The Professional Work of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant
For over thirty-five years, Boudleaux and Felice Bryant were one of the most prolific songwriting teams in country music. They composed more successful songs for mainstream of country music than any other songwriting team. Their catalog contained six-thousand songs, of which nearly a thousand were published.
Boudleaux and Felice songs have been covered by an array of country artist, including Little Jimmy Dickens, Carl Smith, Ray Price and Jim Reeves. In the pop world, Bob Dylan, The Everly Brothers, Tony Bennett, Al Martino, Roy Orbison and Herb Alpert; are among several other artists who recorded and charted their material.
Boudleaux Bryant was born in Shellman, Georgia on February 13, 1920 and raised in Moultrie. The son of a small-town lawyer, Boudleaux became a classically trained violinist. During the 1937–38 season he performed with the Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra but had more interest in country fiddling and joined Hank Penny's western swing band in the late 1930s.
Matilda Genevieve Scaduto (Felice Bryant) was born on August 7, 1925 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin into an Italian family of music lovers. Although she had no musical training, she and her entire family sang and played instruments by ear. In her quiet hours, unknown to anyone else, she wrote song lyrics to traditional Italian tunes and in World War II, she sang and directed shows at the local USO.
While touring with a pop music combo in Milwaukee in 1945, Boudleaux met folk singer Matilda Scaduto (Felice), who was working as an elevator operator. After a three-week whirlwind courtship, they married in September 1945 and moved to Moultrie, Georgia. Felice began writing poetry and song lyrics. When she showed them to her husband, a songwriting partnership began as they combined their exceptional talents and began writing songs that took the musical world by storm.
The Bryant’s sent a song titled Country Boy to Fred Rose of Acuff-Rose Publishing, who bought the song. It was one of their initial compositions and triggered a long association between the Bryant’s and Acuff-Rose publishing. Little Jimmy Dickens graced the country charts with Country Boy (No. 7, 1949), which he later named his band.
The next year, Rose suggested they move to Nashville, where they soon became country music's most famous husband-wife songwriting team. Although Felix had done some singing, she was a poet at heart with a natural gift for writing songs that combined with her husband's music expertise; led to them becoming one of the most successful writing teams in modern music.
The Bryant’s wrote a long line of memorable country and pop hits, including Jimmy Dickens' I'm Little But I'm Loud (1950), Out Behind the Barn (No. 7, 1954) and Carl Smith's Hey Joe (No. 1, 1953). The Bryants' most famous musical affiliation was with two brothers from Kentucky whose talents assimilated the best of southern music, The Everly Brothers.
Their first great hit was Bye, Bye Love (No. 1, 1957), followed by Wake Up Little Susie (No. 1, 1957). The Bryants co-wrote many of the Everly Brothers' big hits, including All I Have to Do Is Dream (No. 1, 1958), Devoted to You (No. 7, 1958) and Bird Dog (No. 1, 1958).
Though the Bryant’s had never abandoned country music, they resumed their focus in the 1960s, composing hits for an array of artists, such as Sonny James (No.xx), Jim Reeves Blue Boy (No. 2, 1958), and the classic song, Rocky Top (Osborne Brothers: 1968). In 1967, the Bryant’s left Acuff-Rose and formed House of Bryant Publishing Company. Several more of the Bryant’s major compositions charted during the '70s, including, Roy Clark’s, Come Live With Me (No. 1, 1973), Billy Walker’s My Mind Hangs on to You (1972) and Ray Price’s, She Wears My Ring (No. 6, 1968).
The Bryant’s continued to have major hits into the early-80s with David Frizzell & Shelly West, You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma (No. 1, 1981). However, like other notable songwriters, their production began to diminish as new songwriting blood infiltrated Nashville’s recording studios. Nonetheless, more than 1,000 of their songs have been published with record sale topping the 300 million mark.
Boudleaux and Felice Bryant have been honored with many industry awards including induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame (1991), the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and 59 BMI Pop, Country and R&B awards. Boudleaux died of cancer on June 25, 1987 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Felice died on April 22, 2003 in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Bryant: Songs of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant
From their first hit in 1949 throughout the next four decades, Boudleaux and Felice Bryant proved themselves to be among the most pioneering and influential music creators. It has been estimated that the 800 recorded titles written by the Bryant’s have sold more than a half billion copies worldwide. The Bryant’s songs have been covered by wide array of country, pop and R&B artist. During their distinguished career, the Bryant’s earned numerous music awards
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The Catalog of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant:
All I Have To Do Is Dream (Everly Brothers, No. 1, 1958)
Back Up Buddy (Carl Smith, No. 2, 1965)
Baltimore (Sonny James, No. 6, 1964)
Before You Go (Buck Owens, No. 1, 1965)
Bird Dog (Everly Brothers, No. 1, 1958)
Blue Boy (Jim Reeves, No. 2, 1958)
Bye Bye, Love (Everly Brothers, No. 1, 1957)
Cause I Have You (Wynn Stewart: No. 9, 1967)
Come Live With Me (Roy Clark, No. 1, 1973)
Country Boy (Little Jimmy Dickens, No. 7, 1949)
Hey Joe (Carl Smith, 1, 1953)
Hey Moe, Hey Joe (Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley, 10, 1981)
How’s the World Treating You (Eddy Arnold, No. 4, 1953)
Hole in My Pocket (Ricky Van Shelton, No. 4, 1989)
I Can Hear Kentuck Calling Me (Bill Monroe)
It’s a Lovely, Lovely World (Carl Smith, No. 5, 1952, Gail Davies: No. 5, 1981)
Just Wait Til I Get You Alone (Carl Smith, No. 7, 1953)
Let's Think About Living (Bob Luman, No. 9, 1960)
Living Proof (Ricky Van Shelton, No. 1, 1989)
Midnight (Red Foley, No. 1, 1952)
My Baby’s Gone (No. 9, 1959)
My Last Date (Skeeter Davis, No. 5, 1960)
Out Behind the Barn (Little Jimmy Dickens: No. 9, 1954)
Penny Arcade (Christy Lane, No. 7, 1978)
Raining in My Heart (Ray Price, No. 14, 1969)
Rocky Top (The Osborne Brothers 1968)
She Wears My Ring (Ray Price: No. 6, 1968)
Take Me As I Am (Ray Price: No. 8, 1968)
This Orchid Means Goodbye (Carl Smith)
Wake Up, Little Susie (Everly Bros, No. 1, 1957)
Yesterday’s Gone (Vern Gosdin, No. 9, 1977)
You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma (D. Frizzell & S. West, No. 1, 1980)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------Researched, compiled and written by Richard Bell, Country Music Historian, Roots of Country Music, May, 2009.
