Floor SpeechNeutral2026-01-07

REMEMBERING "ELDER STATESMAN OF SOUL," DON BRYANT

TaxesEnvironment

Context

On 2026-01-07, Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) delivered a floor speech titled "REMEMBERING "ELDER STATESMAN OF SOUL," DON BRYANT" in the House. The speech addressed taxes and also covered the environment.

Full Text

REMEMBERING "ELDER STATESMAN OF SOUL," DON BRYANT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E10] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] REMEMBERING ``ELDER STATESMAN OF SOUL,'' DON BRYANT ______ HON. STEVE COHEN of tennessee in the house of representatives Wednesday, January 7, 2026 Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Don Bryant, Memphis' ``elder statesman of soul,'' the acclaimed singer and songwriter who passed last month at the age of 83. Probably best known for co-writing the top-40 hit ``I Can't Stand the Rain,'' with his wife Ann Peebles and Bernard Miller in 1973, Bryant was a staff songwriter at Willie Mitchell's Hi Records label in the 1960s and 1970s with 154 songs to his credit. He later wrote and sang for Fat Possum Records. Mr. Bryant and Ms. Peebles, a noted singer, married in 1974 and were both inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame (she in 2014 and he in 2019, the same year Steve Cropper and Tina Tuner were inducted). According to his obituary in The New York Times, the song's title came from an offhand remark made by Ms. Peebles as they prepared to go to a concert in a sudden cloudburst. The Beatles' John Lennon said ``I Can't Stand the Rain'' was ``the best song ever'' after hearing Peebles sing it at The Troubadour in Los Angles. Tina Turner later covered the song in on her album ``Private Dancer'' in 1984. Donald Maurice Bryant was born in Memphis in April 1942, the son of a gospel choir leader and, by 10, was singing in church choirs. In the 1960s, he was Hi Records leading singer with The Four Kings, performing on the local WLOK radio station, and released his first solo album, ``Precious Soul,'' in 1969. For decades, he sang mainly in church settings but returned to the studio in 2016 and produced ``Don't Give Up on Love'' with the Bo-Keys for Fat Possum, his first secular album in 48 years. In 2020, they produced ``You Make Me Feel,'' which was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Traditional Blues category. Mr. Bryant and Ms. Peebles toured the world, with Bryant largely working behind the scenes to advance his wife's work on stage until his late career comeback. Ms. Peebles, who stopped singing after a stroke in 2012, survives him. I extend my profound condolences to his family, friends, collaborators and his many fans and admirers. The elder statesman of soul sent his unique Memphis sound around the world and will be long remembered. ____________________

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REMEMBERING "ELDER STATESMAN OF SOUL," DON BRYANT Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E10] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] REMEMBERING ``ELDER STATESMAN OF SOUL,'' DON BRYANT ______ HON. STEVE COHEN of tennessee in the house of representatives Wednesday, January 7, 2026 Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Don Bryant, Memphis' ``elder statesman of soul,'' the acclaimed singer and songwriter who passed last month at the age of 83. Probably best known for co-writing the top-40 hit ``I Can't Stand the Rain,'' with his wife Ann Peebles and Bernard Miller in 1973, Bryant was a staff songwriter at Willie Mitchell's Hi Records label in the 1960s and 1970s with 154 songs to his credit. He later wrote and sang for Fat Possum Records. Mr. Bryant and Ms. Peebles, a noted singer, married in 1974 and were both inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame (she in 2014 and he in 2019, the same year Steve Cropper and Tina Tuner were inducted). According to his obituary in The New York Times, the song's title came from an offhand remark made by Ms. Peebles as they prepared to go to a concert in a sudden cloudburst. The Beatles' John Lennon said ``I Can't Stand the Rain'' was ``the best song ever'' after hearing Peebles sing it at The Troubadour in Los Angles. Tina Turner later covered the song in on her album ``Private Dancer'' in 1984. Donald Maurice Bryant was born in Memphis in April 1942, the son of a gospel choir leader and, by 10, was singing in church choirs. In the 1960s, he was Hi Records leading singer with The Four Kings, performing on the local WLOK radio station, and released his first solo album, ``Precious Soul,'' in 1969. For decades, he sang mainly in church settings but returned to the studio in 2016 and produced ``Don't Give Up on Love'' with the Bo-Keys for Fat Possum, his first secular album in 48 years. In 2020, they produced ``You Make Me Feel,'' which was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Traditional Blues category. Mr. Bryant and Ms. Peebles toured the world, with Bryant largely working behind the scenes to advance his wife's work on stage until his late career comeback. Ms. Peebles, who stopped singing after a stroke in 2012, survives him. I extend my profound condolences to his family, friends, collaborators and his many fans and admirers. The elder statesman of soul sent his unique Memphis sound around the world and will be long remembered. ____________________