Born on This Day in 1920, One Half of the Husband and Wife Songwriting Duo Behind the Tennessee State Song and Hits From Country’s First Female Superstar

On this day (February 13) in 1920, Diadorius Boudleaux Bryant was born in Shellman, Georgia. He was a classically trained musician who made a living touring for a time. However, he is best remembered as a hit songwriter. He and his wife, Felice Bryant, penned multiple country and pop hits in the 1950s and ’60s.

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Bryant started studying classical violin at the age of six and continued his lessons for eleven years. After a season with the Atlanta Philharmonic, he became a fiddler, playing in country, western swing, and jazz bands. In the summer of 1945, a tour took him to the Schroeder Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There, he met an elevator operator named Matilda Genevieve Scaduto. However, most remember her best as Felice Bryant.

[RELATED: The Meaning of the State Song “Rocky Top” by The Osborne Brothers]

According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, the pair had a short but intense courtship and tied the knot in September 1945. She was not a musician. Instead, she was a poet. Before long, they began working together. She would write poems, and he put her verses to music. Three years after getting married, they got their first big break. Rome Johnson passed their song “Country Boy” to Fred Rose, who handed it off to Little Jimmy Dickens, who took the song to No. 7 on the country chart.

Rose later convinced the Bryants to move to Nashville to work as full-time songwriters. When they accepted the invitation, they became the first full-time country songwriters in Music City, according to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Felice and Boudleaux Bryant Wrote Numerous Hit Songs

Early in their songwriting career, Boudleaux and Felice Bryant wrote several hit songs for Little Jimmy Dickens and Carl Smith. While Dickens, Smith, and other country artists recorded their songs and made them hits, the Bryants found the most success with a crossover duo.

They linked with the Everly Brothers in 1957. The duo recorded several of the Bryants’ songs and made many of them hits. For instance, the Bryants penned “Bye Bye Love,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” “Bird Dog,” “Devoted to You,” and “Problems,” which were all top 10 hits.

The couple also penned “Rocky Top,” which has been recorded by multiple artists, including Dolly Parton and Lynn Anderson. The Osborne Brothers recorded the first version in 1968. Today, it is one of the state songs of Tennessee.

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