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

August 7, 2026, 6:11pm

On this day (August 7) in 1925, Matilda Genevieve Scaduto was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After marrying Boudleaux Bryant, she changed her name to Felice. Later, they became the first full-time professional songwriters in Nashville. Together, the couple penned songs that became hits for the Everly Brothers, Roy Clark, Sonny James, and many others.

She began writing songs as a child. Her mother sang traditional Italian folk songs around the house, and Scaduto composed new lyrics to fit the melodies. In her late teens and early 20s, she directed World War II-era USO Shows and sang. However, she was never fond of performing. Instead, poetry was her chosen artistic outlet. The years she spent writing poems paid off later in life.

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In 1945, she was working as an elevator attendant at the Schroeder Hotel in Milwaukee. One evening, a young musician named Boudleaux Bryant stepped onto her elevator, and the sparks between them flew. According to BMI, they eloped less than a week later, beginning a marriage that lasted more than 40 years.

Felice and Boudleaux Bryant Took the Scenic Route to Success

Felice and Boudleaux Bryant didn’t immediately enter a creative partnership. When their relationship began, he was playing fiddle in country and jazz bands. As a result, they traveled the country together. Eventually, they settled in Georgia. That’s when Boudleaux began putting music to his wife’s poems.

According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, it took the couple some time to break into the industry. They wrote roughly 100 songs together before they got their big break. Rome Johnson liked their song “Country Boy” and passed it along to Fred Rose at Acuff-Rose Publications. Rose pitched the song to Little Jimmy Dickens. He cut it and took it to No. 7 on the country chart in 1949.

Rose knew talent when he saw it. As a result, he convinced the Bryants to move to Nashville. They eventually agreed and became Music City’s first full-time country songwriters.

The next few years saw Dickens and Carl Smith cut several of the couple’s songs. By the early 1950s, other artists were coming to them for material. Tony Bennett had a top 20 hit with “Have a Good Time” in 1952. Later in the decade, the Everly Brothers started recording their songs. This was beneficial for both duos.

The Bryants wrote “Bye, Bye Love,” “Problems,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” and “Wake Up Little Susie.” All of those were huge hits for the Everlys.

The Duo Behind Timeless Hits

If it was a pop or country hit in the 1950s or ’60s, there was a good chance that Felice and Boudleaux Bryant wrote it. Below is a selection of the songs they wrote together.