John Baxter Browning Bryant (January 24, 1957 – November 16, 2019) was an American singer-songwriter, whose greatest commercial popularity was before and during his early teens.

Background

Known professionally as Browning Bryant, he was the only child of Maud and Ray Bryant, and a long-time resident of Pickens, South Carolina. He attained success singing folk-pop that was uncharacteristically mature and introspective for a pre-teen heartthrob. In 1969, the first of his several songs to generate international sales was Games that Grown Up Children Play, leading to televised appearances on The Merv Griffin Show, The Mike Douglas Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Kraft Music Hall (10 times), The Tonight Show (December 24, 1970), and a brief Las Vegas career. He was nominated "Best Boy Singer" in a reader poll by 16 Magazine, then a favorite with teenagers. In 1974, Bryant's last commercial album was released. New Orleans hit-maker Allen Toussaint produced the album and wrote most of its songs. It featured backing by members of the R&B group The Meters. Though he was 15 and then 16 years old when the album was recorded, his mellifluous vocals are remarkably mature. His three self-penned songs also belied his age, with one, "Cure My Blues", being covered by blues singer Ellen McIlwaine. (Allmusic calls her version "majestic".) Despite recording in a style drastically different than his earlier work, it turned out that Bryant was well-paired with Toussaint's trademark syncopated funk. In the 1970s Bryant briefly ventured into theater with the lead role in a musical road show production of Tom Sawyer. After his career waned, Bryant graduated from Clemson University with a political science degree, and then worked for many years in management for the Belk department store chain. He continued to write songs and record privately. Bryant died at home, survived by his parents.

Discography

Commercial albums

In 2013, "Browning Bryant" was remastered and rereleased as a cd with original art as mini-sleeve by WEA Japan. It is available as a digital download and through major streaming services.

Private recordings

Various artist compilation albums

Singles