Bob Mehr | Memphis Commercial Appeal
Don Bryant, one of the last great Memphis soul singers and songwriters, has died. The co-author of a string of classic R&B hits for his wife, Ann Peebles — including “I Can’t Stand the Rain” — Mr. Bryant died on Dec. 26, following a series of health issues. He was 83.
A Hi Records artist in the ’60s, a hit songwriter in the ’70s and creative foil to Peebles for decades, Mr. Bryant returned to the spotlight over the last decade-plus, with a series of solo releases that earned him his first Grammy nomination at the age of 78.
In a statement announcing Mr. Bryant’s death, his family wrote: “Don loved sharing his music and songs with all of you and it gave him such great joy to perform and record new music. He was so appreciative of everyone who was part of his musical journey and who supported him along the way.”
Scott Bomar, the acclaimed film composer, record producer and Bo-Keys bandleader who helped midwife Mr. Bryant’s late career comeback, noted that Mr. Bryant was “one of the greatest guys I’ve had the privilege to know, just a wonderful human being and an incredible talent.”
Bomar added: “Bryant was a fantastic performer, he connected with audiences unlike anyone I’ve ever seen before. He was an amazing songwriter. And his career in music stretched from the ‘50s to now. It was an honor to have the opportunity to work with him.”
Born in Memphis and raised in the bosom of the church, Mr. Bryant absorbed the gospel of his father’s group, The Four Stars of Harmony. “They would rehearse at our home sometimes,” Mr. Bryant recalled in a 2021 interview with The Commercial Appeal. “We’d gather ’round, my brothers and I, listening to them, and afterwards we’d try and imitate their sound. My brothers and I would harmonize together a lot. I just got deeper and deeper into it.”
A precocious talent, Mr. Bryant first began performing as a boy (the 2024 HBO documentary on Stax Records, “Soulsville USA,” uncovered a remarkable clip of a young Mr. Bryant performing during a WDIA-sponsored concert). As a teenager Mr. Bryant sang with various vocal outfits, and began writing his own material in the late 1950s — his earliest tunes were cut by R&B outfit The 5 Royales and Memphis band leader Willie Mitchell.
Championed by WLOK disc jockey Dick “Cane” Cole, by 1964, Mr. Bryant had moved from singing gospel to “doing the secular thing, because that’s what everyone was listening to,” he recalled. “I was determined to do it, to have a career in music, because it was my love.”
Mr. Bryant’s next phase found him working closely with Hi Records star turned label head Willie Mitchell. Along with his group, the Four Kings, Mr. Bryant would play and tour as part of Mitchell’s roadshow and he eventually became the featured singer in his band. Mr. Bryant would go on to launch a solo career that featured some stellar singles — including the country-soul gem “Don’t Turn Your Back on Me” — and a fine 1969 album, “Precious Soul,” but he eventually moved behind the scenes, working as a staff songwriter at Hi.
“I saw individually I wasn’t going to really have the opportunity to move like I wanted to move as [a singer],” Mr. Bryant said. “But Willie would always have some artists coming in who would need songs, so I concentrated on that.”
Working as a writer at Hi and for artists like Solomon Burke, Albert King and Etta James, Bryant would eventually notch more than 150 song credits. His tunes would ultimately be covered by everyone from old school blues giants like Junior Parker to modern-day pop stars like Seal. “The fact that I was able to absorb different styles, that helped a lot with my writing,” said Mr. Bryant. “When I was writing for an individual I could always come up with something that would fit them.”
The true turning point for Mr. Bryant came when he connected with a new Mitchell protege, Ann Peebles, in the early ’70s. “That’s when I wrote ‘99 Pounds’ — that’s the one I wrote especially for Ann when she first came in,” Mr. Bryant recalled. “’99 pounds of natural born goodness/ 99 pounds of soul.’ To tell you the truth, I fell in love with Ann then, when I heard her sing. She was a beautiful young lady.”
The couple’s relationship quickly blossomed, and they married in 1974. Mr. Bryant would spend the next four decades supporting her on stage and in the studio. He wrote or co-wrote many of Peebles’ signature hits, including the Grammy-nominated “I Can’t Stand the Rain” (which would later become a worldwide disco hit for Eruption in 1978 and a global pop smash for Tina Turner in 1984).
Although Mr. Bryant continued to sing in church and released a couple of gospel albums in the ‘80s and ‘90s, he largely remained focused on Peebles’ career, writing and touring with her. But in 2012, Peebles suffered a stroke, which sidelined her professionally. With his wife’s blessing, Mr. Bryant slowly returned to music, initially doing some guest appearances with throwback Memphis R&B band The Bo-Keys.
In conjunction with Fat Possum label executive Bruce Watson, Scott Bomar pitched Mr. Bryant on the idea of a comeback R&B album. Already well into his 70s, Mr. Bryant suddenly had a chance to resume the solo career that he’d essentially abandoned in the late ‘60s. “I jumped at the situation because I wanted to find out for myself if what I thought I had was still there,” Mr. Bryant said. “I needed to know — can I still do this?”
The answer was a resounding yes, as Mr. Bryant’s voice — both as a singer and deep soul songwriter — thrilled once again on his 2017 comeback album, “Don’t Give Up on Love.” His first secular LP in 48 years, it went on to become a critical success, putting Mr. Bryant in front of adoring crowds on the road and creating a wave of adulation that propelled him into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2019. Mr. Bryant, backed by the Bo-Keys, would take his show on the road, traveling all over the world — from Memphis to Morocco, France, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and beyond — electrifying audiences.
Funeral services for Mr. Bryant are pending.
