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 husband-and-wife

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

and pop

songwriting A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

team. They were best known for songs such as " Rocky Top," " We Could" (credited solely to Felice), " Love Hurts" (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 and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, an ...

, including " All I Have to Do Is Dream" and " Bird Dog (song)" (credited solely to Boudleaux), " Bye Bye Love", and " Wake Up Little Susie".

Beginnings

Boudleaux Bryant was born in Shellman, Georgia, 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. Felice was born Matilda Genevieve Scaduto in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, she sang and directed shows at the local

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

."Felice Bryant"
Songwriters Hall of Fame, accessed January 1, 2021 In 1945, Bryant met Felice when he was performing at the Schroeder Hôtel, in Milwaukee, her home town, where she was working as an elevator operator. Bryant and Scaduto eloped five days after meeting. 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". "All I Have to Do Is Dream" was biographical for Felice.

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 prefabrication, prefabricated structure, built in a factory on a permanently attached chassis before being transported to site (either by being towed or ...

, 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 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 (songwriter), Fred Rose in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Currently, the company's catalog is owned by Sony Music Publishing. Early hi ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. 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 Aubrey Wilson Mullican (March 29, 1909 – January 1, 1967), known professionally as Moon Mullican and nicknamed "King of the Hillbilly Piano Players", was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and pianist. He was associated with ...

) and the bluesy "Midnight" (recorded by

Red Foley Clyde Julian "Red" Foley (June 17, 1910 – September 19, 1968) was an American musician who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II. For more than two decades, Foley was one of the biggest stars of the gen ...

). 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 and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, ...

and hits for other singers such as

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

and

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

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

Lynn Anderson Lynn René 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 internationally. She also charted five number one ...

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

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

Sonny James Jimmie Hugh Loden (May 1, 1928February 22, 2016), known professionally as Sonny James, was an American country music singer and songwriter best known for his 1957 hit, " Young Love", topping both the ''Billboard'' Hot Country and Disk Jockey s ...

Eddy Arnold Richard Edward Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) was an American country music singer. He was a Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the ''Billboard'' country music charts, second onl ...

Bob Moore Bob Moore may refer to: * Bob Moore (musician) (1932–2021), American session musician * Bob Moore (executive) (1929–2024), co-founder of Bob's Red Mill * Bob Moore (American football) (born 1949), American football tight end * Bob Moore (Au ...

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American Country music, country singer. Beginning his career as a Negro league baseball player in the early-1950s, he later pursued a career in country music, becoming the gen ...

Nazareth Nazareth is the largest Cities in Israel, city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In its population was . Known as "the Arab capital of Israel", Nazareth serves as a cultural, political, religious, economic and ...

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. One of the earliest pioneers and practitioners of the Nashville sound, he played a central role in the sonic development of country music in th ...

Leo Sayer Leo Sayer (born Gerard Hugh Sayer, 21 May 1948) is an English-Australian singer and songwriter who has been active since the early 1970s. He has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009. Sayer launched his career in the United Kingd ...

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

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo comprising the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music acts of the 1960s. Their most famous recordings include three US number-one sing ...

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

, The

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

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. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

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

, Gram Parsons,

Joan Jett Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin; September 22, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actress. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music#J, Godmother of Punk", she is regarded as a Pop icon, rock icon and ...

, and

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

. (Dylan's ''

Self Portrait Self-portraits are Portrait painting, portraits artists make of themselves. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, the practice of self-portraiture only gaining momentum in the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century ...

'' 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 County, Tennessee, Sumner and Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson countie ...

in Hendersonville, Tennessee, near friends

and

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

. In 1978, they moved to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. They had often stayed at The Gatlinburg Inn, where they wrote numerous songs, including " Rocky Top." They purchased the Rocky Top Village Inn in the town next to the

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southeastern United States, southeast, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline o ...

. In 1979, they released their own album called ''A Touch of Bryant.'' " Rocky Top", 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 The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work represent and maintain the heri ...

, 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 amass ...

and the

Rockabilly Hall of Fame The original Rockabilly Hall of Fame was an organization and website launched on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relating to the artists and personalities involved in rockabilly. Headquartered in Nashville ...

. Boudleaux Bryant is the third most successful songwriter of the 1950s on the UK Singles Chart, and Felice Bryant is the 21st. Their works are present in the House of Bryant, which is located in Gatlinburg. From September 2019 to August 2020, their artifacts were on exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.

Deaths

Boudleaux Bryant died of cancer in 1987. Felice Bryant remained active writing songs. In 1991, the Nashville Arts Foundation honored her with its Living Legend Award. She too died of cancer in 2003. They are interred together in the Woodlawn Memorial Park, 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" *" All I Have to Do Is Dream" (credited solely to Boudleaux) *"Donna Donna" *"Brand New Heartache" *"

Problems A problem is a difficulty which may be resolved by problem solving. Problem(s) or The Problem may also refer to: People * Problem (rapper), (born 1985) American rapper Books * ''Problems'' (Aristotle), an Aristotelian (or pseudo-Aristotelian) co ...

" *" 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" *" Love Hurts" (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"

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

* " Rocky Top" – The Osborne Brothers,

, and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band * "

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

" –

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, musician, and television presenter. He is best known for having hosted '' Hee Haw'', a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969 to 1997. Clark wa ...

* " Raining in My Heart" –

Robert Wyatt Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is an English retired 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 para ...

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

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

* "Have a Good Time" – Sue Thompson * " Love Hurts" –

, and a top five hit for Jim Capaldi in the UK. * "Sugar Beet" –

* "Wedding of the Bugs" –

* "Blue Boy" –

* "Bella Belinda" – Donn Reynolds * "I'm Gonna Slip You Offa My Mind" – Tommy Zang * "Midnight" –

* "Some Sweet Day" –

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English British folk rock, folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson (musician), Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Marti ...

* "Take a Message to Mary" –

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

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

(credited solely to Boudleaux) * "She Wears My Ring" –

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

(recorded 1973, released 1974) * "Love Hurts" – The Osborne Brothers

* " You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" – David Frizzell and

Shelly West Shelly West (born May 23, 1956) is an United States, American country music singing, 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 ...

* "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 at University of Tennessee sporting events.

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 Musical duos from Georgia (U.S. state) Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Songwriters from Wisconsin Burials at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery (Nashville, Tennessee)