Of the dozens of tales told in Ken Burns’ epic “Country Music” documentary, its sweetest love story is about a couple you may have never heard of.
But you’ve definitely heard their songs.
The husband-and-wife duo of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant met by chance in 1945. He was a touring jazz musician, and came to perform at a Milwaukee hotel where she worked as an elevator operator. Within days, they ran away together, and married that same year.
Soon, Boudleaux and Felice found out they were an incredible songwriting team.
They’d move to Nashville, and go on to write “Bye Bye Love,” “Love Hurts” and other classics for the Everly Brothers, as well as one of Tennessee’s state songs, “Rocky Top,” among thousands of other compositions.
Now, their songs and story are on display in a new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum: “We Could: The Songwriting Artistry of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant.”