Felice Bryant (born Matilda Genevieve Scaduto; August 7, 1925 – April 22, 2003) and Diadorius Boudleaux Bryant (; February 13, 1920 – June 25, 1987) were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

husband-and-wife

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

and pop songwriting team. They were best known for songs such as "

Rocky Top "Rocky Top" is an American country and bluegrass song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant in 1967 and first recorded by the Osborne Brothers later that same year. The song, which is a city dweller's lamentation over the loss of a simpler ...

," " We Could" (credited solely to Felice), "

Love Hurts "Love Hurts" is a song written and composed by the American songwriter Boudleaux Bryant. First recorded by the Everly Brothers in July 1960, the song is most well known from the 1974 international hit version by Scottish hard rock band Nazare ...

" (credited solely to Boudleaux), and numerous hits by the

Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

, including "

All I Have to Do Is Dream "All I Have to Do Is Dream" is a song made famous by the Everly Brothers, written by Boudleaux Bryant of the husband-and-wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, and published in 1958. The song is ranked No. 141 on the ''Rolling Stone' ...

" (credited solely to Boudleaux), " Bye Bye Love", and "

Wake Up Little Susie "Wake Up Little Susie" is a popular song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and published in 1957. The song is best known in a recording by the Everly Brothers, issued by Cadence Records as catalog number 1337. The Everly Brothers record ...

Beginnings

Boudleaux Bryant was born in

Shellman, Georgia Shellman is a city in Randolph County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,083 at the 2010 census. Buildings in the commercial center have been designated as an historic district and listed in 1985 on the National Register of Historic Plac ...

, in 1920 and attended local schools as a child. He trained as a classical violinist. Although he performed with the Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra during its 1937–38 season, he had more interest in country fiddling. Bryant joined Hank Penny and his Radio Cowboys, an Atlanta-based western music band. In 1945, Bryant met Matilda Genevieve Scaduto (whom he called Felice) when he performed at a hotel in her hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was born in the city in 1925 to an ethnic Sicilian family, and had written lyrics set to traditional Italian tunes. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, she sang and directed shows at the local USO."Felice Bryant"
Songwriters Hall of Fame, accessed 1 January 2021 Bryant and Scaduto eloped five days after meeting. Boudleaux's song "All I Have to Do Is Dream" is "autobiographical" for Felice. She was working as an elevator operator at the Schroeder Hotel when she saw Bryant. She has said that she "recognized" him immediately; she had seen his face in a dream when she was eight years old, and had "looked for him forever." She was 19 when they met.

Songwriting career

During the first years of their marriage, the Bryants struggled financially, living in a

mobile home A mobile home (also known as a house trailer, park home, trailer, or trailer home) is a prefabricated structure, built in a factory on a permanently attached chassis before being transported to site (either by being towed or on a trailer). U ...

, where they wrote more than 80 songs. They tried to sell their compositions to a number of country music artists but were either ignored or rejected until

Little Jimmy Dickens James Cecil Dickens (December 19, 1920 – January 2, 2015), better known by his stage name Little Jimmy Dickens, was an American country music singer and songwriter famous for his humorous novelty songs, his small size (4'11" 50 cm, and ...

recorded their song "Country Boy." It went to No. 7 on the country chart in 1948 and opened the door to a working relationship with Fred Rose at

Acuff-Rose Music Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. was an American music publishing firm formed in 1942 by Roy Acuff and Fred Rose in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Acuff-Rose's honest behavior towards their writers set them apart from other music publishing firm ...

in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1950, the Bryants moved to Nashville to work full-time at songwriting. Some of their compositions from the early 1950s included the swinging "Sugar Beet" (recorded by Moon Mullican) and the bluesy "Midnight" (recorded by Red Foley). The Bryants wrote more songs for Dickens as well as for country artist Carl Smith. At the same time, they released four 45-rpm singles of their own to modest success. Beginning in 1957, the Bryants came to national prominence in both country and pop music when they wrote a string of very successful songs for

the Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

and hits for other singers such as

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

and

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

. Their compositions were recorded by many artists from a variety of musical genres, including

Lynn Anderson Lynn Renée Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, " Rose Garden," was a number one hit in the United States and internationally. She chart ...

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final ...

