Felice & Boudleaux Bryant   -  Biography

Boudleaux (pronounced Bood-Lo) Bryant was born in Shellman, Georgia on Feb. 13, 1920. The son of a small-town lawyer, he was named after a Frenchman who saved his father's life in World War I. Raised in Moultrie, Georgia, Boudleaux became a classically trained violinist, whose musical experience included both playing with the Atlanta Symphony and fiddling in Hank Penny's western swing band in the late 1930s.

Touring with a pop music combo in Milwaukee in 1945, he met folk singer Felice Scaduto, born there Aug. 7, 1925, who was working as an elevator operator. After a three-week whirlwind courtship, they married in September 1945 and moved to Moultrie. Becoming restless there, Felice began writing poetry and song lyrics. When she showed them to her husband, a songwriting partnership began.

They sent a song titled "Country Boy" to Fred Rose of Acuff-Rose, who published what would become a hit for Jimmy Dickens in 1949. The next year, Rose suggested they move to Nashville, where they soon became country music's most famous husband-wife songwriting team. They wrote a long line of country and pop hits, including Jimmy Dickens' "I'm Little But I'm Loud" and "Out Behind The Barn;" Carl Smith's "Hey Joe;" and most of the early Everly Brothers hits, including "Bye Bye Love," "Wake Up Little Susie" and "Bird Dog." The couple also penned Jim Reeves' "Blue Boy" and one of the classic songs of all time, "Rocky Top." They wrote over 1,500 recorded songs, copies of which have sold over 300 million records.

Boudleaux died of cancer on June 25, 1987 in Knoxville. Felice died on April 22, 2003. They were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1991.