Friday Five: The Songs of Boudleaux Bryant

Tomorrow would have been Boudleaux Bryant’s 90th birthday. There are few songwriters who’ve been as important to music as Bryant. He and wife Felice are responsible for “Wake Up, Little Susie,” “Bird Dog,” “Brand New Heartache,” “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma,” and quite a few other classics. Below are some of my favorite renditions of songs that Boudleaux had a hand in writing. This very easily could have been the Friday Fifty, but there was no way I could narrow it down to only five.

• 9. “Sleepless Nights” – Patty Loveless

  Loveless named her 2008 covers album after this heartbreaking tune. It was originally recorded by the Everly Brothers, but Patty and Vince Gill’s version is just fine.

• 8. “(I Got) A Hole In My Pocket” – “Little” Jimmy Dickens

  The Bryants got their foot in the country music door when Dickens recorded “Country Boy” in 1949. “Country Boy” was a Top 10 hit, but I like this wild rockabilly song from 1958. It failed to chart.

• 7. “Bye Bye Love” – Ray Charles

  This Everly Brothers tune kicked off Charles’ seminal album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. The excellent big band horn arrangement on the song is courtesy of Gerald Wilson, who’s still arranging and conducting at 91 years old. Follow-up album Modern Sounds, Vol. 2 features the song “Midnight,” written by Bryant and Chet Atkins.

• 6. “How’s The World Treating You” – The Louvin Brothers

  Here’s another one Bryant wrote with Chet Atkins. In addition to Charlie and Ira, there are some good versions of this song from Eddy Arnold (his went to #4), Elvis Presley, and, of course, Alison Krauss and James Taylor, who teamed up for an unforgettable duet on Livin’, Lovin’, Losin’: The Songs of the Louvin Brothers.

• 5. “Hey Joe!” – Carl Smith

  Boudleaux wrote this one all by his lonesome, and Smith topped the charts with it for eight weeks in 1953. Kitty Wells recorded a sequel from Joe’s girl’s point of view; her song, also called “Hey Joe,” is worth a listen too.

• 4. “Change of Heart” – Teddy Thompson

  Another Bryant/Atkins classic. Kitty Wells’ 1957 version is good, but Thompson’s, released 50 years later (on underrated gem Upfront and Down Low) is beautiful. Of course, he’s got good music in his genes.

• 3. “Rocky Top” – Osborne Brothers

  Everyone loves Rocky Top, the magical land without smoggy smoke or telephone bills. Everyone, that is, but the revenuers.

• 2. “All I Have to Do Is Dream” – The Everly Brothers

  Babyfaced brothers Phil and Don are cute as a basket full of fuzzy bunnies on this 1958 tune that simultaneously topped the Billboard Pop, Country, and R&B charts. Brother duos have rarely sounded better.

• 1. “Love Hurts” – Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris

  You cannot go wrong with a song like “Love Hurts.” Unless you’re Nazareth, in which case, shame on you. “Love Hurts” was originally recorded by (surprise!) the Everlys, but Gram’s and Emmylou’s version kills me. Love can’t be so bad if it sounds so dang good.