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| NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 23, 2019 – The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will tell the story of Nashville’s first full-time professional songwriters, Country Music Hall of Fame members Boudleaux and Felice Bryant in the exhibition We Could: The Songwriting Artistry of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant. The exhibit opens Sept. 27 and runs through Aug. 2, 2020.
During their distinguished careers, the Bryants sold over half a billion records by one estimate, received 59 BMI awards and composed more than 6,000 songs, of which over 900 were recorded, by artists working in many different musical genres, including country, rock & roll, pop and R&B. Among the Bryants’ hits were the Everly Brothers’ “Bye Bye Love,” “Wake Up Little Susie” and “All I Have to Do Is Dream.” Additionally, their works include Little Jimmy Dickens’ “Country Boy,” Jim Reeves’ “Blue Boy” and Roy Orbison’s “Love Hurts,” which later became an international hit for the rock group Nazareth. The Bryants also wrote “Rocky Top,” a bluegrass standard named one of Tennessee’s state songs and a favorite at University of Tennessee sporting events. “Songwriting involves the creation and refinement of a unique and personal narrative. It is an art form, and Boudleaux and Felice Bryant mastered it,” said Kyle Young, museum CEO. “Not only did the Bryants write some of the most memorable songs of our time, they also set an example for future generations of tunesmiths by establishing their own publishing companies. We look forward to sharing with our visitors the Bryants’ story, which includes creativity, innovation, ambition and romance.” A love of music and a chance meeting at a Milwaukee hotel brought the Bryants together. They were married in September 1945 and began singing together throughout the Midwest and Georgia. During this time, they began writing songs. One of those songs was “Country Boy,” which they shared with singer Rome Johnson, who sent it to music publisher Fred Rose. Rose placed the song with Grand Ole Opry star Jimmy Dickens, who made it a #7 hit in 1949. Rose became the Bryants’ mentor, encouraged them to move to Nashville, and helped the couple assemble an impressive catalog of hits in the coming years. The Bryants were more than successful songwriters. They also established an influential benchmark for songwriters when, in 1957, they negotiated a 10-year deal with music publisher Acuff-Rose that returned to the Bryants all publishing rights for their songs at the end of the agreement— the first of its kind in Nashville. During this time, the Bryants began writing for Acuff-Rose client the Everly Brothers. The Everly Brothers recorded 29 Bryant songs, including “Bye Bye Love,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” “Bird Dog” and “Devoted to You.” In 1967, in accordance with their contract, the Bryants began reclaiming domestic copyrights for the songs they wrote for Acuff-Rose and moved the titles to their House of Bryant publishing company. Today, House of Bryant, owned by the Bryants’ sons, Dane and Del, continues to thrive. Boudleaux and Felice Bryant were elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972; the National Academy of Popular Music’s Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986; and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1991. “Dad used to say that he thought their songs were like wine that aged well in their ledgers. Like wine, songwriters’ lives and bodies of work are the unpredictable product of earthly and heavenly elements,” said Del Bryant. “Our parents would be thrilled the museum is decanting their songs and their love story for all the world to taste and enjoy.” Items featured in We Could: The Songwriting Artistry of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant include handwritten lyrics, music and personal artifacts. Some highlights:
In support of the exhibition’s opening, The Bryants’ youngest son, Del, musicians and historians Bill C. Malone and Bobbie Malone and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Dennis Morgan will take part in a panel discussion focused on the legacy and influence of the Bryants in the museum’s Ford Theater on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, at 2 p.m. Morgan was the only songwriter with whom Felice worked following Boudleaux’s death.
We Could: The Songwriting Artistry of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant is presented by the Willard & Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, Inc.
More information about this exhibit can be found at www.CountryMusicHallofFame.org
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Contact: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum contact: House of Bryant PR contact: Amber Williams, Beaucoup Media 615.513.3222 amber@beaucoupmedia.co http://countrymusichalloffame.org/media
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum collects, preserves, and interprets country music and its history for the education and entertainment of diverse audiences. In exhibits, publications, and educational programs, the museum explores the cultural importance and enduring beauty of the art form. The museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, and welcomes over one million patrons each year, placing it among the most visited museums in the U.S. The Country Music Foundation operates Historic RCA Studio B®, Hatch Show Print® poster shop, CMF Records, the Frist Library and Archive, and CMF Press. Museum programs are supported in part by the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission and Tennessee Arts Commission. More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is available at www.countrymusichalloffame.org or by calling (615) 416-2001. |
Happy International Women’s Day!
