amour." Bryant focused mainly on gospel albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and ultimately stopped performing altogether outside of church services.

Return to performing

Following a conversation between producer

Scott Bomar Scott Bomar (born June 15, 1974) is a Memphis-based musician, Emmy Award-winning film composer, Grammy-nominated music producer, and recording engineer. Scott Bomar's songs are represented by Downtown Music Publishing. Early years A native of M ...

and former Hi Records drummer

Howard Grimes Howard Lee Grimes (August 22, 1941 – February 12, 2022) was an American drummer, best known as a member of the Hi Rhythm Section on records by Al Green, Ann Peebles and others in the 1970s. Life and career Born in Memphis, Tennessee on August 2 ...

, Bryant was invited to perform as a vocalist with Memphis-based soul homage outfit

The Bo-Keys The Bo-Keys are a soul jazz band from Memphis, Tennessee, formed as an homage to the city's rich musical tradition. History In 1998, Scott Bomar was asked to assemble a backing band for former Stax artist and songwriter Sir Mack Rice. His co ...

. After some convincing from Grimes, Bryant accepted and, within a few months, found the inspiration to return to the studio. Bryant and The Bo-Keys recorded ''Don’t Give Up on Love'' in the fall of 2016, which was released on the

Fat Possum In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple e ...

label in 2017. The album features an array of Bryant’s past triumphs as well as new material.

Discography

*''Precious Soul'' (Hi Records), 1969 *'' Don't Give Up on Love'' (Fat Possum Records), 2017 *''

You Make Me Feel You Make Me Feel may refer to: * ''You Make Me Feel'' (Bonfire album), 2009 * ''You Make Me Feel'' (Milosh album), 2004 * "You Make Me Feel" (AnnaGrace song), 2008 * "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)", song by Sylvester * " You Make Me Feel...", s ...

'' (Fat Possum Records), 2020

As Donald Bryant and a Chosen Few

*''What Do You Think About Jesus?'' (By Faith Records), 1987 *''I’m Gonna Praise Him'' (By Faith Records), 1989 *''It’s All in the Word'' (By Faith Records), 2000

References

External links

An in-depth interview with Soul Express in May 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant, Don 1942 births American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Tennessee American soul singers Living people Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee