O Brother, Where Art Thou? (soundtrack)

Development and sound

The soundtrack was conceived as a major component of the film, not merely as a background or support. For this reason it was decided to record the soundtrack before filming. T-Bone Burnett and Alan Larman were invited to design collections of music.

Dirges and other macabre songs recurring in Appalachian music, such as "O Death", "Lonesome Valley", "Angel Band", and "I Am Weary", appear in the film as a contrast to the bright, cheerful songs like "Keep On the Sunnyside" and "In the Highways". Ralph Stanley of The Stanley Brothers personally recorded the a cappella folk song "O Death".

"I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" has five variations: two are used in the film, one in the music video, and two in the album. Two of the variations feature the verses being sung back-to-back, and the other three variations feature additional music between each verse. The voices of the Soggy Bottom Boys were provided by Dan Tyminski (lead vocal on "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow"), Nashville songwriter Harley Allen, and the Nashville Bluegrass Band's Pat Enright.

Reception and legacy

O Brother, Where Art Thou? won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2002, the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (for singer Dan Tyminski, whose voice overdubbed George Clooney's in the film on "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow", Nashville songwriter Harley Allen, and the Nashville Bluegrass Band's Pat Enright), and the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "O, Death" by Ralph Stanley.

The album won the Album of the Year Award (only the second soundtrack to ever do so) and Single of the Year Award for "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" at the Country Music Association Awards. It also won the Album of the Year Award at the 37th Academy of Country Music Awards and took home 2 International Bluegrass Music Awards: Album of the Year and Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year (for Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch on "I'll Fly Away").

In 2006, the album ranked No. 38 on CMT's 40 Greatest Albums in Country Music. In 2009, Rhapsody ranked it No. 8 on the "Country's Best Albums of the Decade" list. Engine 145 Country Music Blog ranked it No. 5 on the "Country's Best Albums of the Decade" list. In 2010, All Songs Considered, a program on NPR, included the soundtrack album on their list of "The Decade's 50 Most Important Recordings".

Some of the artists on the soundtrack album played a concert at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, which was recorded in the 2000 documentary film, Down from the Mountain.

On August 23, 2011, a 10th anniversary edition was released featuring a bonus disc with 14 new tracks that were not included in the original album, all but two of which were previously unreleased songs from Burnett's original sessions.

Commercial performance

The album charted at No. 1 on Billboard 200 In 2001, and spent over 20 weeks on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart. The soundtrack CD became a best seller; it was first certified Gold by the RIAA on February 9, 2001, and reached 8 times Platinum by October 10, 2007.

Track listing

The 10th Anniversary bonus disc includes five songs that were used in the movie. The bonus disc versions of "You Are My Sunshine" and "I'll Fly Away" are the ones used in the film, not the versions on the original soundtrack album. Both the original album and the bonus disc versions of "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues", "Keep on the Sunny Side", and "Angel Band" are used in the film.

The music credits for the movie list two songs, "Admiration" (written by William Tyers and performed by Pat Rebillo) and "What Is Sweeter" (written by M. K. Jerome), which are not included on either edition of the soundtrack album.

Personnel

• Norman Blake – Performer, guitar, vocals
• Jerry Douglas – Dobro
• Alison Krauss – Vocals, harmony vocals
• Chris Sharp – Rhythm guitar
• The Stanley Brothers – Performers
• Ralph Stanley – Performer
• Sam Bush – Mandolin
• Emmylou Harris – Performer
• John Hartford – Fiddle, vocals
• The Fairfield Four – Performer
• Ed Haley – Arranger
• The Whites:
  • Buck White – Mandolin, vocals, harmony vocals
  • Cheryl White – Bass, Vocals, harmony vocals
  • Sharon White – Guitar, vocals
• Mike Compton – Guitar, mandolin
• Alan Lomax – Arranger
• Harley Allen – Vocals, harmony vocals
• Barry Bales – Bass
• Ron Block – Banjo
• Curtis Burch – Dobro
• T Bone Burnett – Arranger, producer
• The Cox Family:
  • Evelyn Cox – Guitar
  • Sidney Cox – Banjo, vocals, harmony vocals
  • Suzanne Cox – Mandolin, vocals
  • Willard Cox – Vocals, harmony vocals
• Stuart Duncan – Fiddle
• Pat Enright – Vocals, harmony vocals, yodeling
• Isaac Freeman – Bass, vocals, lead
• James Hill – Vocals
• Harry McClintock – Performer
• Tim O'Brien – Vocals
• Maura O'Connell – Vocals
• Carter Stanley – Arranger
• Dan Tyminski – Guitar, vocals
• Wilson Waters – Tenor sax, vocals
• Robert K. Oermann – Liner notes
• Sam Phillips – Vocals
• Gillian Welch – Arranger, vocals
• Dub Cornett – Vocals
• Chris Thomas King – Guitar, vocals
• David Rawlings – Vocals
• Gavin Lurssen – Mastering
• Mike Piersante – Mixing
• Peter Kurland – Location recording
• First Baptist Church of Norfolk Choir – Vocals
• Chris Sharp – Guitar
• Nathaniel Best – Lead
• Robert Hamlett – Vocals
• Joseph Rice – Vocals
• The Peasall Sisters
  • Sarah Peasall – Alto vocal, guitar, harmony vocals
  • Hannah Peasall – Soprano vocal, mandolin
  • Leah Peasall – Tenor vocal, violin, harmony vocals
• The Soggy Bottom Boys – Performer
• Tim Blake Nelson – Vocals, performer
• Porter McClister – Tenor backup vocals
• James Carter and The Prisoners – Performers
• Alan Larman – Musicologist

