The Grand Ole Opry will help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the RIAA 8x Platinum-certified O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack on Feb. 28 with a special Opry show.
Billy Strings, Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Alaskan Sunnyside Sisters, Chris Thomas King, Colin Linden, and Del McCoury will perform during the special event, as will Emmylou Harris, Fisk Jubilee Singers, Jerry Douglas, Molly Tuttle, Old Crow Medicine Show, Sarah Jarosz, The Fairfield Four, The Whites and Tim Blake Nelson.
T Bone Burnett produced the December 2000-released soundtrack, assembling a group of top-tier artists including Krauss, The Whites, Ralph Stanley, The Cox Family, Harris, Gillian Welch and more, creating a sampler of old-time music styles delivered with musical expertise and homespun elegance. The soundtrack sparked a revival of roots music styles, placing a spotlight on bluegrass, blues, folk, gospel and country, and reintroducing traditional American roots music to audiences.
The 2000 Cohen Brothers film starred George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson as escaped convicts in rural Mississippi during the Great Depression.
The O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, and won a Grammy for album of the year. The set was also named album of the year at the CMA Awards, ACM Awards and the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards, and also spurred a series of musical tours.
Tyminski was Clooney's "Soggy Bottom Boys" singing voice on songs including "Man of Constant Sorrow," a track that was originally recorded in 1917 by Dick Burnett. Elsewhere, standout performances included Stanley's rendition of "O Death," Krauss's "Down to the River to Pray" and the collaboration of Harris, Welch and Krauss on "Didn't Leave Nobody But the Baby."
Lost Highway Records will mark the 25th anniversary of the iconic soundtrack by releasing a vinyl, gatefold edition on Feb. 20. The Hatch Show Print Shop will also issue an exclusive 25th anniversary O Brother, Where Art Thou? poster that will be available in the Opry Shop.