, Sonny James, Eddy Arnold,

Bob Moore Bob Loyce Moore (November 30, 1932 – September 22, 2021) was an American session musician, orchestra leader, and double bassist who was a member of the Nashville A-Team during the 1950s and 1960s. He performed on over 17,000 documented recor ...

, Charley Pride,

Nazareth Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville Sound. Known as "Gentlem ...

, Leo Sayer,

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis mad ...

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of ...

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and " The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine Grammy Award ...

, The

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, ...

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nom ...

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973) who was known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist who recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, ...

, Joan Jett, and

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

. (Dylan's ''

Self Portrait A self-portrait is a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century tha ...

'' album has a song by Boudleaux and another he co-wrote with Felice.) In 1962, The Bryants wrote "Too Many Chicks," a song that became a hit for Leona Douglas, the first African-American woman to record as a

singer. The Bryants eventually moved to a house not far from Nashville on

Old Hickory Lake Old Hickory Lake is a reservoir in north central Tennessee. It is formed by the Old Hickory Lock and Dam (), located on the Cumberland River at mile 216.2 in Sumner and Davidson counties, approximately upstream from Nashville. The city ...

in Hendersonville, Tennessee, near friends

and

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his c ...

. In 1978, they moved to

Gatlinburg Gatlinburg is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. It is located southeast of Knoxville and had a population of 3,944 at the 2010 Census and a U.S. Census population of 3,577 in 2020. It is a popular vacation res ...

, Tennessee. They had often stayed at The Gatlinburg Inn, where they wrote numerous songs, including "

." They purchased the Rocky Top Village Inn in the town next to the

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an American national park in the southeastern United States, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, w ...

. In 1979, they released their own album called ''A Touch of Bryant.'' "

", written in 1967, was adopted as a state song by Tennessee in 1982, and as the unofficial fight song for the University of Tennessee sports teams. The Bryants wrote more than 6,000 songs, some 1,500 of which were recorded. During their career, the Bryants earned 59 BMI country, pop, and R&B music awards. In 1972, they were inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, in 1986 into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 1991 into both the

Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has ama ...

and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Boudleaux Bryant is the third most successful songwriter of the 1950s on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, and Felice Bryant is the 21st. Their works are present in the House of Bryant, which is located in

. From September 2019 to August 2020, their artifacts were on exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.

Deaths

Boudleaux Bryant died in 1987. Felice Bryant remained active writing songs; in 1991, the Nashville Arts Foundation honored her with its Living Legend Award. She died in 2003. They are interred together in the

Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 660 Thompson Lane in Nashville, Tennessee. It is one of the largest cemeteries in Nashville. Among those interred or entombed in the cemetery, there are many prominent members of the country music ...

in Nashville.

Selected list of songs

Little Jimmy Dickens

*"Country Boy" (1948) *" Bessie the Heifer" *" We Could" (credited solely to Felice)

Everly Brothers

*" Bye Bye, Love" *"

Wake Up, Little Susie "Wake Up Little Susie" is a popular song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and published in 1957. The song is best known in a recording by the Everly Brothers, issued by Cadence Records as catalog number 1337. The Everly Brothers record re ...

" *"

" (credited solely to Boudleaux) *"Donna Donna" *"Brand New Heartache" *" Problems" *" Poor Jenny" *"Radio & TV" *"Oh True Love" *" Take a Message to Mary" *" Bird Dog" (credited solely to Boudleaux) *" Like Strangers" (credited solely to Boudleaux) *"Always It's You" *"Love of My Life" *"Love Is All I Need" *"Lonely Island" *"Just in Case" *" Devoted to You" (credited solely to Boudleaux) *"You Thrill Me" *"You're the One I Love" *"Some Sweet Day" *"Sleepless Nights" *"Nashville Blues" *"

" (credited solely to Boudleaux) "Wake Up, Little Susie" and "All I Have to Do Is Dream" scored high on ''Billboard''s "Hot 100" Pop, C&W, and R&B lists. Both charted at No. 1 in all three categories, the latter in all three at the same time.BPI Communications and Joel Whitburn's Record Research Publications

Buddy Holly

Raining in My Heart "Raining in My Heart" is a song recorded by Buddy Holly on October 21, 1958 at the Pythian Temple on West 70th Street in New York City, with the orchestral backing by Dick Jacobs. The music and lyrics are written by the songwriting team of Fel ...

