#don bryant

[afrotumble]

Memphis soul legend Don Bryant has passed away at 83. A gifted singer and songwriter, Bryant began as a solo artist in the ’60s before becoming a prolific songwriter at Hi Records, penning hits for icons like Solomon Burke, Etta James, and Albert King.

He is perhaps best known for crafting classics for his wife, Ann Peebles, including the Grammy-nominated “I Can’t Stand the Rain.”

After decades supporting Peebles’ career, Bryant returned to the stage as a solo artist in 2017, releasing acclaimed albums Don’t Give Up on Love and You Make Me Feel.

Source: Rolling Stone

[gone2soon-rip]

DON BRYANT (1943-Died Boxing Day,December 26th 2025,at 83). American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter.In 1960, the still teenage Bryant was offered a shot at songwriting, penning "I Got To Know" for The 5 Royales. He wrote material for other artists at Hi Records while continuing to record with The Four Kings and as a solo artist, resulting in a 1969 solo album. However, with the success of Al Green, Otis Clay, and other vocalists at Hi, Bryant's singing career took a backseat to writing, joining Earl Randle, Dan Greer, and Darryl Carter as Hi's top staff writers. Bryant is credited on as many as 154 titles.

By 1970, Willie Mitchell had begun to pair Bryant with his newest act, a young Ann Peebles, for whom he wrote "99 Pounds" and "Do I Need You." The pair co-wrote the Top 40 hit "I Can't Stand the Rain" in 1973, and were married the following year.[3] Bryant spent much of the subsequent decade writing and opening for Peebles, with his final Hi single coming in 1981, a duet with his wife called "Mon Belle-Amour".[3]

Bryant focused mainly on gospel albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and ultimately stopped performing altogether outside of church services.Don Bryant (songwriter) - Wikipedia

[flankingmanoeuvres]

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[milkandheavysugar]

“One evening in Memphis in 1973, soul singer [songwriter] Ann Peebles was meeting friends, including her partner, Hi Records staff writer Don Bryant, to go to a concert. Just as they were about to set off, the heavens opened and Peebles snapped: ‘I can't stand the rain.’ As a professional songwriter in constant need of new material, Bryant was used to plucking resonant phrases out of the air and he liked the idea of reacting against recent R&B hits that celebrated bad weather, such as the Dramatics' In the Rain and Love Unlimited's Walking in the Rain (With the One I Love).

So he sat down at the piano and started riffing on the theme, weaving in ideas from Peebles and local DJ Bernie Miller. The song was finished that night and presented the next morning to Hi's studio maestro, Willie Mitchell, who used a brand new gadget, the electric timbale, to create the song's distinctive raindrop riff. It really was that easy. ‘We didn't go to the concert,’ Bryant remembers. ‘We forgot about the concert.’ “ [X]

[5-star-songs]

“Can I Change My Mind” -- DON BRYANT

Tyrone Davis had the hit with this song in 1968, and I don’t believe the version included on Don Bryant’s 1969 LP Precious Soul was ever even released as a single, but it’s still my favorite, and not only because it’s hard to beat the Hi Rhythm Section.

I mean, that bassline is going to sound great whoever’s playing it.

Bryant’s vocal has more gravitas, though, and the quaver in his voice on every verse does a better job convincing me not just that he really would like to start all over again, but that he knows he has no hope at all of doing so.

(Note: Bryant released a brand new LP last week. It’s quite good; check it out.)

[guessimdumb]

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Danny White - Cracked Up Over You (1966)

I’ve got three different recordings of this stomping soul tune; besides Danny White, Junior Parker and Lee Rogers also recorded it.  After much listening, I’ve determined that Danny White’s is the superior version. 

[soulmusicsongs]

Can I Change My Mind - Don Bryant (Precious Soul, 1969)

[zogras]

Don Bryant's first album in decades, "Don't Give Up On Love", is out May 12th