Boudleaux Bryant
Songwriter
Diadorius Boudleaux Bryant and his wife Felice were the first full-time professional songwriters in Nashville and one of the most successful songwriting partnerships in 20th-century American music. Their roughly 1,500 songs include “Rocky Top” — the bluegrass anthem and Tennessee state song — and the catalog of Everly Brothers hits that helped invent country-pop crossover.
- Born Diadorius Boudleaux Bryant on February 13, 1920, in Shellman, Georgia. Trained as a classical violinist; played in the Atlanta Philharmonic before pivoting to country and western dance bands.
- Met Matilda Genevieve Scaduto (Felice) in 1945 while performing at the Schroeder Hotel in Milwaukee, where she was working as an elevator operator. They eloped five days later and wrote together for the rest of his life.
- The Bryants’ first hit was “Country Boy,” recorded by Little Jimmy Dickens in 1948 (No. 7 country) — which opened the door to a working relationship with Fred Rose at Acuff-Rose Publishing.
- Moved to Nashville in 1950 with Rose’s backing, becoming the first full-time professional country songwriters in the city.
- Their Everly Brothers run beginning in 1957 produced “Bye Bye Love,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” “Bird Dog,” “Take a Message to Mary,” and “Devoted to You.” They also wrote “Raining in My Heart” for Buddy Holly and dozens of other hits across country and pop.
- Wrote “Rocky Top” with Felice in 1967, originally for the Osborne Brothers; adopted as one of Tennessee’s state songs in 1982 and now arguably the best-known bluegrass song of all time.
- Catalog of roughly 1,500 songs recorded by more than 400 artists, with cumulative sales of over 250 million records.
- Died June 25, 1987, in Knoxville, Tennessee, of cancer, at age 67.
- Inducted (jointly with Felice) into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1972), the Songwriters Hall of Fame (1986), and the Country Music Hall of Fame (1991).