23 Years Ago Today, We Lost One-Half of the Husband-and-Wife Duo Behind Classics by Charley Pride and The Everly Brothers

April 22, 2026 9:58 am

On this day in 2003, Felice Bryant, born Matilda Scaduto, died of cancer at the age of 77. She and her husband, Boudleaux Bryant, were the first full-time country songwriters in Nashville. Together, they wrote some of the most memorable hit songs of the 1960s and ’70s. Artists who cut their songs include Ray Price, Little Jimmy Dickens, the Everly Brothers, John Prine, and Charley Pride.

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As a child, Scaduto wrote lyrics set to the melodies of the traditional Italian folk songs she heard in her Milwaukee, Wisconsin, home. While she wasn’t a musician, she sang in and directed USO shows during World War II. Performing seemingly didn’t appeal to her. Instead, she turned to poetry as her artistic outlet. Over the years, she honed the skill that would someday help her write her name in the history books.

In 1945, when she was 20 years old, she met a traveling musician named Boudleaux Bryant. The Georgia native was in Milwaukee to perform, and she was working as an elevator attendant at the Schroeder Hotel. Five days later, they eloped, according to BMI. Later, she would say that she had seen his face in a dream and instantly recognized him. They were married until Boudleaux died of cancer in 1987.

Felice and Boudleaux Bryant Begin Their Joint Venture

Boudleaux was a classically-trained violinist and spent years traveling the country, playing in various country and jazz bands. In the early years of their marriage, the couple traveled together. Then, they settled in his hometown of Moultrie, Georgia. There, he began putting music to her poems, and a songwriting duo was born. However, they didn’t immediately break into the industry.

They wrote nearly 100 songs before they found their first hit. According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, singer Rome Johnson handed their song “Country Boy” over to Fred Rose of Acuff-Rose Publications. Thanks to Rose, Little Jimmy Dickens recorded it and took it to No. 7 on the country chart.

Rose knew talent when he saw it. As a result, he convinced the Bryants to move to Nashville. There, Felice and Boudleaux Bryant became the city’s first full-time country songwriters. They initially wrote several songs for Dickens and Carl Smith. Then, other artists started recording their material.

In the late 1950s, the couple linked with the Everly Brothers and supplied them with multiple hit songs, including “Bye Bye Love,” their first hit, and “All I Have to Do Is Dream.”

Notable Songs Penned by the Bryants

Felice and Boudeaux Bryant have had more than 600 songs recorded by a long list of artists, according to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Felice also wrote songs alone. Her solo compositions include Ricky Nelson’s 1960 top 40 hit “I’m Not Afraid” and Dottie West’s 1966 hit “Before the Ring on Your Finger Turns Green.” She also wrote “We Could,” which became a standard and has been recorded by dozens of artists, including Don Gibson, Wanda Jackson, Kitty Wells, Charley Pride, and John Prine & Iris DeMent.

The couple wrote “Rocky Top,” which has been recorded by dozens of artists, including Lynn Anderson, Conway Twitty, and Dolly Parton. The Osborne Brothers released the first rendition of the song in 1968. In 1982, it became one of Tennessee’s state songs.

Highlights from the Bryants’ Catalog