Tag: Bye Bye Love

The Great Songs of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant

Husband-and-wife Felice and Boudleaux Bryant wrote many classic songs of the twentieth century.

I’m always amazed to discover when several great songs recorded by different artists were written by the same person or songwriting team. Of course, it should be no surprise that people can write more than one great song. But it is still fun to learn that someone whose name I didn’t know was behind many of the songs I have loved through my life. One such duo — the husband and wife team of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant — wrote many such classics.

Felice Bryant, who was born Matilda Genevieve Scaduto on August 7, 1925, wrote “We Could,” a song that was a hit for Little Jimmy Dickens and Charley Pride. “We Could” is one of those songs that sounds like it has always existed.

Felice and Boudleaux Bryant wrote several of the biggest hits recorded by the Everly Brothers including “Bye, Bye, Love” and “Wake Up Little Susie.” Additionally, Boudleaux wrote “All I Have to Do Is Dream.”

Another Everly Brothers song written by the Boudleaux that later was recorded by several others was “Love Hurts.” That song has been recorded by artists such as Cher, Roy Oribison, and Nazareth. Gram Parsons (with Emmylou Harris) was among those who recorded “Love Hurts” in addition to a few other Bryant songs.

They also wrote “Raining in My Heart,” which was recorded by one of rock’s greatest songwriters, Buddy Holly.

It is hard to select their magnum opus, but probably their song that is most embedded in the classic canon is “Rocky Top.” One of the official state songs of Tennessee, “Rocky Top” has been performed by many artists.

Bands and singers who have covered “Rocky Top” include the Osborne Brothers, Lynn Anderson, Phish, Buck Owens, the Carter Family, John Denver, Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty, Garth Brooks, Brad Paisley, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and in a marching band version, the University of Tennessee’s Pride of the Southland Band.

The Bryants did record some of their own music, releasing their own album A Touch of Bryant in 1979. But it is through the voices of other artists that we know their words and music.

Boudleaux Bryant, who was born on February 13, 1920, passed away on June 25, 1987. Felice lived much longer, dying on April 22, 2003. They are interred together at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Nashville. Hopefully they are in the afterlife writing more songs for us when we get there.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Why Did God Make Oklahoma?
  • The First #1 Hit By The Everly Brothers
  • Oxford American Southern Music Issue
    • ( Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Buy from Amazon

    Oxford American Southern Music Issue

    Oxford American MagazineThe Oxford American magazine recently released its Twelfth Annual Southern Music Issue, and, as always, the magazine and enclosed CD are outstanding.  Oxford American is billed as “The Southern Magazine of Good Writing,” and once a year, it devotes an issue to southern music, including a CD of the music discussed in the magazine.  I first discovered the annual music issue in 1999, when my friend and co-worker Sid gave me my first copy, and I have been following the magazine ever since.

    The “southern music” of these issues consists of nuggets of a wide variety of the good stuff.  In the CDs I have from past annual music issues, the artists included people I already knew – such as Sonny Burgess, Odetta, and the Del McCoury Band – to new discoveries for me – like the Gosdin Brothers’ 1968 recording of “There Must Be Someone (I Can Turn To)” on this year’s CD.  There are occasional odd gems, like when the 2000 CD included a recording of Robert Mitchum and Lillian Gish singing “Leaning” from Night of the Hunter that made me love the song and his voice outside the context of the haunting scene in the movie.

    Last year, Oxford American started a new approach with its music issue. Instead of covering a broad geography, the magazine began to focus on one state each year.  Last year was Arkansas, and this year’s issue concentrates on Alabama.  I really liked the previous broader approach, but the state-by-state approach is growing on me.  And either way, it is the best magazine-CD out there, and it still covers a wide range of styles and time, with songs from the 1940s through 2010.  Additionally, I like that the magazine’s approach has evolved over the years so now there is a feature story about each track on the CD.

    There are also other articles, like fiction by Greil Marcus and an article about the song-writing team of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant.  Never heard of the Bryants?  The article will tell you the story behind their songs recorded by the Everly Brothers, like “Bye Bye Love” (recorded by the Everlys just to get the $64 session fee).

    Oxford American has struggled through the years to stay in business (like another music magazine I loved, No Depression). From my recollection, and from the missing CD in my collection from one year, the magazine’s troubles peaked in 2004 when they stopped publishing for a period. Do not let that happen again. You may pick up the magazine at most bookstores or order the magazine and back issues from the website, which also has this year’s track listing (under “Further Listening”). FYI, I have no affiliation with the magazine, I just wanted to share.

    A version of this review was also published at NoDepression.com