Born 101 Years Ago Today, One-Half of the Husband-and-Wife Songwriting Duo Behind Hits for Sonny James, the Everly Brothers, and Roy Clark
Felice Bryant, born Matilda Genevieve Scaduto in Milwaukee on 7 August 1925, became one half of a pioneering Nashville songwriting partnership with her husband, Boudleaux Bryant. Their work helped shape country and popular music in the 1950s and 1960s, producing major recordings for artists including the Everly Brothers, Sonny James and Roy Clark.
Bryant began by writing lyrics as a child and met Boudleaux while working as a hotel lift attendant in 1945; they eloped within a week. After writing around 100 songs, they secured their first chart success when Little Jimmy Dickens took “Country Boy” to No. 7 in 1949, then moved to Nashville as its first full-time country songwriters. Their best-known Everly Brothers compositions included “Bye Bye Love”, “All I Have to Do Is Dream”, “Wake Up Little Susie” and “Problems”, while later hits included Roy Clark’s No. 1 “Come Live with Me”.
- Felice Bryant co-wrote influential country and pop hits with husband Boudleaux.
- The pair became Nashville’s first full-time country songwriters.
- Their Everly Brothers songs became enduring classics.