Compton Brothers

*"Bird Dog" *"Love Hurts"

Gram Parsons with Emmylou Harris

* "Love Hurts" * " Sleepless Nights" * "Brand New Heartache"

Emmylou Harris

* "Sleepless Nights" * "Like Strangers" * "Love Hurts"

Ricky Van Shelton

* " Hole in My Pocket"

Johnny O'Keefe

* " She Wears My Ring" (English lyrics)

Other artists

* "

" –

The Osborne Brothers The Osborne Brothers, Sonny (October 29, 1937 – October 24, 2021) and Bobby (born December 7, 1931), were an influential and popular bluegrass act during the 1960s and 1970s and until Sonny retired in 2005. They are probably best known for ...

, and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band * "

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

" –

and His Orchestra (credited solely to Boudleaux) * " Last Date" – Boudleaux wrote the lyrics to the vocal version of the Floyd Cramer instrumental, recorded in 1960 by Skeeter Davis * " Bye Bye, Love" –

(1962) * " Bye Bye, Love" – Ray Price (1957) * " Bye Bye, Love" –

(1961) * " Come Live with Me" –

Roy Clark Roy Linwood Clark (April 15, 1933 – November 15, 2018) was an American singer and musician. He is best known for having hosted '' Hee Haw'', a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969 to 1997. Clark was an important and influe ...

* "

" –

Robert Wyatt Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is a retired English musician. A founding member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming pa ...

* "She Wears My Ring" – Solomon King * "She Wears My Ring" –

Jimmy Sweeney Jimmy Sweeney (March 15, 1922 – October 6, 1992) a WW2 veteran, and a member of the Nashville African-American music scene. He was a singer, songwriter, and self-taught guitarist. As a pop singer, he was known professionally as Jimmy Sweeney ...

* "Have a Good Time" –

Sue Thompson Sue Thompson (born Eva Sue McKee; July 19, 1925 – September 23, 2021) was an American pop and country music singer. She was best known for the million selling hits " Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)", "Norman", "James (Hold The Ladder Steady)", all we ...

* "

" –

, and a top five hit for Jim Capaldi in the UK. * "Sugar Beet" – Moon Mullican * "Wedding of the Bugs" – Moon Mullican * "Blue Boy" –

* "Bella Belinda" – Donn Reynolds * "I'm Gonna Slip You Offa My Mind" – Tommy Zang * "Midnight" – Red Foley * "Some Sweet Day" –

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started o ...

* "Take a Message to Mary" –

* "Rocky Top" – Dillard & Clark * "Devoted to You" –

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

(credited solely to Boudleaux) * "

You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" is a song from the film ''Any Which Way You Can'', performed by American country music artists David Frizzell and Shelly West. It was written by Larry Collins and Sandy Pinkard (of Pinkard & Bowden). The so ...

" –

David Frizzell David Frizzell (born September 26, 1941) is an American country music singer. He is the younger brother of country musician, Lefty Frizzell. His career started in the late 1950s, but his biggest success came in the 1980s. Biography Frizzell wa ...

and

Shelly West Shelly West (born May 23, 1958) is an American country music singer. Her mother was the country music star Dottie West, whose career spanned three decades. The younger West reached her peak in popularity during the 1980s before mostly retiring ...

* "Love Hurts" – The Osborne Brothers

* "Nightmare" – Jack Turner Various songs of theirs, especially "All I Have to Do Is Dream", "Bye Bye, Love", "Love Hurts" and "Wake Up, Little Susie", have been covered by numerous other artists over the years. "Rocky Top" is played by the

Pride of the Southland Band The Pride of the Southland Band is the official name of the University of Tennessee's marching band. History The Pride of the Southland Marching Band has been performing at halftime for more than 110 years, but has existed since 1869 when it ...

at University of Tennessee sporting events.http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=69622&catid=82

References

Bibliography

*Kingsbury, Paul. (1998). "Felice and Boudleaux Bryant". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. pp. 63–64.

External links

* Allmusic Entry for Felice * Allmusic Entry for Boudleauxbr>Rockabillyhall page
* *
Countrymusichalloffame.orgPerformingsongwriter.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant, Felice and Boudleaux American country songwriters American male songwriters Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Country music groups from Georgia (U.S. state) Married couples Musicians from Milwaukee Bryant, Boudleaux American songwriting teams American musical duos Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Songwriters from Wisconsin