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

References

1. Droney, Maureen. (1 December 2000). "Roots Music Odyssey".
2. Germain, David. (August 22, 2011). "New 'O Brother' set serves up more old-timey music". [[Yahoo! News]].
3. Ridley, Jim. (May 22, 2000). "Talking with Joel and Ethan Coen about 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?'". Nashville Scene.
4. (February 28, 2002). "O Brother, why art thou so popular?". [[BBC News]].
5. McClatchy, Debbie. (June 27, 2000). "A Short History of Appalachian Traditional Music". Appalachian Traditional Music – A Short History.
6. Ellison, Michael. (June 18, 2001). "American high".
7. Staff writer. (September 8, 2004). "Museum Honoring Music Legend Ralph Stanley Set to Open October 16".
8. Long, Roger J.. (2006-04-09). ""O Brother, Where Art Thou?" entry page".
9. (7 November 2001). "Soggy Bottom Boys Hit the Top at 35th CMA Awards".
10. "Reviews for OST by O Brother Where Art Thou".
11. Cater, Evan. "O Brother, Where Art Thou? [Original Soundtrack] – Various Artists".
12. Caligiuri, Jim. (January 19, 2001). "O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Mercury)". [[The Austin Chronicle]].
13. Scherman, Tony. (January 5, 2001). "Various Artists: O Brother, Where Art Thou?".
14. Hussey, Allison. (November 8, 2020). "Various Artists: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Original Soundtrack)".
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16. Walters, Barry. (January 18, 2001). "Various Artists: O Brother, Where Art Thou? Music from the Motion Picture".
17. Miles, Milo. (2004). "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide". [[Simon & Schuster]].
18. "Various Artists: O Brother, Where Art Thou?".
19. (December 29, 2001). ""O Brother" One of Country's Biggest Success Stories".
20. "O Kossoy Sisters, Where Art Thou Been".
21. [http://blog.rhapsody.com/2009/11/countdec.html "Country’s Best Albums of the Decade"] {{webarchive. link. (January 19, 2010 Retrieved 12 January 2010.)
22. Staff. (December 10, 2009). "Top Country Albums of the Decade (#10-#1)". Engine 145.
23. (November 16, 2009). "The Decade's 50 Most Important Recordings". NPR.
24. Germain, David. (August 22, 2011). "New 'O Brother' set serves up more old-timey music". [[Yahoo! News]].
25. Lewis, Randy. (August 23, 2011). "'O Brother,' is it 10 already?". [[Los Angeles Times]].
26. Bjorke, Matt. (October 9, 2019). "Top Country Catalog Album Sales: October 9, 2019". RoughStock.
27. Stefano, Angela. (December 2020). "'O Brother, Where Art Thou?': 10 Things to Know About the Classic Soundtrack".
28. (2007). "The Brothers Grim: The Films of Ethan and Joel Coen". Rowman & Littlefield.
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31. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2001".
32. (December 29, 2001). "2001 The Year in Music".
33. "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2001". [[International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
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35. "Top 100 country albums of 2002 in Canada".
36. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002".
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41. "Soundtracks – Year-End 2013".
42. "Soundtracks – Year-End 2014".
43. "Soundtracks – Year-End 2015".
44. "Soundtracks – Year-End 2016".
45. "Soundtracks – Year-End 2017".