Legendary soul singer-songwriter Don Bryant has died at 83 years old. The artist, who is most known for writing “I Can’t Stand the Rain” with his wife, vocalist Ann Peebles, passed away on December 26.
His family posted on his official Instagram page on Friday to share the news, writing to his fans that Bryant “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,” the caption read.
Bryant was born in 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee, and learned how to sing gospel music through his upbringing in the church. He began his secular career as a singer in a quartet called The Four Kings, and later released a solo album in 1969 called ‘Precious Soul.’ Eventually, his songwriting skills took precedence, as he began making songs for musicians like Al Green and Otis Clay at the Memphis soul music label, Hi Records. He wrote over 150 songs for the record label in his tenure there.
The song “I Can’t Stand the Rain” is the biggest hit to come out of Memphis, according to John Doyle, executive director of Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, who spoke to WREG News about the legacy of the song. The creation of it was simple: Peebles made the comment “I can’t stand the rain” while watching a heavy downpour, and Bryant “pulled out a piece of paper and started writing the lyrics for that song,” Doyle told the news outlet.
The top 40 hit was famously covered by Tina Turner, who released it on her fifth solo studio album, ‘Private Dancer,’ as well as Seal, who made his version in 2008. Missy Elliot’s iconic song, “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” also samples this Peebles and Bryant collaboration.
After a successful 50-year songwriting career, Bryant returned to singing. Peebles suffered a stroke in 2012, which forced her to retire, and she encouraged her husband to reignite his solo artistry. He released his albums ‘Don’t Give Up’ in 2017 and ‘You Make Me Feel’ in 2020, which was nominated for a Grammy Award.