Memphis soul
Memphis, Tennessee
Photo: Jacob Blickenstaff
Veteran Memphis songwriter Don Bryant released his first album in nearly four decades in 2017, eliciting rave reviews and declarations about his triumphant return. This spring, the near-octogenarian followed up with another bombshell: You Make Me Feel, a musical love letter to Memphis soul icon Ann Peebles, his wife of 50 years, and a masterful album comprised of new music as well as gems from his back catalog. “It feels good to have found my own voice,” says Don. “Music has always been a part of me, I’ve never given up on it, never let it go. If I’m walking around, I’m humming songs. Now, I’m trying to let it all out. What I had, what I got, and what I’m gonna get.”
Memphis has long been a crucible for uniquely American sounds, from Beale Street blues to Sun Studios rockabilly. When soul and R&B topped the charts beginning in the late 1950s, the city produced a stylish and urbane variant that came to be known as “Memphis soul.” Less hard-edged than some other regional manifestations, the Memphis sound, and its main studios, Stax and Hi, launched the careers of scores of legendary performers including Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Al Green, and the Staple Singers.
Like so many of his peers, and indeed the genre of soul itself, Don Bryant’s sound is rooted in the church, where he was a stand-out singer starting at age five. He went on to sing in his father’s vocal group, later forming a high school gospel quartet called the Four Kings that crossed successfully over into secular music. Bryant’s big break came when bandleader Willie Mitchell brought him on as lead singer, and recognized Don’s natural talent as a songwriter. By age 18, Don Bryant was writing for Hi Records, and his songs were being recorded by some of Memphis’s biggest stars. His greatest collaboration started in 1970 when he began writing for newcomer Ann Peebles. In 1973, they co-wrote the hit single “I Can’t Stand the Rain,” which solidified her status as a soul legend, and married the following year.
Don continued singing, primarily as a gospel artist, but for decades he was best known as a songwriter, with over 150 titles to his credit. That changed in 2017 when he released his first solo recording since 1969, Don’t Give Up on Love, bringing Don much-deserved acknowledgment as an essential part of the pantheon of great Memphis soul singers, and setting the stage for his 2020 release, You Make Me Feel. For this special virtual performance, Bryant will perform an intimate acoustic set with backing on guitar from Memphis-based multi-instrumentalist, producer, and frequent collaborator Scott Bomar of the Bo-Keys.
Reflecting on being back on the scene as a performer, Don says, “It feels just as good now as it did then.” He sounds just as good as he did then, too, but that doesn’t begin to do him justice—because like so many of the best things in life, Don has got a depth and flavor that only get better with time.
Read more about Don Bryant: An Interview with Don Bryant on NPR’s Weekend Edition