OST - O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Music From The Motion Picture

(Mercury 170 069-2) 2000

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T-Bone Burnett struck musical gold when he put together the soundtrack for the Coen Brothers comedy epic, 'Oh Brother Where Art Thou?'.

The soundtrack won 4 Grammy's in 2001: 'Album Of The Year'; 'Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media'; 'Best Country Collaboration With Vocals' (Dan Tyminski/Harley Allem/Pat Enright); and 'Best Male Country Vocal Performance' for Ralph Stanley's a cappella performance of Oh Death.^[1]

It sold somewhere between 8-10 million copies...

To put that into context, Ralph's albums around that time are said to have sold around 5,000 copies,^[2] and his first release afterwards 66,000.^[3] Ralph apparently bought a Jaguar sports car shortly after the movie came out^[4] and thereafter began playing auditoriums rather than smaller clubs...

The soundtrack has three Stanley related tunes:- Oh Death which The Stanley Brothers had cut for King in 1964, and which Ralph had re-recorded with Keith Whitley on Clinch Mountain Gospel;^[5] one of Ralph's signature tunes, Man Of Constant Sorrow, which forms the musical backbone of the film, and the closing track, The Stanley Brothers' Angel Band.

There's a nice promotional version of the CD which is packaged in a 'pomade' (hair cream) tin, and a 10th anniversary release with a 2nd disc, which I think has music not included in the film, but no additonal Ralph Stanley content... It's a shame they didn't include one of the two takes Ralph recorded of Oh Death with banjo.^[6]

Keep on the sunny side...

Other artwork / related images:

[1] http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=&field_nominee_work_value=&year=2001&genre=All
[2] http://www.didaskalia.net/issues/vol3no3/wright.html
[3] Ken Irwin (Rounder Records) post to BGRASS-L email list 3rd May 2016. http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/bgrass-l.html
[4] Video included in this obituary:- http://www.richmond.com/entertainment/music/article_016a8768-7207-551c-a2f4-9e7c642ab952.html
[5] There's also a chiling live version on V/A - Berkshire Mountains Bluegrass Festival
[6] Before recording the a cappella take, Ralph had learned the Doc Boggs' version of Oh Death an two takes were recorded. Ralph Stanley and Eddie Dean's book 'Man Of Constant Sorrow' (p. 427)