What better way is there to celebrate #internationalwomensday than to talk about these two awe-inspiring women?
Felice Bryant and Frances Preston were revolutionaries in the world of songwriting. Felice Bryant and her writing partner and husband, Boudleaux, are widely known as Nashville’s first professional songwriters, penning hit after hit throughout their career. Frances Preston began her career as a receptionist for WSM and eventually fought her way to the position of President & CEO of BMI, where she advocated tirelessly for the rights of songwriters.
Who knows where women in the music industry would be without these two powerful ladies having paved the way?
THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME® AND MUSEUM ANNOUNCES FULL EXHIBITION SCHEDULE FOR 2019
| Museum will tell the stories of Brooks & Dunn, Boudleaux and Felice Bryant, Kacey Musgraves and Keith Whitley. |
| NASHVILLE, Tenn., – March 1, 2019 – The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum has unveiled the balance of its stellar exhibition schedule for 2019. Exhibits on Keith Whitley, Kacey Musgraves, Brooks & Dunn and Country Music Hall of Fame members Boudleaux and Felice Bryant will join previously announced exhibitAmerican Currents: The Music of 2018. |
| On Oct. 4, the museum will open a special exhibit on songwriting husband and wife Boudleaux and Felice Bryant. The couple, who were the first full-time songwriters in Nashville, were elected together to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1991. They found initial success in the 1940s when Little Jimmy Dickens recorded their song “Country Boy.” During the 1950s and 1960s, they had hit after hit with the Everly Brothers, including the siblings’ first big song, “Bye, Bye Love” and chart-toppers such as “Wake Up Little Susie.” Among the Bryants’ hits for others are Red Foley’s “Midnight” (co-written with Chet Atkins), Eddy Arnold’s “How’s the World Treating You” (also with Atkins), Jim Reeves’ “Blue Boy,” Bob Luman’s “Let’s Think About Living,” and Roy Orbison’s “Love Hurts,” later an international hit for the rock group Nazareth. One of the Bryants’ best known songs is “Rocky Top.” Popularized by the Osborne Brothers in 1968, “Rocky Top” is now an official Tennessee state song and the beloved anthem for the University of Tennessee’s athletic teams. During their distinguished career, the Bryants had some 800 songs recorded by more than 500 artists, amounting to sales of hundreds of millions of records. This exhibition is presented by the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation.
“Dad used to say that he thought their songs were like wine that aged well in their ledgers. Like wine, songwriters’ lives and bodies of work are the unpredictable product of earthly and heavenly elements,” said Del Bryant, son of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant. “Our parents would be thrilled that the museum is decanting their songs and their love story for all the world to taste and enjoy. They would have many people to toast. So on behalf of our folks, my brother Dane and I, and our entire family, thank God for all those who poured their hearts and talents into the full-bodied blend that is Boudleaux and Felice.” |
Remembering Fred Foster
So sad to hear that Fred Foster has passed. Fred, a good friend of the Bryants, was a songwriter, producer, and the founder of Monument Records. Fred wrote the song “Me And Bobby McGee” with Kris Kristofferson and Kris’ story behind titling that song has a lot to do with Boudleaux:
“The title came from Fred Foster. He called one night and said, ‘I’ve got a song title for you. It’s “Me and Bobby McKee.”’ I thought he said ‘McGee.’ Bobby McKee was the secretary of Boudleaux Bryant, who was in the same building with Fred.”
Fred will be sorely missed, but his music will always be a reminder of him that lives on forever.
Happy 99th Birthday, Boudleaux Bryant!
Today is Boudleaux’s birthday! He would have been 99 years old… For many years of their marriage, Felice would buy Boudleaux ledger books to use for his songwriting and inscribe them with sweet messages. This one was a gift for his 31st birthday in 1951!