Don Bryant

Best-known as a staff songwriter under Willie Mitchell at Hi Records and as the husband of Hi star Ann Peebles, Don Bryant was also a fine, underappreciated singer in his own right. Bryant was born in Memphis on April 4, 1942; his father, Edward, sang with a gospel group called the Four Stars of Harmony, and Bryant himself began singing in church at age five. In 1955, he and four brothers formed their own gospel group, the Five Bryant Brothers, which soon switched to doo wop under the name The Quails. Not long after, Bryant joined several high school friends in another doo wop group, the Four Canes, who were named after their manager, local DJ D. Cane Cole. When the group split with Cole, Bryant changed their name to the Four Kings, and they caught the attention of trumpeter/bandleader Willie Mitchell, who began performing with them around the Memphis club scene. Through Mitchell, Bryant got his original composition "Is There Someone Else on Your Mind" recorded by The 5 Royales and made his first solo recording in 1964 with a cover of Chris Kenner's "I Like It Like That."

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