#914. Lineage of Song: “Man of Constant Sorrow”

As performed in O Brother Where Art Thou?

Alison Krause & Union Station

Home Free

This one’s a little tongue-in-cheek, since of the two versions from 2000, the same person’s singing.

In the (what I consider) classic film O Brother, Where Art Thou? George Clooney leads an inept trio of runaways from a chain gang, which at one point pretends to be recording artists called the Soggy Bottom Boys. 

Now, despite being the nephew of Rosemary Clooney (White Christmas), George didn’t sing on the soundtrack, so when his character leads “Man of Constant Sorrow,” that’s Dan Tyminsky you’re hearing, and that’s Tyminsky with Alison Krause in the second video. The soundtrack was by far a bigger success story than the movie itself, leading to a renaissance for Americana music that also led to a brief revival of interest of folk music later that was another reason rock lost favor with critics and/or fans.

Eventually “Man of Constant Sorrow” gained enough traction to carry cover versions from the likes of Home Free. Despite being more than a century old today, it wasn’t until Tyminsky covered it in 2000 that it reemerged into the popular consciousness.

But as with many things, we can circle the conversation back to Bob Dylan:

Here’s the Stanley Brothers before him:

Here’s Joan Baez singing “Girl of Constant Sorrow”:

Going way back here’s Emry Arthur: